Penn State Altoona cross country teams will get their inaugural NCAA Division III seasons underway this Saturday, August 30th, and the squads are looking to improve and be competitive in the AMCC Championship this season. 

Penn State Altoona Athletics announced the return of cross country to its DIII offerings in April 2025, marking the return of varsity cross country to Ivyside since the 2015-16 academic year. Now, the teams will compete in 2025 as the department's newest sport.  

Head coach Joey Zins is looking forward to working with the teams this season. Zins joined Penn State Altoona this summer with a wealth of experience coaching several cross country teams, including Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Florida State. 

Zins is excited for the opportunity to create a team that will last many years. 

"I believe that this is the very start of something that can become great and sustainable over time, and these student-athletes have the opportunity to be the group that got everything going again." 

The Lions' 2025 schedule consists of five regular season meets, as well as the AMCC Championships, Mid-Atlantic Region Championships, and NCAA Division III Championships.  

On the course, one runner for the women's cross country team who could make an impact this season is senior Victoria Scutti (Bellefonte, PA/State College).  

"I project Victoria Scutti to lead the way for the women's team this fall after posting a 20:18 5k and a 1:36 half marathon time during her July training." 

For the men's team, Zins expects positive performances from freshman Zach Halama.  

"Zach Halama headlines a young group after consistently running in the 16-minute range last fall as a senior at ML King (Riverside, CA)." 

Both Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams start their seasons traveling to Tyrone, PA to compete in the Father Bede Invitational this Saturday, August 30th.  

"My goal for this season is for our student-athletes to improve and develop as students, runners, and people. I'd like for us to get better as individuals and as a team with each meet, and for our teams to be competitive at our conference championship on Nov. 1st."