Oct. 31, 2003
The University of Notre Dame women’s cross country team claimed its second-straight BIG EAST Championship on Friday afternoon, placing all five scoring runners in the top 20 to compile a team total of 59, ahead of Providence (80) and Georgetown (80).
Irish head coach Tim Connelly earned his second-straight BIG EAST Coach of the Year award, as his deep and talented roster ran well against a challenging field. Sophomore Molly Huddle led Notre Dame with a third-place finish, completing the 6K course in 20:47 (36 seconds behind individual winner Kim Smith from Providence). Huddle has now earned all-BIG EAST honors in each season at the conference cross country meet (she finished second in ’02).
Junior Kerry Meagher continued her break out cross country season, claiming sixth place (21:01) for her first career all-BIG EAST honor. Not far behind was junior Lauren King, the 2002 individual champion in 14th place. The top 15 runners earn all-BIG EAST honors.
The championship effort by the Irish women was followed up by a solid second-place finish by the Notre Dame men’s team. The first-second combination marks the top combined effort by the Notre Dame cross country program since it joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995.
BIG EAST Championship Women’s Team Results
1. Notre Dame, 3, 6, 14, 16, 20 = 59
2. Providence, 1 ,2, 21, 25, 31 = 80
3. Georgetown, 5, 9, 15, 26, 29 = 80
4. Villanova, 10, 11, 19, 24, 27 = 91
5. Boston College, 4, 13, 28, 34, 41 = 120
6. Virginia Tech, 8, 17, 35, 40, 44 = 144
7. West Virginia, 7, 12, 36, 47, 50 = 152
8. Connecticut, 18, 23, 45, 48, 59 = 193
9. Pittsburgh, 22, 38, 56, 69, 72 = 257
10. Rutgers, 30, 51, 60, 64, 70 = 275
11. Miami, 46, 62, 67, 77, 79 = 331
12. Syracuse, 57, 58, 74, 75, 80 = 344
13. Seton Hall, 76, 87, 88, 90, 92 = 422
14. St. John’s, 81, 86, 89, 91, 95 = 442
Notre Dame Individual Finishes
3. Molly Huddle, 20:47
6. Kerry Meaghher, 21:01
14. Lauren King, 21:31
16. Megan Johnson, 21:41
20. Stephanie Madia, 21:54
39. Katie Wales, 22;39
42. Jean Marinangeli, 22:41
Elizabeth Webster, 23:59
Jenny Walls, 24:10