Cross Country Teams Off And Running Friday At Crusader Invitational

Sept. 7, 2006

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Fresh off arguably one of the finest seasons in school history, the Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams will kick off their 2006 schedules Friday in the Crusader Invitational at Sunset Hills Farm in Valparaiso, Ind. The 4K women’s race will take place at 5 p.m. (CT), with the 6K men’s race to follow at 5:45 p.m. (CT). The Irish are the two-time defending champions on the men’s side, while the Notre Dame women will look to return to the winner’s circle after placing third in 2005. This year’s races are shorter than last year’s meet (6K for the women, 8K for the men) due to a reconfiguration of the Sunset Hills course.

Both Notre Dame squads will be looking at the Crusader Invitational as an opportunity to evaluate younger talent for the remainder of the season. The Irish men have three runners back who competed in last year’s NCAA Championship, helping Notre Dame to a third-place finish (its best since 1990). Among the returning veterans is All-America senior Kurt Benninger (Chepstow, Ontario/Walkerton D.S.S.), who placed eighth at the NCAA meet and is considered a prime contender for the national title in 2006. Also back in the fold are senior Todd Ptacek (Benton Harbor, Mich./Lake Michigan Catholic), who raced four times last year and peaked with a 26th-place showing at the BIG EAST Conference Championship, and sophomore Patrick Smyth (Salt Lake City, Utah/Judge Memorial), who won the National Catholic Championship title, garnered all-BIG EAST honors with a ninth-place outing at the league meet, and took 20th place at the Great Lakes Regional. All three men appear solidly locked into the Notre Dame lineup and will not race at Valparaiso on Friday.

Among the featured runners for the Irish men this week will be: junior Daniel Bradley (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s), who was eighth at last year’s Crusader Invitational (26:29 for 8K) and 11th at the National Catholic Championship a week later (25:32), sophomore Chris Rodriguez (Kelso, Wash./Kelso), who was Notre Dame’s top finisher at Valparaiso last year (second place, 26:01) and was 12th at the National Catholic meet in 25:35, and sophomore Kevin Veselik (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Benet Academy), who will make his cross country debut after a solid 2006 outdoor track season that included a BIG EAST Championship qualifying mark in the 5,000 meters (14:55.88).

In addition, 32nd-year head coach Joe Piane will bring along three freshmen — Terrence Egan (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Fordham Prep), Greg Kiley (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) and Matt Tieuli (Upton, Mass./St. John’s). Egan was a member of championship distance medley and 3,200-meter relay units at Fordham Prep in New York, while Kiley was the No. 2 runner on the 2005 national high school champion squad from Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) High School and earned third-team all-state honors before going on to win the New York state title in the indoor 1,600 meters and place third in the indoor mile at the famed Millrose Games. Tieuli was a four-time all-area cross country selection and won the 2005 Massachusetts Central State Championship by covering the nearly three-mile course in 14:47.8.

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame women’s team looks to build upon its unprecedented run of four consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship, most recently placing seventh in 2005. However, the construction task for 19th-year head coach Tim Connelly will be a challenging one, with just two returnees that ran in last year’s NCAA meet. Leading the way will be junior two-time All-American Sunni Olding (Minster, Ohio/Minster), who has been exceptionally reliable throughout her first two seasons under the Golden Dome. She is a two-time all-BIG EAST selection, won last year’s National Catholic Championship (17:42 for 5K) and posted four top-10 finishes in six races during the 2005 campaign, including a seventh-place outing at the Great Lakes Regional (her second top-10 showing in as many regional appearances).

Senior Katie DeRusso (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) will be called upon for a greater role in 2006 after showing flashes of brilliance throughout her career. Most notably, she placed 16th at last year’s BIG EAST Championship, playing a major part in Notre Dame winning the team title for the third time in four seasons and posting the meet’s lowest point total in more than decade. Olding and DeRusso will be key components in this year’s lineup, as will freshman Lindsey Ferguson (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs), who is a three-time top-30 finisher at the FootLocker National Cross Country Championship as well as the national high school record holder in the 2,000-meter steeplechase (6:36.37). All three ladies will sit out Friday’s trip to Valparaiso, but a sizeable contingent will make the journey in hopes of moving into the Notre Dame starting lineup later this year.

Some of the more promising runners for the Irish this weekend include: sophomore Becca Bauman (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central), who was ninth at last year’s Crusader Invitational (23:35 for 6K) and 19th at the ensuing National Catholic Championship (18:50 for 5K), junior Julie Opet (Wayne, Pa./Radnor), who placed 16th in both the Crusader and Catholic races a year ago, and junior Liz Philipp (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood), who was the runner-up in the ’05 National Catholic Championship Gold Division race (19:16). Freshmen Beth Tacl (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), Analisa Sandoval (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamos) and Sarah Merriday (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) also will compete for the Irish on Friday in Valparaiso.

Complete results from this week’s Crusader Invitational will be available on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com) as well as the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000) shortly after completion of the day’s races.

— ND —