Nov. 24, 2003
The University of Notre Dame women’s cross country team completed the 2003 season with a 10th place finish at the NCAA Championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Monday afternoon. Battling frigid temperatures and harsh winds, the Irish came through to post their second-straight top 10 finish at the national meet after finishing in third place a year ago.
Junior Lauren King led the team effort, becoming the first Irish women’s cross country harrier to claim three All-America certificates. She finished 28th overall (27th in team scoring), followed by sophomore Molly Huddle in 41st (33rd in team scoring).
Stanford claimed both the men’s and women’s titles at the national meet, with the men posting an impressive team score of 24 points. On the women’s side, Stanford scored 120 points followed by BYU (128), Providence (222), Michigan (232), Colorado (269), North Carolina State (290), UCLA (293), North Carolina (294), Princeton (348) and Notre Dame (352).
King and Huddle were followed in the Notre Dame team scoring by senior Megan Johnson (74th), sophomore Stephanie Madia (85th) and junior Kerry Meagher (133rd). Senior Katie Wales (174th) and sophomore Jean Marinangeli (202nd) also competed for the Irish.
The 10th place finish caps a great season for the Irish women, who claimed their second consecutive BIG EAST Championship and Great Lakes Regional title this fall. Head coach Tim Connelly was named the regional coach of the year, while Molly Huddle took home the regional runner of the year trophy. The team finish is also the second-best in the women’s program history in five team appearances.
The men’s team was represented by two individuals. Senior Todd Mobley wrapped up his Irish cross country career with an impressive performance, finishing 27th to earn All-America honors. It is the second All-America certificate of the West Bloomfield, Mich., native’s career.
Sophomore Tim Moore also competed for the men’s team, finishing 89th in 30:48.1.
Notre Dame women’s team finishes:
( ) – overall finish
27. (28) Lauren King – 20:35.6
33. (41) Molly Huddle – 20:48.5
74. (98) Megan Johnson – 21:19.3
85. (111) Stephanie Madia – 21:19.3
133. (169) Kerry Meagher – 21:42.6
174. (212) Katie Wales – 22:11.5
202. (240) Jean Marinangeli – 22:46.6
Notre Dame men’s team finishes:
27. Todd Mobley (30:09.5)
89. Tim Moore (30:48.1)