Oct. 16, 2010
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s cross country team placed seventh at the Pre-National meet, while the women concluded the contest in 23rd place. The race was held at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. Senior Dan Jackson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter) was the top-finisher for the men and 19th overall in 24:11.3. Erica Watson (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) completed the six-kilometer race in 64th place crossing the line in 21:23.1 for the women.
Oklahoma captured the crown scoring 106 points. In second place was Brigham Young University (138), followed by Colorado with 140 points. The individual finisher in the race was Samuel Chalanga of Liberty in 23:19.9.
The Irish were seventh overall and totaled 225 points.
Trailing Jackson in the eight-kilometer race was Jordan Carlson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) who finished 31st overall in 24:19.1. Johnathan Shawel (Placentia,Calif./Troy) was 55th in 24:38.4, followed by 59th-place finisher Jeremy Rae (Fort Erie, Ont./Lakeshore Catholic) in 24:39.9.
Freshman Martin Grady (Burr Ridge, Ill./Fenwick) and Mat Abernethy (College Park, Md./Georgetown Prep.) claimed 61st and 121st in 24:40.7 and 25:16.0, respectively. Rounding out the Irish squad was Walter Schafer (Centennial, Colo./Cherry creek) in 156th in 25:39.4.
On the women’s side, Florida State won first place scoring 115 points, followed by Arizona and Iowa State with 128 and 175 points, in that order. Risper Kimaio of the University of Texas-El Paso won the individual title in 20:03.4.
The Irish concluded the race in 23rd place, scoring 547 points.
Following Watson was freshman Meg Ryan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) in 92nd place, stopping the clocks at 21:38.5. Kelly Curran (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) finished in 120th place, Rebecca Tracy (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) in 132nd, and Rachel Velarde (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado) in 139th. The trio finished within seconds of each other with times of 21:51.9, 21:55.8 and 21:58.9, in that order.
Molly Hirt (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North) and Susanna Sullivan (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) completed the Irish line-up in 178th and 211th, crossing the line in 22:23.4 and 22:49.2.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams will return to action on Sat., Oct. 30th for the BIG EAST Championship meet in Syracuse, N.Y.
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