November 3, 1998

NOTRE DAME, Ind. The Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams both had good showings at the 1998 BIG EAST Cross Country Championships as the men placed third and the women finished fifth. The men finished behind Providence and Georgetown with 91 points, while the women totaled 144 points to finish behind BIG EAST champion Villanova.

In the men’s race, sophomore Ryan Shay (Central Lake, Mich.) and freshman Luke Watson (Stillwater, Minn.) both cracked the top 10 for the Irish. Shay sprinted to a sixth-place finish with a time of 24:14 as he improved on last year’s 11th-place finish. Competing in his first BIG EAST Championship, Watson continued to impress as he finished in seventh place with a time of 24:25. Both of their respective finishes earned Shay and Watson All-BIG EAST honors.

On the women’s side, junior JoAnna Deeter (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) improved on her 16th place finish of a year ago as she placed third. Her time of 16:56 was just five seconds behind leader Sarah Dupre of Providence. This was the first time in five races that Deeter failed to finish first. Deeter’s finish also earned her All-BIG EAST honors for the second time in her career.

BIG EAST Championships Recap:

In the men’s division, the Irish placed six runners among the meet’s top fifty. Following Shay’s and Watson’s impressive showings, senior Tim Engelhardt (East Syracuse, N.Y.) ran a strong race, capturing 18th place with a time of 24:50. Junior Sean McManus (Hernando, Fla.), finished fourth among Irish runners with a 26th-place finish and a time of 25:02 and knocked nearly two minutes off his BIG EAST time of a year ago. Competing in his first conference championship, freshman Marc Striowski (Toronto, Ont.) followed with a 36th place and a time of 25:16, while senior Ryan Maxwell (Staten Island, N.Y.) placed 42nd with a time of 25:32. Junior John Dudley (Westwood, Mass.) rounded out the top six for the Irish as he ran to a time of 25:34, good enough for 43rd place.

On the women’s side, Notre Dame placed five runners in the top 50. Junior Patti Rice (Mishawaka, Ind.) placed second among Irish competitors with a time of 18:12 as she finished 27th. Rice’s time was over one minute faster than her BIG EAST time of a year ago. Rice’s running this year has been remarkably consistent as she has been the second Irish finisher in all of her races this year. Junior Alison Klemmer (Troy, Mich.) placed 36th in a time of 18:24. Running in her first BIG EAST Championships, sophomore Erin Olson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) turned in a strong finish as she placed 42nd with a time of 18:32. Hot on her heels was junior Erin Luby (Inverness, Ill.) as she rounded out the top five for the Irish, finishing 43rd with a time of 18:33.

Shades of the past: Junior JoAnna Deeter’s performance this year is reminiscent of her stellar freshman season during which she earned All-American honors. During her freshman year, Deeter ran to three straight first-place finishes at the start of the year. This year though she has gone one better and won her first four races of the year. As a freshman, Deeter finished second in the BIG EAST Championships just five seconds behind the leader. This year, she finished third just five seconds behind the leader. Only time will tell if Deeter will be able to repeat her outstanding freshman year finishes in the District IV Meet and the NCAA Championships.

District IV:

Notre Dame’s next meet will be at the all important District IV race in Terre Haute, Ind. The men last year placed fourth in 1997 and received an at-large bid to the NCAA championships where they finished 12th. The women, meanwhile, placed sixth and did not receive a bid. The increase of teams going to the NCAA championships (22 to 31) this season will help both teams, because the amount of at-large spots available goes from just four in 1997 to 13 in 1998. The top two teams in each region automatically qualify for the NCAAs, while the top four individuals who are not on a team that has qualified for the NCAAs also go to the meet held on November 23 in Lawrence, Kan.

Women's Rankings                        Men's RankingsAs of Nov. 2, 1998                      As of Nov. 1, 1998

 1. Brigham Young                       1. Arkansas 2. Stanford                            2. Stanford 3. Villanova                           3. Oregon 4. Arkansas                            4. Colorado 5. Wisconsin                           5. NC State  6. Michigan                            6. Michigan 7. NC State                            7. Arizona 8. Georgetown                          8. Providence 9. Washingotn                          9. Oklahoma St.10. Providence                         10. Michigan St.
                                       18. NOTRE DAME

Schedule

SEPTEMBER12  Wolf & Kettle Invit.                W, 1st    (Gilberts, Ill.)                    M, 1st18  National Catholic Championships    (Notre Dame, Ind.)                  W, 1st; M, 1st
OCTOBER2   Notre Dame Invitational     (Notre Dame, Ind.)                  W, 5th; M, 2nd10  Bob Timmons Invit. (Men)            M, 12th.    (Lawrence, Kan.)16  Central Collegiates                 W, 8th; M, 6th.    (Kalamazoo, Mich.)                    18  Wolverine Inter. (Women)            W, 8th.    (Ann Arbor, Mich.)30  BIG EAST Champ.                     M, 3rd; W. 5th.                    (Boston, Mass.)
NOVEMBER14  NCAA DISTRICT IV                     10:30,    (Terre Haute, Ind.)                  11:15 a.m.23  NCAA Championships                   10:30,    (Lawrence, Kan.)                     11:30 a.m.