LOCK HAVEN, Pennsylvania - Theo Schell broke set a school record at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Meet Friday afternoon with a time of 32:25.0 in the 10k at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Meet.  

"Theo Schell closed out his Bluefield State Cross Country career with a gutty performance in Lock Haven. He took off with the lead pack and even though his first two miles were a little quicker than we'd plotted out for his race, he made the smart choice to open it up and see what he had: in a field loaded with fifth-and sixth-year seniors, the Atlantic Region and, truly, every region across the country just had a blazing field this year, and he did his best to give himself a chance in the later stages of the race, said Head Coach Brooks Rexroat.

Schell's placed in the top 30 out of 200 athletes.  Schell's average mile throughout the race was 5:13.2. 

While he held on tough and hit the marks we were looking for in a best-case performance, NCAA Division II Cross Country is at an all-time peak in terms of performance quality, and for Theo to finish up so close to contention for selection into the national championship meet is a testament to the way he works and prepares," said coach Rexroat. 

"The best news for us as a team is that Theo is a bit out of his comfort area in the lengthier races of cross country: his true strength is in middle distance races and the steeplechase, and so of course we're excited he'll be with us as we transition into our inaugural track and field season."

"The core of our sprint, jump, and throws groups have been working hard this fall, conditioning and building their way into our training regimen, and we're fortunate to have a senior leader like Theo to demonstrate to our younger athletes what it takes to be great. We have a few dual-sport athletes who will train with us, as well as a few mid-year additions who will help us launch into what we feel will be an exciting year," said coach head Rexroat. 

The Atlantic Region marked the end of the cross country season for the Big Blue. The indoor track and Field season is set to start in late December, early January. 

"The entire cross country squad set the tone this fall for what running sports can and will be at B-State. Coach Rachael and I are immensely proud of this group, and we're ready to move on to indoor track season as we continue to grow this team and program. This was a wonderful fall, and we're looking forward to even better moments as the rest of the year unfolds," said coach Rexroat.