NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The men’s and women’s cross country teams kicked off the season with a strong showing at the 2018 Crusader Open in Valparaiso, Indiana. The women finished first overall behind top-two performances in freshmen Jacqueline Gaughan and Elana Denner, and four of the top five spots. The men also finished first, with a clean sweep, claiming the top eight spots.
“This meet was a great opportunity to see where everyone’s fitness was after a summer of training,” Head Coach Matt Sparks said.
In the women’s race, Gaughan just narrowly outran Denner, crossing the line 0.2 seconds ahead, 17:22.1 and 17:22.3 respectively. They were followed by Claudia Magnussen (17:35.9) and Kelli Reagan (17:37.5). Three other freshmen ran in their first collegiate meet this evening.
Anthony Williams (18:01), Kevin Salvano (18:04), Brendan Fraser (18:05) all finished in the top-five for the Irish. In total, the Irish placed nine in the top-10.
“We’re really happy to see that the men’s team has continued to make significant progress over the last 12 months,” Sparks said of the sweep. “We look forward to adding more men and women to the line up in two weeks.”
Women’s 5K Finishing Times
- Jacqueline Gaghan, 17:22.1
- Elana Denner, 17:22.3
- Claudia Magnussen, 17:35.9
- Kelli Regan, 17:37.5
- Anna Fischer, 17:49.2
- Katie Rose Blachowicz, 18:05.4
- Olivia Niziolek, 18:19.7
- Brooke Trossen, 18:20.7
- MaryClare Leonard, 18:30.4
- Madison Ronzone, 18:57.9
- Madelyn VanBlunk, 19:36.3
Men’s 6K Finishing Times
- Anthony Williams, 18:01
- Kevin Salvano, 18:04
- Brendan Fraser, 18:05
- Brian Griffith, 18:07
- Andrew Alexander, 18:26
- Kevin Pulliam, 18:33
- Vincent Zona, 18:37
- Parker Jones, 18:43
- Kyle Fulk, 18:50
- Dustin Macuiba, 19:06
Up Next For The Irish
The Irish open their home slate of competition at Burke Golf Course on Friday, September 14 as they host the annual National Catholic Invitational. The first of three races is set to start at 3:30 p.m.
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Katherine Harvath is currently an athletics communication assistant with Fighting Irish Media. She oversees Notre Dame cross country/track & field, swimming and diving and men’s tennis. She is a 2018 graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she studied sport management.