February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By John Manley
Keith Kelly and Enda Johnson brought trophies back to their Providence, R.I.,
schools with victories in the Big East and Ivy League Cross Country meets, respectively.
Kelly, a senior from Drogheda, helped Providence College win the Big East men’s title with his first-place finish. He set a Big East record by covering the 8,000-meter course at Boston’s Franklin Park in 23:21. Teammate Dermot Galvin, a junior from Kilrush, Co. Clare, was the 10th finisher in 23:54. Paul Reilly, a junior from Loughrea, Co. Galway, ran 14th in 24:11,
Larry Morrissey, a senior from County Waterford, was 17th in 24:14, and Ciaran
Lynch, a senior from Limerick, was 22nd in 24:27.
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Providence was second in the women’s race, taking a back seat to Boston College. Roisin McGettigan, a sophomore from County Wicklow, finished in ninth place, timed in 17:34 for 5,000 meters. Villanova’s Geraldine McCarthy, a senior from Listowel, Co. Kerry, finished 11th in 17:37. Kathryn Casserly, a Providence junior from Galway, took 17th place, timed in 17:46, with teammate Emer O’Shea 42nd in 18:26. O’Shea is a sophomore from Limerick. Villanova finished fourth in this race, despite Ann McGranahan’s first place finish in 16:59.
Meanwhile, Enda Johnson, a junior from County Monaghan who competes for Brown, ran the five-mile course at Van Cortlandt Park in 24 minutes, 56.3 seconds.
Dartmouth’s Tom McArdle was second in 25:00.2. In the women’s race, Harvard freshman Mairead O’Callaghan, a freshman from County Limerick, finished 44th in 19:00.9 for 3.1 miles. Dartmouth won the men’s race, with Brown finishing fifth. Yale won the women’s division.
Fairleigh Dickinson’s Aidan Walsh finished ninth in the Northeast Conference championship race at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn. The junior from Dublin was timed in 26:26.1. FDU’s Stephen Ondieki was the winner in 24:52.4. FDU took second place behind St. Francis (Pa.).
South Alabama’s Brian Murray and Western Kentucky’s Enda Grandfield were the sixth and seventh place finishers, respectively, in the Sun Belt Conference championship, run at Murray Park in Little Rock, Ark. Murray, a senior from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, ran the 8,000-meter course in 25:58, while Grandfield, a freshman from County Kerry, needed 26:10. North Texas’ Geoffrey Lagat had the winning time of 25:07. North Texas was the winning school.
Western Kentucky was second and South Alabama seventh.
In the women’s 5,000-meter race, Irish runners occupied three of the top five positions. Western Kentucky senior Valerie Lynch (17:36) and sophomore Olga Cronin (17:39) ran second and third, respectively, while South Alabama junior Wendy Davis (18:04) was fifth to finish. Western Kentucky sophomore Terri Hennessy finished 17th in 18:55, with teammate Lisa Cronin, a senior, occupying the 26th spot in 19:27. South Alabama junior Grainne O’Dea was the 46th runner to finish, timed in 20:46. New Orleans’ Michaela Mannova was the victor in 17:30. The Western Kentucky runners are all from Cork. Davis hails from Belfast, while O’Dea calls Donegal home. New Orleans was the team champion. Western Kentucky was the runner-up and South Alabama finished fifth.
Tulsa’s Margaret Danagher, a senior from Templemore, Co. Tipperary, took 40th place in the Western Athletic Conference championship meet at Tulsa, Okla. She ran 5,000 meters in 20:11. Tulsa was sixth in the team standings.
Golf
Kent State’s Martina Gillen tied for fourth place in the Central District Classic at the River Wilderness Country Club in Parrish, Fla. She shot 229 (79-77-73), which left her four strokes behind the medalist, Ohio State’s Natalie Aber. Gillen is a freshman from Dublin. Northwestern won the team championship over Kent by four strokes.
Alabama-Birmingham’s Gr’me McDowell, a sophomore from Portrush, Co. Antrim, finished 19th in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate at the Old Overton Golf Course in Birmingham, Ala. McDowell’s 214 (71-69-74) was one stroke over par and 15 strokes behind Georgia Tech’s Bryce Molder, who was low man at 196.