Notre Dame men's cross country team ranked fifth in the nation...

Men's Cross Country Ranked Fifth In The Country

Irish begin the season on Friday at Valparaiso.

    NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- (9-6-01) The University of Notre Dame men's cross
country team, which returns all five top runners from last year's team that
earned a ninth-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Championship, has been ranked
fifth in the MONDO NCAA Division I Top 25. The Irish will begin the 2001
season with the Valparaiso Invitational, which is set for Friday, Sept. 7,
at the Valparaiso University Campus Cross Country Course. The men's race
will begin at 5:45.
    Although the Irish have finished higher than fifth at the NCAA
Championship meet, this is the highest ranking the team has achieved in the
MONDO poll.  
    The 2001 Notre Dame men's cross country roster includes All-Americans
Luke Watson (Stillwater, Minn.), Pat Conway (Springfield, Va.) and NCAA
10,000-meter champion Ryan Shay (Central Lake Mich.). Shay sat out the 2000
cross country season, but still boasts an All-American finish at the 1999
NCAA meet. 
     
The MONDO NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

Rnk, Team, Points 
1. Colorado, 397 
2. Stanford, 379 
3. Arkansas, 342 
4. Providence, 334 
5. Notre Dame, 327 
6. Wisconsin, 315 
7. Villanova, 289 
8. Northern Arizona, 253
9. Arizona, 237 
    Georgetown, 237
11. North Carolina State, 216
12. William & Mary, 200
13. Oregon, 194 
14. Iona College, 148
15. BYU, 145 
16. Indiana, 138 
17. Portland, 128 
18. Weber State, 115
19. Michigan, 107 
20. Minnesota, 100 
21. Arizona State, 94
22. Alabamba, 92 
23. Wake Forest, 68
24. Air Force, 59 
25. Okahoma State, 56
Also receiving votes: Eastern Michigan 52, Dartmouth 36, Ohio State 26,
Michigan State 24, Penn State 20, Texas 16, Colorado State 8, Duke 6,
Northern Iowa 6, Washington 6, Florida 5, Cal Poly 3, Missouri 3, Nebraska
3, Iowa 2, Princeton 2, St. Francis (Pa.) 2, Cal-Irvine 1.
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 Alan Wasielewski, Publicity Assistant
University of  Notre Dame Sports Information
112 Joyce Center, Second Floor
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(219) 631-3397/(219) 631-7941 (fax)
cell phone: 219-315-5746
E-mail: [email protected]