Division I · Big Ten Conference
Pennsylvania State University Men's Cross Country
University Park, PA · the Nittany Lions · Pennsylvania State University overview
987
APR
99% of players retained
54%
Admitted
top quarter for selectivity
Pennsylvania State University fields a men's cross country team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 987, about the median of 990, with 99% of players retained year to year. The school gave $14,065,058 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $27,310 per roster spot.
Among Division I men's cross country programs
Where this program sits against its 314 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
Team budgets across the division
Roster sizes (cap 17)
The program
- Division I roster cap17 from 2025-26
- Academic Progress Rate987 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained99% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$14,065,058 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$27,310 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$3,707,691 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| John Gondak head coach | Head Coach | On file · sign in |
| Mike Ashton | Assistant Coach - Pole Vault / High Jump | On file · sign in |
| Darrell Hill | Assistant Coach - Throws | On file · sign in |
| Aaron Kindt | Assistant Coach – Mid-Distance / Distance | not on file |
| Brandon Rizzo | Assistant Coach - Sprints / Hurdles | On file · sign in |
| Amy Rudolph | Assistant Coach – Mid-Distance / Distance | not on file |
| Fritz Spence | Assistant Coach - High Jump / Multi-Events | On file · sign in |
| Jess Riden | Chief of Staff | Director of Operations | not on file |
Put Pennsylvania State University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 15 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school cross country players241,565 2024-25
- Division I roster spots854 314 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 280 0.35% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the men's cross country recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →42,223undergraduates · 50,399 students in all
Women 47% Men 53%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →54%admitted · of 85,956 applicants
SAT middle 50%1220 – 1400
ACT middle 50%27 – 32
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 86%
Men's Cross Country
Full picture →Academic Progress Rate987
99% of players kept year to year
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $14,065,058
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $3,707,691
Cost
Full picture →$27,450net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $20,234 in-state · $40,188 out
Campus safety
Full picture →1.66violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 24 burglaries · 145 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 11 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →16%of bachelor's degrees in business · 26 fields · Associate's, Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Pennsylvania State University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Men's Cross Country programThe programPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions54% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$27,450 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 16%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 42,223Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.66 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Men's Cross Country programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniata College Division III · Landmark Conference | 22 | 8 | $46k | — | 72% | |
| Penn State University, Altoona Division III · Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | 34 | — | — | — | 97% | |
| Mount Aloysius College Division III · Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | 45 | 5 | $8k | — | 90% | |
| Saint Francis University Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference | 45 | 19 | $42k | 1000 | 77% | |
| Susquehanna University Division III · Landmark Conference | 52 | — | — | — | 79% | |
| Bucknell University Division I · Patriot League | 52 | — | — | 1000 | 32% | |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology Division III · United East Conference | 53 | 12 | $20k | — | — | |
| Dickinson College Division III · Centennial Conference | 54 | 24 | $116k | — | 43% | |
| Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 54 | — | — | — | 86% | |
| Lycoming College Division III · Landmark Conference | 55 | 10 | $28k | — | 68% | |
| University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown Division II · Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 63 | — | — | — | 96% | |
| Messiah University Division III · Middle Atlantic Conferences | 64 | — | — | — | 78% |
Other men's cross country programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | — | — | — | 987 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington | — | — | — | 991 | vs | |
| Michigan State University | — | — | — | 990 | vs | |
| Purdue University | — | — | — | 985 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick | — | — | — | 993 | vs | |
| The Ohio State University | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | — | — | — | 992 | vs | |
| University of Iowa | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Michigan | — | — | — | 994 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | — | — | — | 998 | vs | |
| University of Oregon | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Washington | — | — | — | 989 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | — | — | — | 971 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference men's cross country program · Men's Cross Country budgets ranked