October 10, 1998

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the third consecutive time this season, sophomore Ryan Shay (Central Lake, Mich.) finished as the top Notre Dame runner after he placed 17th in a field of 259 runners representing 19 of the top 40 teams in the nation. As a team, the Irish finished in 12th place in a event held on the same course, the Rim Rock Farm, as will be the 1998 NCAA cross country championships in late November.

Shay ran the 8,000 meter course in 25:18.18 to average a little over five minutes per mile. Julius Mwangi of Butler University, who won last Friday’s Notre Dame Invitational men’s blue race, finished only a second ahead of second-place finisher Adam Goucher of Colorado with a time of 23:47.50 to win the race.

Other Notre Dame runners at the 32-team meet were freshman Luke Watson (Stillwater, Minn.), who finished 77th with a time of 26:08.19, seniors Ryan Maxwell (Staten Island, N.Y.), Antonio Arce (Palmdale, Calif.) and Tim Engelhardt (East Syracuse, N.Y.) who placed 89th, 90th and 112th respectively. Marc Striowski (Toronoto, Ontario), Sean McManus (Hernando, Fla.) Ted Higgins (Naperville, Ill.) and John Dudley (Westwood, Mass.) also competed for the Irish.

The Notre Dame men and women’s cross country teams will both be back in action, October 16, for the Central Collegiate Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Final Results: Notre Dame – 12th place (371 pts.)

Individual Finishes:
17. Ryan Shay (25:18.64)
77. Luke Watson (26:08.61)
89. Ryan Maxwell (26:17.06)
90. Antonio Arce (26:17.61)
112. Tim Engelhardt (26:27.64)
131. Marc Striowski (26:42.71)
179. Sean McManus (27:14.43)
198. Ted Higgins (27:26.91)
209. John Dudley (27:38.17)

Site: Rim Rock Farm, Lawrence, Kan.

Distance: 8,000 meters