Women’s basketball

Xc duo looks to finish on strong note

Muhlenberg senior David Chorney recalls the NCAA cross country meet his sophomore season.

“I took the lead for the first 400 or 600 meters. The pictures are pretty cool.”

Chorney and classmate Timothy VanSyckle went to the

Counting Chorney (left) and VanSyckle twice each, the Mules have sent nine individuals and one team to the NCAA Championships, all since 2001.

NCAA Division III championships as members of the 2006 team that qualified, and last year they became the first cross country athletes to run in the meet twice.

Now they have earned their third straight bid to the championship meet this Saturday at Hanover College in Indiana, returning with plenty of championship experience. Over their four years competing for the Mules, Chorney and VanSyckle have set the tone for Muhlenberg cross country.

And now that they are seniors, they’re laying it all on the line.

“I definitely want to end on a good note,” said Chorney. “I’m going in with the mindset I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Last season, Chorney placed 195th and VanSyckle was 230th. Their head coach, Will Elson, placed 94th in the meet in 2002.

“Coach Elson brings experience,” said Chorney. “He knows what it’s like. And he knows how to do well, which is something that has eluded us in the past.”

Chorney and VanSyckle place a lot of pressure on themselves as the top runners on the men’s cross country team, something that has not always worked in their favor.

“The past two years I’ve put pressure on myself,” said Chorney. “The first year I did horrible. The second I burned out. Pressure doesn’t usually work. I’m going to take it as any other race.”

“I don’t want to tell anyone about my goals because that creates more pressure on me,” said VanSyckle. “I have some really big goals for this meet, but I’d rather keep them to myself. It’s been four years of hard work. I’m going to take advantage of the opportunity and end on a high note.”
Click here for the championship Web site.