Nov. 15, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, ind. – Senior Patrick Smyth won his second regional title, as the Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished fourth at the Great Lakes Regional meet Saturday.
Smyth clocked in with a time of 31:06 to lead the Irish and win his second consecutive Great Lakes crown.
Freshman Joe Miller finished 20th in 32:01, followed by sophomore Dan Jackson in 28th with a time of 32:10. Senior Daniel Clark finished 30th in 32:12, while junior Jake Walker crossed the line in 32:29 to finish 44th. Sophomore Ryan Jacobs was 57th in 32:41, and sophomore Paul Springer finished 67th with a time of 32:55.
Wisconsin took top team honors with 39 points. Michigan finished second with 62 points, and Butler was third with 104. Notre Dame finished fourth with 124 points.
Junior Lindsey Ferguson led the Irish women with a 10th-place finish and a time of 21:29. Close behind was sophomore Marissa Treece in 14th with a time of 21:40. Senior Heidi Rocha finished 31st in 22:04, while freshman Rachel Velarde was 34th with a time of 22:06. Junior Beth Tacl finished 36th in 22:07, and sophomore Abby Higgins was 49th with a time of 22:28. Senior Becca Bauman crossed the line in 22:47 to finish 68th.
Michigan won the team title with 72 points. Wisconsin finished second with 80, and Michigan State was third with 83 points. Notre Dame finished fourth with 125 points.
Michigan State’s Nicole Bush won the women’s individual title with a time of 20:48.
Smyth, Ferguson and Treece earned all-BIG EAST honors for the performances.
The top two teams at the regional meets automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Thirteen at-large bids will be also be awarded.
The top-four individual regional finishers, whose teams did not qualify for the national meet, will also be selected for the NCAA Championships.
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