Senior Jeremy Rae finished sixth in the men's blue race on Friday to help the Irish to a third place finish.

Women Place Second, Men Third At 57th Annual Notre Dame Invitational

Sept. 28, 2012

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame cross country programs turned in a pair of impressive showings at the 57thannual Notre Dame Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Burke Golf Course, as the women’s team finished second while the men’s team took third in blue races littered with highly ranked foes.

The second place showing for the women was an improvement from fifth last season and the best finish since the squad earned their last title in 2003. The men’s bronze effort was a vast improvement from 11th last season and their best showing since their last team title in 2007.

Four ranked teams competed in the women’s blue race including the No. 20 Irish, while the men’s field had a ridiculous 10 ranked teams with Notre Dame checking in at 24th.

Notre Dame showed impressive balance on the women’s side, as all five scorers placed in the top 35. Junior Kelly Curran led the charge with a 15th-place showing (17:02). Following closely behind her was senior Rebecca Tracy (17:03), who finished 18th. A trio of underclassmen rounded out the Notre Dame scorers. Freshman Danielle Aragon took 22nd in 17:10, with sophomore Gabby Gonzales finishing just behind in 24th place (17:11). Freshman Molly Seidel took 31st in 17:17.

No. 2 Florida State dominated the women’s blue 5K race as they tallied just 28 points, 82 points better than the Irish (110). The Seminoles placed all five of their scorers in the top 15, including champion Colleen Quigley (16:29), third place finisher Violah Lagat (16:45) and fifth place finisher Kayleigh Tyerman (16:47).

The Irish men (143) took third on the strength of Jeremy Rae’s sixth place showing (23:46) and five runners in the top 40. Following behind Rae was fellow senior J.P. Malette (26th, 24:16), junior Martin Grady (35th, 24:21), senior Jeff MacMillan (37th, 24.22) and junior Walter Schafer (39th, 24:24).

No. 20 Tulsa came away with an impressive victory in the men’s blue race, as they scored 104 points, which was 35 less than second place Princeton. The Golden Hurricanes had the top finisher in the field as Chris O’Hare finished the five-mile race in 23:33.

In earlier races, Notre Dame finished second out of 15 teams in the women’s gold race. Freshman Sydni Meunier paced the squad with an 11th place finish (18:00). She was followed closely by Emily Frydrych (12th, 18:02) and Angela Ryck (13th, 18:05). Sophomore Katherine Stultz rounded out the top-20 Irish finishers, placing 16th (18:08).

The men took fifth out of 18 teams in the gold race, with DJ Thornton leading the charge in 16th place (25:06). Jason Hoard was just a step behind, taking 17th by just a few hundredths of a second (25:06).

In the women’s JV race freshman Kelsey Amarosa picked up a top-10 finish, placing 10th in 19:14.

Notre Dame returns to action in two weeks when they head to Madison, Wis., for the elite Wisconsin Invitational. The meet is notorious for having some of the country’s best teams competing, including the defending national champion Badger men’s team.

For more information on Notre Dame cross country, stay tuned to UND.com, facebook.com (facebook.com/NDXCTF) or Twitter (@NDXCTF).

Men’s Blue Race Team Results (20 Teams)

3. Notre Dame – 143 Points

Men’s Blue Race Individual Results (163 Runners)

6. Jeremy Rae – 23:46
26. J.P. Malette – 24:16
35. Martin Grady – 24:21
37. Jeff MacMillan – 24:22
39. Walter Schafer – 24:24
46. Jake Kildoo – 24:29
66. Michael Clevenger – 24:39
74. Timothy Ball – 24:44
100. Johnathan Shawel – 25:04

Women’s Blue Race Team Results (18 Teams)

2. Notre Dame – 110 Points

Women’s Blue Race Individual Results (145 Runners)

15. Kelly Curran – 17:02
18. Rebecca Tracy – 17:03
22. Danielle Aragon – 17:10
24. Gabby Gonzales – 17:11
31. Molly Seidel – 17:17
39. Jessica Rydberg – 17:22
47. Hannah Eckstein – 17:27
66. Meg Ryan – 17:37

Men’s Gold Race Team Results (18 Teams)
5. Notre Dame – 145 Points

Men’s Gold Race Individual Results (127 Runners)

16. DJ Thornton – 25:06
17. Jason Hoard – 25:06
27. Patrick Lesiewicz – 25:21
29. Kevin Durham – 25:22
57. Josh O’Brien – 26:07
64. Christopher Quinn – 26:21
94. John Riely – 26:53

Women’s Gold Race Team Results (15 Teams)
2. Notre Dame – 86 Points

Women’s Gold Race Individual Results (116 Runners)

11. Sydni Meunier – 18:00
12. Emily Frydrych – 18:02
13. Angela Ryck – 18:05
16. Katherine Stultz – 18:08
34. Megan Kilbride – 18:29
49. Abbey Murphy – 18:47
54. McKinzie Schulz – 18:58
69. Megan Heeder – 19:21
76 Ryan Russ – 19:27

Women’s JV / Open Race Results (24 Runners)

10. Kelsey Amarosa 19:14
13. Jessica Balko 19:21

–ND–