Senior Patrick Smyth hopes to add another All-America honor to his trophy case Monday.

Irish Set to Compete at NCAA Championships

Nov. 23, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to compete at the 2008 NCAA Championships Monday in Terre Haute, Ind.

Both teams received at-large bids to the NCAAs after fourth-place finishes at the Great Lakes Regional meet.

This will be the 16th NCAA appearance in 19 years for the Irish men, who are led by two-time All-American and 2008 Great Lakes Region Men’s Athlete of the Year Patrick Smyth.

Smyth’s 15th-place performance at last year’s meet earned him his second cross country All-America honor and led Notre Dame to a 21st-place finish.

The Notre Dame women’s squad will be back at the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time since 2005. Sunni Olding was the last female runner to represent the Irish, as she competed individually in 2006.

Junior Lindsey Ferguson and sophomore Marissa Treece will lead the Irish women after earning all-region honors at the Great Lakes meet. Ferguson finished 10th at regionals, while Treece was close behind in 14th.

The women’s race gets underway at 12:08 p.m. (EST), followed by the men at 12:48 p.m.

Both the men’s and women’s races will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports and streamed online at ncaa.com.

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