Nov. 15, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The University of Dayton cross country had a pair of Top-15 finishers at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships, placing at least one Flyer in the National Championships and another on provisional status for the race.
Chris and Matt Lemon finished third and 14th overall respectively. Chris posted a record 10k time of 31:31, his time qualifies him for the NCAA National Championships. This is the first time a member of the UD men's cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Lemon's brother Matt finished with a 10k time of 31:57, ranking him third all-time among Dayton men's cross country performer. Matt Lemon's finish places him as a provisional qualifier for the National Championships.
Both squads came into the race ranked 14th in the region and looked to compete at a high level in the final stage before the NCAA National Tournament.
The men's team came away with a 12th place showing, which was its best finish at the event, while the women took 20th overall.
Redshirt junior Mike Andersen placed third for the squad with a time of 32:12, which earned him 30th position.
Rounding out the scoring for the Flyers were seniors Michael Peters and Billy Przybyla. Przybyla, a redshirt, scored for the second straight meet in a time of 34:37 (150th), and Peters, who scored for the first time this season, took 161st with a 35:10 finish.
Running in defense for the Flyers was sophomore Ryan Shirley (35:37, 161st) and senior Tim Kaelin (36:17, 175th).
"The fact that we went into the meet ranked 14th in the regional coaches' poll and finished 12th is a huge step for our program. Our kids earned a lot of respect today," UD head coach Rich Davis said. "Chris and Matt Lemon both made the all-regional team, and Mike Andersen was just six seconds away from joining them. Having three Flyers in the top 30 takes our program to a new level, even more than having our first qualifiers for the NCAA national meet."
On the women's side, UD finished 20th overall after coming in with its best ever regional ranking.
Sophomore Maureen Bulgrin, who led the Flyers in all but one meet this season, finished a team-best 52nd with a time of 22:31. She was followed by rookie runner Elissa Mason, who clocked in at 23:11 to take 95th. Senior Ellen Nienhaus capped off a successful final season with a time of 23:36 to finish 123rd, while a pair of sophomores finished off the scoring for the women's team. Brigitte Sherman crossed the line 134th in 23:45, while Liz Coorey placed 136th with a time of 23:47.
Running defensively were freshman Lindsey Cummings (23:49, 138th) and junior Alex Miles (24:12, 155th).
Stay tuned to www.DaytonFlyers.cstv.com for an official announcement concerning the NCAA National Tournament meet after the field is announced tomorrow evening.
