Nov. 15, 1997

Jason Rexing.

Notre Dame Men Finish Fourth at Great Lakes Regional, Women Place Sixth; Look For At-Large NCAA Bid

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Notre Dame men's and women's cross country teams both ran at the Great Lakes Region Meet in Bloomington, Ind. this Saturday as the men finished fourth and the women placed sixth. A year ago, the Notre Dame men won the district race on its way to a ninth place finish at the NCAA Championships.

The ninth-ranked Notre Dame's men's team finished with 104 points, as Michigan, Wisconsin, both ranked in the top 10, and Michigan State, all finished ahead of the Irish. Both senior All-American Jason Rexing and junior Antonio Arce were all-district as they finished seventh and 10th respectively. Junior Ryan Maxwell just missed cracking the top 20 as he finished 21st. Freshmen Ryan Shay and Anthony Alt ran well as they finished 30th and 36th respectively. The men's fourth place finish puts them in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA cross country championships in Furman, S.C. on Nov. 25.

"We have an excellent chance of qualifying for an at-large berth," said men's coach Joe Piane. "We've beaten enough teams that have automatically qualified, but until we get the call, I'm going to be apprehensive. Rexing, Arce, and Maxwell all ran well. Rexing and Arce were all-district, and Ryan Shay and Anthony Alt were two of the best freshman in the meet."

On the women's side, sophomore Alison Klemmer missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships by one spot as she finished 11th. Sophomore All-American JoAnna Deeter missed at her chance to repeat as Great Lakes Region champion as she finished 14th. Wisconsin and Michigan claimed the top two spots and the two automatic bids in the region, but the Irish still have an outside shot at an automatic bid.

Men's Results                       Women's Results
4. Notre Dame    104 points          6. Notre Dame      178 points
7. Jason Rexing  31:58              11. Alison Klemmer  18:24
10. Antonio Arce 32:02              14. JoAnna Deeter   18:27
21. Ryan Maxwell 32:19              38. Mieke Walsh     19:01
30. Ryan Shay    32:39              57. Kelly Peterson  19:18
36. Anthony Alt  32:54              60. Patti Rice      19:22 
45. Scott Grace	33:07               63. Janel Kiley     19:26
59. Mike Conway	33:31               91. Bridget O'Brien 20:09