Irish Women Finish Fifth, Men Finish Seventh At ACC Championships

Oct. 31, 2014

Complete Results | 2014 ACC Championships

EARLYSVILLE, Va. — University of Notre Dame cross country associate head coach Matt Sparks knew both men’s and women’s teams had the potential to break out at this year’s ACC Championship meet at the University of Virginia’s Panorama Farms Cross Country Course.

Before Friday, Sparks figured a top-five finish for the women and a sixth-place race for the men would indicate the kind of success he knew the Irish were capable of. And while the women’s team was right on target with a fifth-place nod in the 6K, the men were not far from the mark, finishing seventh in a crowded 8K field.

Leading the Irish was junior Molly Seidel, who finished fifth in 20:11.2. Danielle Aragon joined Seidel in securing All-ACC honors, with a 19^th-place finish in 20:48.4. Emily Frydrych (24^th), Karen Lesiewicz (38^th) and Katie Moran (46^th) rounded the Irish scoring.

“The team did a great job of getting out hard and staying strong throughout the race. We were exactly where we wanted to be in the team standings,” Seidel said. “It was a tough course but everyone competed well. I was happy with how my race went but there is room for improvement. I just wanted to put myself in a position to race well and I think this is a good place to be going into Regionals. As a team we’ve set ourselves up well for the rest of the season, and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

For the women, the fifth-place finish placed them firmly back into the national conversation, with the field containing six ranked squads. Fifteenth-ranked North Carolina (57 points) unseated defending champion No. 12 Florida State (second, 99), and Virginia (109) and North Carolina State (119) rounded out the top four. The Irish (132) beat out No. 16 Syracuse (eighth, 162), and No. 30 Boston College (seventh, 162).

Junior Michael Clevenger led the Irish men’s squad, finishing 21^st in 23:57 for the final All-ACC spot. Timothy Ball was close behind at 24^th (24:08), with Jake Kildoo (40^th), Jacob Dumford (46^th) and Calvin Kraft (72) rounding out the Irish top five.

Third-ranked Syracuse (32 points) grabbed its second-straight team title, followed by North Carolina State (90) and No. 28 North Carolina (95).

The Irish will be back in action in two weeks at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.

Men’s Team Results (15 teams)

1. Syracuse (32), 2. North Carolina State (90), 3. North Carolina (95), 4. Virginia (121), 5. Florida State (158) … 7. Notre Dame (189)

Men’s Individual Results (137 runners)

1. Martin Hehir, Syracuse 23:15.2
2. Ernest Kibet, Louisville 23:21.7
3. Max Straneva, Syracuse 23:23.1
4. George Parsons, NC State 23:25.6
5. Graham Crawford, NC State 23:26.7

Irish finishers: 21. Michael Clevenger 23:57.0 (All-ACC), 24. Timothy Ball 24:08.0, 40. Jake Kildoo 24:26.7, 46. Jacob Dumford 24:30.3, 72. Calvin Kraft 24:58.2, 84. Chris Marco 25:16.1, 96. Chris Quinn 25:32.3; 116. Kevin Durham 26:08.1

Women’s Team Results (15 teams)

1. North Carolina (57), 2. Florida State (99), 3. Virginia (109), 4. North Carolina State (119). 5. Notre Dame (132)

Women’s Individual Results (140 runners)

1. Liv Westphal, Boston College 19:43.8
2. Colleen Quigley, Florida State 19:57.1
3. Margo Malone, Syracuse 20:01.6
4. Annie LeHardy, North Carolina 20:09.5
5. Molly Seidel, Notre Dame 20:11.2 (All-ACC)

Other Irish finishers: 19. Danielle Aragon 20:48.4 (All-ACC), 24. Emily Frydrych 20:58.5, 38. Karen Lesiewicz 21:19.7, 46. Katie Moran 24:27.3, 86. Taylor Driscoll 22:06.1, 90. Sydni Meunier 22:08.6

By Joanne Norell, Media Relations Assistant

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