10/31/2003
BRONX, N.Y. ? The Georgetown men?s cross country team stacked all five of its scorers within the top 10, and defeated three nationally ranked teams, to earn the BIG EAST Cross Country Championship Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y.
The Hoyas, ranked No. 13 in the latest United States Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, tallied a meet-low 29 points to pick up the win. They were followed by No. 24 Notre Dame, which picked up 66 points, in a distant second. The Irish edged No. 11 Villanova by one point, and No. 20 Providence claimed fourth with a total of 75 points.
The conference title is the men?s first since 1994, and their 37-point margin of victory is the largest BIG EAST win in over two decades. Georgetown?s 29 points is also the lowest team score since 1982, when Providence placed first, with 21 points, and Georgetown was runner-up, with 73.
Junior Rod Koborsi (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village) and sophomore Chris Lukezic (Auburn, Wash./Auburn) both turned in stellar efforts to help lead the Hoyas to victory. Koborsi held with eventual winner Jonathan Fasulo of Villanova all race, and ended up covering the 8000m course in 24:38 to place second. Fasulo timed 24:35, and Lukezic blazed to a 24:42 finish for third.
Sophomore Fleet Hower (Marion, Va./Marion) clocked 24:45 for fifth, and junior Chris Esselborn (The Woodlands, Texas/Woodlands) and senior Javon Broderick (Seattle, Wash./O?Dea) wrapped-up the Georgetown scoring with ninth and tenth place finishes, respectively. Esselborn timed 24:50, and Broderick recorded 24:54 to produce a remarkable 16-second spread among Georgetown's scorers.
As the Hoyas' sixth finisher, freshman Matt Debole (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) placed 15th, and by virtue of his high finish, he along with the five Georgetown scorers each earned All-BIG EAST honors for their efforts.
For guiding the team to the landmark victory, Head Men?s Cross Country Coach Pat Henner and Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer picked up Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Team Results
