Oct. 4, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame cross country programs came ready to compete at the 58th annual Notre Dame Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Burke Golf Course. The women’s team finished sixth and the men’s team finished seventh in the event’s blue races.
The 19th-ranked women’s team was among eight DI ranked programs competing in the blue race, and the 21st-ranked men’s team was also one of eight ranked teams.
Notre Dame’s top runners graduate student Jeremy Rae and senior Kelly Curran placed fifth and ninth in their respective races. Rae was followed up by senior Martin Grady, who claimed 32nd (25:01.9), and senior J.P Malette, who finished 59th (25:23.0). For the women, senior Alexa Aragon came in 16th with a time of 17:29.5 and junior Emily Frydrych placed 47th with a time of 17:55.0.
“Jeremy [Rae] ran exceptionally well today,” said men’s head coach Joe Piane. “He is a miler running cross country and he had a top-five finish. That just bodes well for the future for him. I’m thrilled with the way he is running. This meet is tough with eight nationally-ranked teams here, so it’s impressive for him to finish that high.”
Last year, the women’s team finished in second while the men claimed the bronze, so today’s showing, while strong, was somewhat of a disappointment for the Irish.
“Today didn’t go as we had hoped coming in,” said women’s head coach Tim Connelly. “Kelly [Curran] ran really well early and really well late to have a good race. Alexa [Aragon] didn’t get out early enough but she did a great job from mid-race on to get to where she ended up. The rest of our group just didn’t get out quick enough. We know this course and the reality is that you have to get off the line and get in your position early and we didn’t do that today.”
Columbia dominated the men’s blue race with a score of 113, with Tulsa and Princeton coming up behind them with scores of 124 and 147. Florida State took home first place in the women’s race for the second year in a row with an impressive score of just 77. They were trailed by New Mexico (82 points) and San Francisco (96 points).
Earlier in the day, sophomore Courtney Frerichs of UMKC won the women’s gold race (5K) with a time of 17:18.2. Senior John Crain of North Central captured the men’s gold race (5 miles) first-place finish with a time of 25:15.3.
Southern Illinois took home a team victory in the women’s gold race as the Salukis tallied just 52 points, and the team victory for the men’s race went to Grand Valley State as the third-ranked division II program had just 40 points.
In the men’s JV race, Notre Dame sophomore Tim Ball secured a second-place finish with a time of 25:42.8 and in the women’s race, freshman Catherine Lombardo and junior Katie Moran finished ninth and 15th, respectively.
Notre Dame returns to action in two weeks when they head to Madison, Wis., for the elite Wisconsin adidas Invitational.
For more information on Notre Dame cross country, stay tuned to UND.com, Facebook.com (Facebook.com/NDXCTF) or Twitter (@NDXCTF).
Men’s Blue Race Team Results (27 teams)
7. Notre Dame – 236
Men’s Blue Race Individual Results (209 runners)
5. Jeremy Rae (24:33.9)
32. Martin Grady (25:01.9)
59. J.P. Malette (25:23.0)
63. Walter Schafer (25:25.6)
77. Patrick Lesiewicz (25:34.3)
81. Jake Kildoo (25:37.2)
90. Michael Clevenger (25:41.6)
133. DJ Thornton (26:10.6)
166. Kevin Durham (26:38.9)
Women’s Blue Race Team Results (24 teams)
6. Notre Dame – 205
Women’s Blue Race Individual Results (166 runners)
9. Kelly Curran (17:18.3)
16. Alexa Aragon (17:29.5)
47. Emily Frydrych (17:55.0)
54. Gabby Gonzales (17:59.4)
79. Sydni Meunier (19:19.5)
120. Gabrielle Thivierge (18:41.7)
154. Danielle Aragon (19:02.9)
176. McKinzie Schulz (19:26.8)
Men’s JV/Open Race Results (100 runners)
2. Timothy Ball (25:42.8)
35. Chris Marco (26:57.3)
41. Jacob Dumford (27:06.0)
48. Johnny Fuller (27:18.7)
56. John Riely (27:31.8)
Women’s JV/Open Race Results (110 runners)
9. Catherine Lombardo (18:47.8)
15. Katie Moran (18:53.9)
32. Megan Kilbride (19:23.2)
36. Karen Lesiewicz (19:29.4)
45. Megan Heeder (19:44.4)
50. Kaileen Healy (19:49.9)
56. Kelsey Amarosa (19:58.2)
–ND–