2010's All-Decade Team: Cross Country
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - We are on day three of our All-Decade announcements, where we honor our Cross Country team members. The Tournament and Awards Committee has reviewed the hundreds of nominees submitted by our 14 member campuses, and selected the best-of-the-best. We look forward to sharing these teams with you.
We present to you our 2010s Cross Country All-Decade Team (presented in alphabetical order). We thank our campus athletic administrators for providing the write-ups for our honorees.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Diana Kloss, Penn State Scranton
Diana Kloss ran for four years as a Lady Lion at Penn State Scranton where she helped the team capture the PSUAC Championship title every season of her career. Kloss competed in four PSUAC Championships and four USCAA National Championship races. In 2010, Kloss was named Northeast Woman of the Year by the Scranton Times Tribune and the Female Student Athlete of the Year for Penn State Scranton. In 2011 she received the John S. Egli Award for Most Outstanding Female Student Athlete in the PSUAC. As an adult learner, mother, and student-leader on campus, Kloss earned 1st team All-Conference in the PSUAC all four seasons and finished in the top three at championships three out of four seasons.
Kloss also excelled academically, receiving four Academic All-Conference Awards for cross country in the PSUAC and earned a spot on the USCAA National All-Academic Team three times for cross country and once for softball. In 2013 Diana graduated from Penn State with a BS in Nursing and returned to coach the Penn State Scranton Cross Country team for four seasons.
Alexis Luna, Penn State Schuylkill
Alexis Luna was back-to-back individual PSUAC Champion in 2017 and 2018, and part of the championship teams each of those years. Luna was also named PSUAC Runner of the Week multiple times and earned a spot on the PSUAC All-Conference team. Luna was not just the lead runner out on the course, she also led in the classroom as well. She maintained above a 3.0 GPA, earned PSUAC All-Academic recognition and graduated with a degree in Radiological Sciences.
Amber Martin, Penn State Scranton
Amber Martin was a top finisher for Penn State Scranton Women’s Cross Country from 2009-2011, finishing in the top 4 in each PSUAC Championship race of her career. Martin competed in four PSUAC Championships, where her team earned 4 straight titles, and four USCAA National Championship races. In her freshman season Martin finished the USCAA National Championship race in sixth place with a time of 25:05 on the course at NHTI, earning her a USCAA All-American. Martin is a four-time PSUAC All-Conference team member and earned both PSUAC and USCAA All-Academic honors each season she was eligible.
Catharine Mooney, Penn State Brandywine
Catharine Mooney won the 2019 PSUAC Invitational, becoming Brandywine’s first individual medalist at the conference level. Just two weeks later, Mooney made more history, becoming the first all-American in Brandywine women’s history when she set a school 6K record (24:38) and placed 14th at the USCAA National Championship. A two-time First Team All-PSUAC runner, Mooney owns both the 6K and 5K records at Brandywine and recorded five top-three finishes in 15 career races from 2018-2019.
Maureen Suchecki, Penn State Scranton
Maureen Suchecki was a two-time USCAA All-American and PSUAC All-Conference team member at Penn State Scranton from 2009-2011. During her career at Scranton, Suchecki was the first two-time undefeated PSUAC Women’s Cross-Country Champion in campus history. She also was named USCAA National Player of the Week, held a 5k course record at Penn State Fayette, and was the 2011 Female Academic Athlete of the Year. Following her transfer to University Park, Suchecki joined the club cross country team, became a 2016 Boston Marathon qualifier, and helped coach the 2014 men’s and women’s cross-country teams at Scranton to PSUAC Championship titles.
Breanna Toolan, Penn State Scranton
Breanna Toolan was for four-year standout Women’s Cross Country runner from 2010-2013 at Penn State Scranton. Toolan was a four-time PSUAC All-Conference team member finishing top 10 in each PSUAC Championship race of her career. Toolan was a four-time PSUAC Championship Team member and competed in four USCAA National Championships, with a PR of 22:52 her senior year. Toolan was a dual-sport athlete who also played softball.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Brian Abel, Penn State Brandywine
Brian Abel was a record-setting runner for at Brandywine during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Of the 10 fastest 8K times in team history, Abel owns six, including the school record mark of 25:55 set at the 2019 PSUAC Invitational when he finished as the runner-up. A two-time first team all-conference standout, Abel became Brandywine’s first-ever male cross country all-American when he finished 13th in the 110-competitor USCAA National Championship in 2019. He also became the first-ever Lion to earn medalist honors at an invitational when he won the DelVal Invitational as a freshman and went on to successfully defend his DelVal title one year later.
John Ciccone, Penn State Scranton
John Ciccone was a men’s cross country standout for two seasons from 2013-2014 at Penn State Scranton. In his freshman year, Ciccone finished 2nd overall at the PSUAC Championship race and earned 1st Team All-Conference. In his sophomore season, Ciccone clinched first place overall at the PSUAC Championships helping his team earn the 2014 PSUAC Men’s Cross Country championship title and a bid to USCAA Nationals at SUNY ESF where he finished 12th with a PR of 28:12 and earning USCAA Second Team All-American. John was also a two-time PSUAC All-Academic team member.
John Li, Penn State Brandywine
John Li is the only four-time all-conference men’s cross country runner in Brandywine history. He earned three first team awards, finishing as high as third place at the PSUAC Championship Invitational during the 2015 season. Li competed at four USCAA National Championships, while also earning one USCAA National All-Academic Team award. His personal-best 8K time of 29:03 came at the 2017 Brandywine Invitational.
Nyoah Marteny, Penn State Fayette
Nyoah Marteny was a part of Penn State Fayette’s cross country program from 2017 to 2020 as a student-athlete. During his time here he excelled by being a two-time PSUAC Individual Champion, where he helped his team win the PSUAC Men’s Cross Country Championship four years in a row. Marteny is also the record holder for the 5k and 8k at Fayette campus. During his junior season he finished strong by helping Fayette take third place in the USCAA as a team.
Matt Murray, Penn State Scranton
Matt Murray was a men’s cross country runner for two seasons from 2016-2017 at Penn State Scranton. In his freshman year, Murray finished second overall at the PSUAC Championship race and earned PSUAC First Team All-Conference. In his sophomore season, Matt climbed to first place overall at PSUAC Championships, earning himself a second PSUAC First Team nod and a spot at USCAA Nationals in Virgina Beach, where he finished in the top 30 with a PR of 28:57.
Devin Pisarski, Penn State Fayette
Devin Pisarski was a part of Penn State Fayette’s cross country and track and field programs. Pisarski was a two-time PSUAC All Conference Runner for Cross Country. He was also a part of the cross country team when accomplishing three PSUAC Conference Championships. Pisarski excelled at track and field by achieving second place in the 800-meter USCAA National Track Invite. He is the current school record holder for the 800 meter and 1500 meter at the Fayette Campus.