WOOSTER, Ohio – After having its run of seven consecutive conference titles snapped last season, Allegheny exacted revenge on nationally-ranked No. 25 and defending champion Wabash as the Gators' cross country team delivered a strong statement at the 2012 NCAC Championships. Led by individual winner, Bobby Over, Allegheny placed three runners in the top five and its entire scoring contingent among the top 12 in winning its 11th league crown.

“We were losing the race with one mile to go,” reflected Head Coach Brent Wilkerson. “Fortunately, our guys followed the race plan perfectly and crushed the finish. We're still improving, but we were patient our guys showed a lot of maturity.”

Over was sensational as he out-dueled DePauw's Noah Droody for the individual title. Predictably, the two runners broke away from the rest of the field, while Over authored a strong finish to break the tape three seconds ahead of Droody in 25:35.9. With the victory, Over became the ninth Allegheny harrier to win the NCAC Championship on the men's side while he earned honors as NCAC Runner of the Year.

Rookie Logan Steiner continued his fabulous rookie season as he finished third overall with a time of 26:26.2. Earning First Team All-NCAC accolades, Steiner was the first Allegheny freshman to finish as the top rookie at the NCAC Championship since Zac Ross in 2007. He was named NCAC Newcomer of the Year during the post-championship awards celebration.

Sophomore James Rynes was Allegheny's third finisher. The second-year Gator has enjoyed a stunning rise over the last month, while he pulled away from two Wabash runners to finish fifth on Saturday with a time of 26:40.7. By finishing inside the top seven, Rynes also secured First Team All-NCAC plaudits.

Kevin Edwards and Brennan Hamilton capped Allegheny's scoring while both runners copped Second Team All-Conference accolades. Edwards finished eighth overall with a time of 26:52.3, while Hamilton closed in 12th in 27:10.3.

Sophomore Alex Simon and junior Jack Denison also competed for the Blue and Gold. Simon finished 18th in the field of 117 with a time 27:17.4 to earn All-NCAC Honorable Mention honors, while Denison completed the 8k circuit in 27:39.3 to finish 29th.

The nationally-ranked No. 18 Gators scored 29 points, while the Little Giants closed in second with a total of 41. Ohio Wesleyan finished third on the team board with a total of 113.

The victory marked Allegheny's ninth NCAC team title since 2002 and the second in the tenure of Wilkerson, who was named NCAC Coach of the Year.