Oct. 29, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The 10th-ranked Notre Dame men's cross country team won its second title in three years, while the women placed fifth, at the BIG EAST championships Friday morning at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. The Irish were led by junior Ryan Shay (Central Lake, Mich.), who became the first Notre Dame runner to win the BIG EAST individual crown with an 8K time of 24:22.
"I don't think anyone thought we could win back in July, but we had a good solid summer of training, which is paying dividends for us now," said Piane, who was named the 1999 BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
Shay, whose time was the third-fastest in course history, was joined on the all-BIG EAST team (top 15) by sophomore Luke Watson (Stillwater, Minn.), who finished third in 24:36, senior Ryan Maxwell, who placed ninth in 24:59, and sophomore Marc Striowski (Toronto, Ont.), who finished 11th. Senior John Dudley (Westwood, Mass.) placed 19th overall in 25:33 to round out the Irish top five. The team as a whole scored 43 points, seven points lower than when it won the title two years ago also at Van Cortlandt Park. The Irish finished ahead of seventh-ranked Georgetown (57 points), 14th-ranked Villanova (60 points) and defending champion Providence (61 points).
"We had lost to Georgetown twice this season at the Notre Dame Invitational and the pre-national meet, so obviously, three times was a charm," Piane said.
On the women's side, the Irish placed fifth out of 13 teams (98 points) for the second-straight season behind cross country powerhouses Georgetown (41 points), Providence (59 points), defending NCAA champion Villanova (74 points) and Boston College (78 points). Two-time All-American Carmen Douma of Villanova won the women's individual title with a time of 17:20.
Senior Alison Klemmer (Troy,Mich.) had a career-best finish at the BIG EAST meet, placing fourth in the field of 126 runners with a 5K time of 17:39. Freshman Jennifer Handley (Barrie, Ont.), who along with Klemmer garnered all-conference honors, placed 12th in 17:59. The other top finishers for Notre Dame included senior Patty Rice (Mishawaka, Ind.), who placed 23rd in 18:34, senior Erin Luby (Inverness, Ill.), who finished 26th in 18:38, and Chrissy Kuenster (Wheaton, Ill.), who placed 33rd in 18:47.
Both Notre Dame squads will take two weeks off before heading to the NCAA District IV championships in Terre Haute, Ind., in a quest to qualify for the NCAA championships slated for Monday, Nov. 22, in Bloomington, Ind.
BIG EAST CC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| Men's Team Results | | Women's Team Results |
| 1. NOTRE DAME | 43 | 1. Georgetown | 41 |
| 2. Georgetown | 57 | 2. Providence | 59 |
| 3. Villanova | 60 | 3. Villanova | 74 |
| 4. Providence | 61 | 4. Boston College | 78 |
| 5. Boston College | 146 | 5. NOTRE DAME | 98 |
| 6. West Virginia | 178 | 6. West Virginia | 193 |
| 7. Connecticut | 190 | 7. Syracuse | 197 |
| 8. Pittsburgh | 240 | 8. Rutgers | 221 |
| 9. Seton Hall | 291 | 9. Connecticut | 245 |
| 10. Rutgers | 299 | 10. Miami | 313 |
| 11. Miami | 314 | 11. St. John's | 334 |
| 12. Syracuse | 366 | 12. Pittsburgh | 345 |
| 13. St. John's | 370 | 13. Seton Hall | 376 |
Notre Dame Individual Results
*= Earned All-BIG EAST honors.
