NOTRE DAME, Ind. — One of the nation’s premier cross country meets is set to take place at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course on Friday, as the Fighting Irish welcome a bevy of top programs to the 64th Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational.
The men’s Blue Division championship field will feature 13 of 22 programs either ranked or receiving votes in the USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll, while 13 of 24 women’s programs rank nationally. Notre Dame will welcome an additional 21 men’s teams and 25 women’s teams to compete in Gold Division races, with an Open Division race offered for unattached runners.
Meet Information
What: 64th Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational
When: Oct. 4, 2019
Where: Burke Golf Course | Notre Dame, Ind.
Schedule of Events: 1 p.m. ET Women’s Blue Division (5K) | 1:45 p.m. Men’s Blue Division (5 Miles) | 2:30 p.m. ET Men’s and Women’s Open Division | 3:15 p.m. ET Women’s Gold Division (5K) | 4 p.m. ET Men’s Gold Division (5 Miles)
2019 Piane Field
Live Results
Irish Championship Lineup
Men (alphabetical): Andrew Alexander, Dylan Jacobs, Tyler Keslin, Danny Kilrea, Zach Kreft, Peter Monahan, Yared Nuguse, Tony Williams
Women (alphabetical): Erin Archibeck, Maddy Denner, Jackie Gaughan, Kelly Hart, Annasophia Keller, Jocelyn Long, Olivia Markezich, Anna Rohrer
By the Numbers
1 — The Irish opened the 2019 season with first place finishes at the Crusader Open on Sept. 6 and at the National Catholic Invitational on Sept. 20.
1 — The Irish men’s cross country program claimed first place at the 2018 ACC Championships and were picked by the league’s coaches to repeat in this year’s ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
2 — The Irish women’s squad finished second at last year’s conference championship, and ranked No. 2 in the 2019 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
3 — Notre Dame’s men placed third at last year’s Joe Piane Invitational.
3 — Graduate student Anna Rohrer was Notre Dame’s highest finisher from last season’s Joe Piane Invitational. Friday will mark Rohrer’s final home cross country meet at Notre Dame.
4 — The Notre Dame women’s finished fourth at the 2018 Joe Piane Invitational.
4 — The Irish women’s team returns four student-athletes who competed at the NCAA Championships last season.
6 — The Irish men’s team returns six student-athletes who competed at the NCAA Championships last season.
9 — The Notre Dame men ranked ninth national in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll.
12 — The women’s team held steady at No. 12 in the latest national poll.
12 — Junior Yared Nuguse paced the Irish men with a 12th-place finish at last year’s Joe Piane Invitational. Friday will mark his first cross country meet of the season.
13 — The number of teams either ranked or receiving votes in both the men’s and women’s championship races.
16 — The Irish men have on 16 previous occasions come out on top at the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational.
22 — The men’s Blue Division field includes 22 teams.
24 — The women’s Blue Division field includes 24 teams.
29 — The Irish women have won the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational on 29 previous occasions.
64 — This will be the 64th annual Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational.
Notable
- Both Irish men and women have come out on top in the season’s first two meets, first at the Crusader Open on Sept. 6 before opening the home slate on top at the National Catholic Invitational on Sept. 20. Last time out, the Irish women recorded five of the top seven finishes, led by champion Maddy Denner. She was followed by Annasophia Keller (second), Jocelyn Long (third), Erin Sullivan (fifth), and Erin Archibeck (seventh).
- The Irish men recorded a perfect score at the National Catholic Invitational taking the top five spots. Dylan Jacobs took the NCI title in his cross country debut, followed by Matthew Carmody (second), Peter Monahan (third), Zach Kreft (fourth) and Tyler Keslin (fifth).
- The Joe Piane Invitational field will feature 14 men’s teams that competed at last year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships (finish denoted): 4. Colorado, 6. Washington, 9. Colorado State, 11. NC State, 12. Wyoming, 14. Notre Dame, 16. Eastern Kentucky, 17. Ole Miss, 18. Indiana, 19. Michigan, 21. Southern Utah, 24. Bradley, 29. Purdue, 31. Florida State.
- Of the women’s teams in the field, 12 also competed at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships (finish denoted): 1. Colorado, 2. New Mexico, 8. Notre Dame, 9. Washington, 10. Wisconsin, 13. NC State, 15. Iowa State, 17. Indiana, 22. Ole Miss, 25. Southern Utah, 26. Florida State, 29. Minnesota.
- The Irish women are led by three-time cross country All-American and 2016 ACC Cross Country Champion Anna Rohrer. After missing her junior cross country season, Rohrer returned as a senior and paced the Irish to an eighth-place national finish as the team’s top finisher in 10th place. All told, Rohrer is an eight-time All-America honoree between cross country and track.
- Sophomore Danny Kilrea finished 33rd at last season’s NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors. Friday will mark his first appearance of 2019.
- Junior Yared Nuguse won a pair of national championships during the track season, anchoring the men’s distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and winning the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He finished third at both the ACC Cross Country Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional last season.
- Sophomore Jackie Gaughan was also a major contributor for the Irish women last season, finishing seventh at the ACC Championships and sixth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Friday will mark her 2019 debut.
- Maddy Denner and Jocelyn Long were mid-year transfers for the Irish last season, enrolling in January and competing during the track season. Denner competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 19th.
- Graduate student Tony Williams and senior Kevin Salvano are serving as men’s team captains this season, while graduate students Anna Rohrer and Kelly Hart serve in the same capacity for the women’s squad.
- Sean Carlson was promoted to head men’s cross country coach prior to the season. He had spent the previous five seasons as an Irish assistant coach primarily focused on distance.
–ND–