Four Tribe Harriers Earn All-Region Honors
GREENVILLE, NC - With four all-region performances, 2004 CAA Champion William and Mary men's cross country qualified for its eighth-consecutive NCAA Championship by racing to second place at today's NCAA Southeast Regional. Competing on the 10,000m Lake Kristi Course in Greenville, NC, the 30th-ranked Tribe amassed 99 points for runner-up honors, 18 behind team winner N. C. State. By finishing in the top-two, the College clinched one of two automatic bids to the NCAA Championship, and also witnessed four of its harriers earn All-Southeast honors for finishing in the top-25. Liberty's Josh McDougal won the race in 30:06.4.Freshman Christo Landry (Falls Church, VA), fresh off a second-place effort at the CAA Championship two weeks ago, again sparkled, leading the Tribe with his impressive seventh-place showing, clocking a 30:22.6 to claim All-Southeast honors in his first regional. Following closely behind was senior Jeff Hedley (Virginia Beach, VA) who also notched All-Southeast accolades by claiming 11th with his time of 30:32.3. Both Landry and Hedley sprinted to the finish to move up several spots in the last 500 hundred meters, lowering the Tribe's score to clinch second place and the auto bid. Sophomore Adam Tenerowicz (Blackstone, MA) notched all-region honors in his first regional competition by racing to 24th in 31:04.1 while junior Matt Keally (Virginia Beach, VA), the 2004 CAA Champion, claimed All-Southeast honors for a third-straight season in 25th, timing a 31:05.2. Rounding out the College's scoring five was junior Jason Schoener (Grand Blanc, MI) in 33rd, who clocked a 31:16.6.
Head coach Alex Gibby was proud of his team's accomplishment, noting, "This was a great team race. With 2,000m to go, we were probably in fourth or fifth but our guys didn't give up. They made a tremendous effort over the final stages of the race to move us up into second; it was a great job of closing. It was especially tough with Keith Bechtol dropping down in the order because of an asthma attack, and he's been a leader for us all season so I'm sure it made some of the guys anxious as they saw him struggling, but they exerted a terrific effort and overcame obstacles. I'm very pleased with our performance today."
W&M will now compete at the NCAA Championship for an eighth-straight season with this year's tilt being held November 22 in Terre Haute, IN, where the Tribe finished 14th in 2002. Expected to return to the lineup fresh for the NCAA Championship is freshman Ian Fitzgerald (Glenshaw, PA), an alternate to the Regional squad who will come in rested. Prior to the NCAA Championship, W&M will also contest the IC4A Championship in New York, NY on November 20.
NCAA Southeast Regional Top Five Teams Place Team Score 1 No. 11 NC State 81 2 No. 30 William & Mary 99 3 Clemson 103 4 Virginia 118 5 Duke 129 Top Individuals Place Individual Team Times 1 McDougal, Josh Liberty 30:06.4 2 Magidi, Itay Clemson 30:11.7 3 Smith, Andy NC State 30:16.3 4 Mack, Bobby NC State 30:16.4 5 Wyatt, Derrick Clemson 30:19.2 W&M Individuals in Top-25, All-Southeast Honors 7 Christo Landry W&M 30:22.6 11 Jeff Hedley W&M 30:32.3 24 Adam Tenerowicz W&M 31:04.1 25 Matt Keally W&M 31:05.2 Other W&M Individuals 33 Jason Schoener W&M 31:16.6 51 Pat Comstock W&M 31:49.0 58 Keith Bechtol W&M 31:55.5