October 19, 1996
Notre Dame Runners Earn Two Top-10 Finishes at Arizona Invitational
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame’s men’s cross countryteam placed seventh and the women ninth at the packed field ofthe Arizona Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. Stanford claimed themen’s crown while BIG EAST power Villanova won the women’stitle. The Irish look to return later in the year to Arizona,the site of the 1996 NCAA cross country championships.
In a 32-team men’s field consisting of five of the top-10 teamsand nine of the top-20 teams, Notre Dame’s 11th-ranked men’steam was led by Matt Althoff and 1995 cross country All-AmericanDerek Seiling who finished 26th and 27th, respectively, out ofthe 216 runners in the field. Jason Rexing placed 31st whileJoe Dunlop was 60th. Nebraska’s Cleophas Boor won the race.
The women’s field of 30 teams was equally talented with nineteams ranked in the top-25. Notre Dame’s pair of freshmen,Joanna Deeter and Nicole LaSelle, proved to be the leaders forthe team once again. Deeter finished third, marking the firstin four meets that she failed to win the race. LaSelle wassixth while the next Irish finisher, Mieke Walsh, was 85th. Arizona’s Amy Skieresz won the race on her home course.
Notre Dame returns to action at the BIG EAST cross countrychampionships on Friday, Nov. 1 in Boston, Mass. The men lookto improve on their 3rd-place finish at the 1995 conference racewhile the women should move up from seventh a year ago.
Men's Top-10 Results Women's Top-10 Results1. Stanford 53 1. Villanova 652. Colorado 110 2. Colorado 1033. Portland 168 3. Wisconsin 1564. Northern Arizona 180 4. Northern Arizona 1715. Wisconsin 198 5. Arizona 1776. Nebraska 204 6. Weber State 2047. Notre Dame 238 7. Texas-San Antonio 2238. Michigan 311 8. North Carolina 2349. Wake Forest 314 9. Notre Dame 27210. Illinois 317 10. Virginia 290