Oct. 1, 2004
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Stanford men’s and women’s cross country teams captured both blue division races at the 49th Annual Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, Oct. 1 at the Burke Memorial Golf Course. Notre Dame sophomore Kurt Benninger (Chepstow, Ontrario/Walkerton D.S.S.) placed second behind BYU’s Josh Rohatinsky in the men’s race, while the Irish’s Molly Huddle (Elmira, N.Y./Notre Dame), a junior, was the runner-up to Stanford’s Sara Bei in the women’s competition. The Cardinal women are ranked number one according to finishlynx.com and the men are number two in the MONDO preseason poll.
Benninger, running in his first race of the season, clocked in a team season-best time of 23:43, which was three seconds off of the winner’s pace. Three of his Irish teammates joined him in the top-20. Juniors Tim Moore (Novi, Mich./Novi) and Kaleb Van Ort (Waterloo, Ind./Dekalb) clocked in at 23:58 and 23:59, respectively, to place 13th and 14th, while senior Sean O’Donnell (Kansas City, Mo./Rockhurst) finished 20th as he crossed the finish line at 24:04.
Notre Dame junior Vincent Ambrico (Alamonte Springs, Fla./Choate Rosemary Hall) clocked in a season-best time of 24:36 to place 47th. Rounding out the field of runners for the Irish were Jake Watson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), who ran 24:54, Austin Weaver (Brentwood, Tenn./Franklin Road Academy) (25:09), and Daniel Driscoll (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman) (25:16). The Irish entered the MONDO preseason poll at number 29.
Huddle, also competing for the first time this season, finished nine seconds in back of Bei with a time of 16:31. Irish senior Kerry Meagher (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) ran her first race of the year in a time of 16:45 to place fifth. Junior Stephanie Madia (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) made it three Notre Dame runners in the top-20 with her 17th-place showing in a time of 17:11. Freshman Sunni Olding (Minster, Ohio) crossed the finish line in 17:30 to place 31st for the Irish, who are ranked fourth in the finishlynx.com poll.
Notre Dame’s Jean Marinangeli (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove), Elizabeth Webster (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child), and Loryn King (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) all clocked in season-best times as they had finishes of 18:06, 18:30, and 18:35, respectively. Irish senior Lauren King (Toronto, Ontario/Lawrence Park Coll. Inst.), the 2001 invitational champion, did not run and has yet to compete this season.
2004 Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational:
Men’s Blue Division Top-10 Teams: 1. Stanford 89, 2. Notre Dame 95, 3. Butler 112, 4. Air Force 113, 5. BYU 126, 6. Florida State 143, 7. Indiana 177, 8. Miami (OH) 205, 9. Florida 258, 10. UCLA 284.
Men’s Blue Division Top-10 Individuals (plus all Notre Dame finishers): 1. Josh Rohatinsky (BYU) 23:40, 2. Kurt Benninger (Notre Dame) 23:43, 3. Neff Araia (Stanford) 23:44, 4. Andrew Lemoncello 23:48, 5. Bryan Lyndsay (BYU) 23:48, 6. Austin Smith (Princeton) 23:49, 7. Sean Jefferson (Indiana) 23:50, 8. Thomas Frazer (Butler) 23:51, 9. Brian Dumm (Air Force) 23:51, 10. Jacob Gomez (Stanford) 23:54, 13. Tim Moore (Notre Dame) 23:58, 14. Kaleb Van Ort (Notre Dame) 23:59, 20. Sean O’Donnell (Notre Dame) 24:04, 47. Vincent Ambrico (Notre Dame) 24:36, 73. Jake Watson (Notre Dame) 24:54, 92. Austin Weaver (Notre Dame) 25:09, 106. Daniel Driscoll (Notre Dame) 25:16.
Women’s Blue Division Top-10 Teams: 1. Stanford 34, 2. Michigan 84, 3. Notre Dame 127, 4. Missouri 164, 5. Michigan State 174, 6. William & Mary 231, 7. UCLA 252, 8. Butler 277, 9. Florida State 311, 10. Penn State 315.
Women’s Blue Division Top-10 Individuals (plus all Notre Dame finishers): 1. Sara Bei (Stanford) 16:22, 2. Molly Huddle (Notre Dame) 16:31, 3. Alicia Craig (Stanford) 16:34, 4. Rebecca Walter (Michigan) 16:44, 5. Kerry Meagher (Notre Dame) 16:45, 6. Dannette Doetzel (Michigan State) 16:50, 7. Katy Trotter (Stanford) 16:52, 8. Kate Boyles (Cornell) 17:00, 9. Amanda Bales (Missouri) 17:01, 10. Anita Siraki (Stanford) 17:02, 17. Stephanie Madia (Notre Dame) 17:11, 31. Sunni Olding (Notre Dame) 17:30, 75. Jean Marinangeli (Notre Dame) 18:06, 112. Elizabeth Webster (Notre Dame) 18:30, 121. Loryn King (Notre Dame) 18:35.
— ND –