November 13, 1998

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 1998 Great Lakes Region District IV cross country meet awaits the Notre Dame men’s and women’s squads this Saturday, November 14 . Indiana State University hosts this year’s edition at the Bird-Gibson Recreation Facility in Terre Haute, Ind. The women’s race starts at 11:00 a.m., while the men run at noon.

Irish head coach Joe Piane and his 18th-ranked men look to repeat last season’s successful fourth-place finish and make a return trip to the NCAA Championships held this year in Lawrence, Kan. Returning competitors include senior Antonio Arce (Palmdale, Calif.), 10th at last year’s meet, senior Ryan Maxwell (Staten Island, N.Y.) and sophomore Ryan Shay (Central Lake, Mich.). Juniors John Dudley (Westwood, Ma.) and Sean McManus (Hernando, Fla.), senior Tim Engelhardt (East Syracuse, N.Y.), and freshmen Marc Striowski (Toronto, Ont.) and Luke Watson (Stillwater, Minn.) will also complete for the Irish.

The women’s squad hopes to improve upon last year’s 12th-place finish and qualify for the NCAAs for the first time since 1993. Women returning to the meet include juniors JoAnna Deeter (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), who won the meet in 1996, Alison Klemmer (Troy, Mich.) and Patti Rice (Mishawaka, Ind.), as well as sophomore Bridget O’Brien (Bloomington, Minn.). Also competing for the women are juniors Erin Luby (Inverness, Ill.) and Valerie Siqueira (Mishawaka, Ind.), and sophomores Jen Pavela (LaCrosse, Wis.) and Erin Olson (Eden Prairie, Minn.).

The Great Lakes Region competition showcases the top college squads from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Top teams at this year’s meet include the sixth-ranked University of Michigan men and women, the fifth-ranked women and 12th-ranked men of the University of Wisconsin, and Michigan State’s 10th-ranked women’s squad.

The competition is a prelude to the NCAA championships, as success in the field can result in bids to the NCAA’s field of 31. The top two teams in each region automatically qualify for the NCAAs, while others may earn at-large bids. The top four individuals at the district meet, who are not on a team that qualifies for the NCAAs, will also earn spots at the championships.

Results will be available at http://web.indstate.edu/athletic/cross or via fax on demand at (201) 461-4256, document number 6655, by 2 p.m. EST.