Irish Women Finish 29th At NCAA Championships, Add All-American To Ranks

Nov. 22, 2014

Women’s Official Results

Men’s Official Results

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s cross country team added another All-American to its ranks Saturday at the NCAA Championships at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.

Though Notre Dame was the final team to qualify for the one of the 31 team spots in the national field, the Irish finished 29^th (609 points) and welcomed their first All-American since 2009. Junior Molly Seidel finished 19^th overall, crossing the finish line in 20:23.4 to earn the distinction, becoming the ninth different Irish woman to do so. Her performance was an improvement of over one minute and 152 places from her showing at the race last season.

Notably, Seidel was the top individual finisher from the Atlantic Coast Conference. She finished in fifth place at the ACC Championships on October 31.

Iona’s Kate Avery snagged the national individual crown, coming close to a course record in 19:31.6. Top-ranked Michigan State (85 points) claimed the team title, followed by Iowa State (147), New Mexico (188), Georgetown (189) and Arkansas (209).

Seniors Emily Frydrych (122^nd, 21:23.1) and Karen Lesiewicz (174^th, 21:43.7) were the second- and third-best finishers for the Irish, while Katie Moran (216^th, 22:07.7) and Danielle Aragon (226^th, 22:17.9) rounded out the top five.

Junior Michael Clevenger competed individually to represent the Irish men’s team, finishing 92^nd in a time of 31:29.9. Colorado won the team title, while Oregon (sixth place) boasted the top two finishers in Edward Cheserek (30:19.4) and Eric Jenkins (30:23.2).

“We obviously would have loved to finish higher on the women’s side as a team, but we can’t help but be excited about Molly’s finish,” associate head coach Matt Sparks said. “Today was a good learning experience for Michael. We full expect him to be at this meet next year, challenging to be an All-American.”

The Irish will enjoy a short break before the indoor track and field season begins on December 5 when they host the Blue & Gold Meet.

Women’s Team Results (31 Teams), 6K

1. 1. Michigan State, 85 points
2. 2. Iowa State, 147
3. 3. New Mexico, 188
4. 4. Georgetown, 189
5. 5. Arkansas, 209
   29. Notre Dame, 609

Women’s Individual Results (253 Runners)

1. 1. Kate Avery (Iona), 19:31.6
2. 2. Sarah Disanza (Wisconsin), 19:39.9
3. 3. Emma Bates (Boise State), 19:44.5
4. 4. Rachele Schulist (Michigan State), 19:54.3
5. 5. Rachel Johnson (Baylor), 19:56.8

Irish Finishers: 19. Molly Seidel 20:23.4*, 122. Emily Frydrych 21:23.1, 174. Karen Lesiewicz 21:43.7, 216. Katie Moran 22:07.7, 226. Danielle Aragon 22:17.9, 246. Sydni Meunier 23:04.2, 252. Taylor Driscoll 23:33.2

*All-American

Men’s Individual Results (2XX Runners), 10K

1. 1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon), 30:19.4
2. 2. Eric Jenkins (Oregon) 30:23.2
3. 3. Futsum Zienasellassie (Northern Arizona), 30:25.2
4. 4. Makzim Krololev (Stanford), 30:29.5
5. 5. Ammar Moussa (Colorado), 30:29.6
   94. Michael Clevenger, 31:30.0

By Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant

–ND–