Ferguson finished third in 20:58.62 at the 2009 NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet.

Irish Cross Country Set for BIG EAST Championships

Oct. 30, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams will put their hard work to the test Saturday as they compete at the 2009 BIG EAST Championships.

The league meet will be held, for the first time in BIG EAST history, at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wis. The men’s 8,000-meter race begins at 11 a.m. (CT), followed by the women’s 6,000-meter event at 11:50 a.m.

Last season, the men finished second as four Irish runners finished in the top 20. Senior Jake Walker earned his first all-BIG EAST honor with a 13th-place finish, while juniors Paul Springer and Dan Jackson finished 17th and 18th, respectively.

The Irish women finished sixth a year ago. Senior Lindsey Ferguson finished 13th, garnering her second career all-BIG EAST accolade. Junior Marissa Treece finished 20th, and sophomore Rachel Velarde crossed the line in 34th.

Georgetown claimed the men’s title last season, while the Villanova women earned top team honors.

The BIG EAST currently has 11 teams ranked in the top 30. On the men’s side, Georgetown leads the way in 10th, followed by 14th-ranked Syracuse, No. 17 Providence, No. 22 Villanova and No. 25 Louisville.

Villanova leads the women as the second-ranked team in the nation. West Virginia is fourth, followed by No. 9 Georgetown, No. 10 Syracuse, No. 24 Providence and No. 30 Notre Dame.

Complete results will be available at www.und.com following the completion of both races.

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