Irish Cross Country Teams Sweep National Catholic Invitational Titles

Sept. 17, 2004

Notre Dame, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams captured the team championships at the 25th Annual National Catholic Invitational on Friday, Sept. 17. Junior Stephanie Madia led the charge in a time of 17:38 to win her first collegiate race as the Irish women cruised to victory. The Irish men also conquered the Burke Memorial Golf Course track in going-away fashion with junior Tim Moore taking home the men’s crown in a time of 24:58 to notch his first-career win.

Notre Dame scored 59 points better than runner-up DePaul in the women’s 31-team field with Gonzaga, Bellarmine and Xavier rounding out the top-five. Finishing second alongside Madia was her freshman teammate Sunni Olding, who crossed the finish line in 17:40 in her first race as a collegian. Notre Dame also claimed the sixth and eighth spots of the race as Jean Marinangeli ran in 18:18 and Elizabeth Webster ran 18:34.

Sophomore Katie DeRusso clocked in at 18:43 to place 11th and Christi Arnerich was 19th in a time of 19:03 for the Irish, who did not enter their entire top-eight running squad. Notre Dame’s Loryn King finished in a time of 19:20 and Jennifer Richard crossed the finish line at 19:41, while junior Jenny Walls finished at 19:44.

On the men’s side, Notre Dame tallied 19 points, which easily defeated second-place finisher Gonzaga. Xavier, Dayton and DePaul were the other top-five finishers in the 30-team field. The Irish dominated the top-10 by claiming seven spots with Moore leading a one-two-three Notre Dame finish. Freshman Jake Watson, also competing in his first collegiate race, was second in a time of 25:06 and junior Vincent Ambrico was two-seconds behind in third.

The Irish also placed sixth through ninth as Ryan Johnson (25:11), Austin Weaver (25:12), Daniel Driscoll (25:13), and Dan Curran (25:18) all finished within seven-seconds of each other. Senior Michael Manning was a 12th-place finisher in a time of 25:29 to round out the field for the Irish.

The Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams have combined to win 28 National Catholic Invitational team crowns, with the men winning 17 and the women 11. The Irish men have now won the event ten years in a row, while the women have been victorious in 11 of the past 13 races.

2004 National Catholic Cross Country Invitational:

Men’s Top-10 Teams: 1. Notre Dame 19, 2. Gonzaga 106, 3. Xavier 139, 4. Dayton 156, 5. DePaul 176, 6. Loras 200, 7. Detroit-Mercy 239, 8. Saint Vincent 273, 9. Holy Cross 299, 10. St. Martin’s 348.

Men’s Top-10 Individuals (plus all Notre Dame finishers): 1. Tim Moore (Notre Dame) 24:58, 2. Jake Watson (Notre Dame) 25:06, 3. Vincent Ambrico (Notre Dame) 25:08, 4. Dan Winder (Loras) 25:10, 5. Ryan Anderson (Gonzaga) 25:11, 6. Ryan Johnson (Notre Dame) 25:11, 7. Austin Weaver (Notre Dame) 25:12, 8. Daniel Driscoll (Notre Dame) 25:13, 9. Dan Curran (Notre Dame) 25:18, 10. Joe Miller (Gonzaga) 25:23, 12. Michael Manning (Notre Dame) 25:29.

Women’s Top-10 Teams: 1. Notre Dame 28, 2. DePaul 87, 3. Gonzaga 164, 4. Bellarmine 168, 5. Xavier 199, 6. St. Thomas 224, 7. Dayton 243, 8t. Detroit-Mercy 256, 8t. Holy Cross 256, 10. Mercyhurst 261.

Women’s Top-10 Individuals (plus all Notre Dame finishers): 1. Stephanie Madia (Notre Dame) 17:38, 2. Sunni Olding (Notre Dame) 17:40, 3. Leah Rygh (DePaul) 17:55, 4. Erin Moffett (DePaul) 18:10, 5. Tara Barlow (DeSales) 18:16, 6. Jean Marinangeli (Notre Dame) 18:18, 7. Shannon McConville (John Carroll) 18:28, 8. Elizabeth Webster (Notre Dame) 18:34, 9. Jill Semenza (Gonzaga) 18:37, 10. Gina Lucrezi (DeSales) 18:40, 11. Katie DeRusso (Notre Dame) 18:43, 19. Christi Arnerich (Notre Dame) 19:03, 28. Loryn King (Notre Dame) 19:20, 42. Jennifer Richard (Notre Dame) 19:41, 46. Jenny Walls (Notre Dame) 19:44. — ND –