TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame cross country program advanced to the NCAA National Championships behind second and fourth-place team finishes Friday in Terre Haute, Indiana. The men, fresh off an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, automatically qualified for the championship meet with their second-place team finish. The women took the fourth team spot, which allows them to earn an at-large bid as determined by the NCAA at the conclusion of all regional meets.
The men finished with 91 points with seven individual runners placing in the top-51. The team traveled as a pack for the majority of the race, heading up the thick group of men at the 5K marker. As the pack broke up in the latter half of the race, Yared Nuguse took the top Irish spot, and finished third overall in the 10K (31:11.8) followed by Danny Kilrea in ninth (31:19.2). Andrew Alexander finished the race in 31:31.0 for 18th overall while Anthony Williams came in at 23rd in 31:37.9. Kevin Salvano finished the scoring for the Irish, placing 38th with a time of 31:56.7. With 204 total competitors, Bradley Wattleworth (47th) and Tyler Keslin (51st) concluded the Irish in the race, finishing in the top-25 percent.
“The men went out there and did their job today getting an automatic qualifier for the national meet,” assistant coach Sean Carlson said. “We have tremendous momentum going in to NCAA Championships and the results will speak for themselves. These boys have come a long way but we know we have one more stop on the train this season.”
The women, anchored by four top-25 performances, finished fourth as a team with 100 points. Anna Rohrer led the race most of the way, neck-and-neck with Alicia Monson of Wisconsin, before Monson overtook her in the final 1K. Rohrer finished second overall with a time of 20:20.1. Jackie Gaughan, who also ran at the front of the group for the majority of the race finished sixth in the women’s 6K, crossing the line in 20:42.4. Seniors Rachel DaDamio and Jessica Harris battled it out to the finish, crossing the line together in 20th and 21st, respectively. DaDamio finished half a second ahead of Harris for the 20th spot, completing the race in 20:57.5 while Harris finished with a time of 20:58.1. AnnaSophia Keller and Claudia Magnussen also crossed half a second apart from each other, with Keller taking the fifth scoring position for the Irish in 51st while Magnussen finished 52nd. In a sea of 225 runners, Sydney Foreman also placed in the top-60, taking the 58th spot with a time of 21:53.7.
“The women have been incredibly consistent over the last three meets,” head coach Matt Sparks said. “It was nice to see Anna re-establish herself as one of the best in the country with her performance today. I was also especially proud of the way Jackie Gaughan raced. Her confidence is catching up with her fitness at the right time of the year.”
Women’s 6K Times
Anna Rohrer – 20:20.1 (2nd)
Jackie Gaughan – 20:42.4 (6th)
Rachel DaDamio – 20:57.5 (20th)
Jessica Harris – 20:58.1 (21st)
AnnaSophia Keller – 21:46.5 (51st)
Claudia Magnussen – 21:47.0 (52nd)
Sydney Foreman – 21:53.7 (58th)
Men’s 10K Times
Yared Nuguse – 31:11.8 (3rd)
Danny Kilrea – 31:19.2 (9th)
Andrew Alexander – 31:31.0 (18th)
Anthony Williams – 31:37.9 (23rd)
Kevin Salvano – 31:56.7 (38th)
Bradley Wattleworth – 32:07.0 (47th)
Tyler Keslin – 32:08.3 (51st)
From the Great Lakes Region, Wisconsin and Notre Dame automatically qualified on the men’s side after placing first and second as teams. The region will send at least two teams I n Michigan and Wisconsin after they took the top-two team spots. The women, who finished fourth as a group have a chance to earn the at-large bid from the NCAA committee. The selection of at-large bids will be announced tomorrow (Saturday, November 10) at 5 p.m.
The men will compete next week in Madison, Wisconsin at the NCAA National Championships. It is their first appearance at the event since 2013 and Notre Dame’s first representation since 2016.
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