TicketsOct. 31, 2008
BRONX, N.Y. - The University of Cincinnati's men's and women's cross country teams finished in sixth- and ninth-place, respectively, at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., Friday morning. Sophomore Lilian Jelimo (Kapsebet, Kenya/Kapsebet Girls) was the top finisher for the women's team, while the men's team was led by freshman Eric Finan (New Richmond/Ohio/New Richmond).
Finan led the Bearcats with a time of 25:28 in the men's 8,000-meter race. Finan's time resulted in a 28th-place finish, but it was the sixth-fastest time among all freshmen competitors. Finishing three seconds behind Finan was junior Tommy Morgan (Maineville, Ohio/Kings), who finished in 31st place. Seniors Randy King (North Bend, Ohio/St. Xavier) and Rick King (North Bend, Ohio/St. Xavier), and Kyle Dragan (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), rounded out the scoring with a 38th-place time of 25:42, 42nd-place time of 25:51 and a 48th-place time of 26:02, respectively. Randy King's time of 25:42 was the ninth-fastest time among all competing seniors.
Georgetown won the men's race with a score of 35 points, followed by Notre Dame with 64 points, and Villanova with 78 points. Providence and Syracuse finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, while the Bearcats finished in sixth place. Marquette followed in seventh, Louisville finished in eighth, Pittsburgh in ninth, and Rutgers, DePaul, Seton Hall, Connecticut, and South Florida rounded out the scoring.
Jelimo crossed the line in 25th place with a time of 21:24, which was the seventh best time among all sophomores. Junior Tamara Masters (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) was the next Bearcat to cross the finish line as she registered a 50th-place time of 22:11. Sophomore Jill Glassmeyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), senior Megan Knapp (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby), and freshman Alison Leckrone (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) closed the scoring with a 54th-, 58th-, and 68th-place showings, respectively.
Villanova took the women's title with 40 points, while West Virginia, Georgetown, and Syracuse rounded out the Top 5. Notre Dame, Louisville, and Marquette also finished ahead of the Bearcats.
Cincinnati has two weeks off before competing at the Great Lakes Regional on Saturday, Nov. 15 in West Lafayette, Ind.