Sept. 29, 2016
By Megan Golden
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – As the weather cools down on campus, cross country competition heats up and the University of Notre Dame prepares to host the 61st annual Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Friday. The Irish will race against elite talent on their home course in one of the regular season’s most competitive races, involving more than 10 nationally-ranked teams.
Meet: Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational
Location: Burke Golf Course (Notre Dame, Indiana)
Schedule of Events:
2 p.m. Blue Women (5K)
2:45 p.m. Blue Men (five miles)
3:30 p.m. Open Race (men and women run simultaneously)
4:15 p.m. Gold Women (5K)
5 p.m. Gold Men (five miles)
Keeping It 100(%)
The Irish women’s squad recorded its second consecutive first-place finish of the season in the annual National Catholic on September 16 (Notre Dame, Indiana). Sophomore Annie Heffernan (17:22.1) and graduate student Danielle Aragon (17:24.3) crossed the finish line in first and second place, respectively. The men’s team placed second, led by third-place finisher Anthony Williams (25:11.8). Both teams recorded perfect scores in the annual Crusader Open (Valparaiso, Indiana) on September 2.
All Eyes On Williams
Irish sophomore Anthony Williams will make his first career appearance in the Notre Dame Invitational after not running last season. Williams, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, opened the season with a second-place finish in the Crusader Open 6K. Nearly two weeks ago, he recorded a third-place individual finish in the National Catholic five-mile race.
Rohring Into Action
Sophomore Anna Rohrer (Mishawaka High School/Mishawaka, Indiana) is scheduled to make her season debut after finishing in sixth place in the 6K at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Rohrer ran to an 11th-place finish (15:49.42) in the 5K as a member of Team USA at the World Junior Track & Field Championships in June.
Looking At Meet History
This year’s meet marks the 61st annual Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. The Notre Dame men own 16 first-place team finishes (over 60 years), while the women have won five of 29 meets as a team. Nine Irish men and six women have been crowned individual champions in the meet’s history.
Sweet 16
The Irish women’s team enters the meet ranked No. 16. Notre Dame will race against five ranked opponents, including three top-five teams: No. 1 Providence, No. 3 New Mexico and No. 5 North Carolina State.
Track(ing) Results
All races are strictly team races, and each team will be limited to nine runners in the team race. Teams may enter up to 15 individuals and run additional team members in the 3:30 p.m. open race. Friday’s meet will be scored by Delta Timing, and all results can be viewed online at DeltaTiming.com. The USTFCCCA National Results Wall (USTFCCCA.org) also will provide results from Friday’s meet. Follow @NDXCTF and @USTFCCCA on Twitter for additional coverage.
Irish Lineup
Blue Men’s Race
Billy Dolan (Junior)
Jacob Dumford (Senior)
John Flannery (Junior)
Tyler Keslin (Freshman)
Chris Marco (Senior)
Kevin Salvano (Freshman)
Anthony Williams (Sophomore)
Blue Women’s Race
Danielle Aragon (Graduate Student)
Rachel DaDamio (Sophomore)
Sydney Foreman (Junior)
Kaitlin Frei (Junior)
Annie Heffernan (Sophomore)
Anna Rohrer (Sophomore)
Gold Women’s Race
Kathleen Darling (Graduate Student)
Taylor Driscoll (Senior)
Jessica Harris (Junior)
Sydni Meunier (Graduate Student)
Lexi Pelletier (Senior)
–ND–
Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse, cross country/track and field and women’s basketball programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.