Nov. 17, 2006
NCAA Championship Notes
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University cross country program leaves Friday afternoon for Indianapolis, Ind. in preparation for the 2006 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. The competition, taking place on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Center in Terre Haute, Ind., will begin at noon on Monday, November 20 with the women's race, followed by the men's at 1:15 p.m.
The Hoyas are one of nine schools to travel both their men's and women's teams to the national championships, after qualifying last weekend with strong showings at the Mid-Atlantic Region Championships in Lock Haven, Pa. The men won their third-straight regional title, while the women were second. Eight Hoyas earned All- Mid Atlantic region honors, led by two individual runner-up finishes by redshirt sophomore Matt Debole (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) and redshirt junior Elizabeth Maloy (Loudonville, N.Y./The Academy of Holy Names).
Georgetown cross country has been a fixture in the NCAA Division I national polls throughout the 2006 fall season. The men moved up to 13th in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, while the women are sitting at 18th.
In addition to their success at the regional, both squads were second at the BIG EAST Championship on October 27 and have two team titles each early in the season. DeBole was the top Hoya finisher on the men's side at the BIG EAST, placing fifth, while also being one of two Hoya men to win an individual title on the year with redshirt sophomore Justin Scheid (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXII). Maloy has been a standout on the women's team, placing third at the BIG EAST, 10th at the Pre-Nationals and winning two individual titles. Redshirt sophomore Melissa Grelli (Cupertino, Calif./Presentation) has been close behind Maloy all season, finishing third at the Mid-Atlantic regional, eighth at the BIG EAST and crossing third twice in the first two races.
The Hoya men have qualified for its eighth-straight NCAA Tournament and 25th overall. The men's best finish was fourth place in 1965 and they have placed in the top 10 eight times.
The women's team returns to the NCAAs for the second-straight season, after missing the event in 2004. Prior to 2004, the Hoyas had appeared in 16-straight championships. This will be Georgetown's 20th appearance on the women's side, as they have 15 top-10 finishes, including three third places, their best finish.
The Hoyas look to improve upon last year's 16th place finish for the men and 27th place showing for the women. Fleet Hower took home All-American honors with his 26th place individual finish in the men's race.
Also this weekend, additional Hoyas will be competing at the IC4A and ECAC Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The women begin racing at 10:30 a.m. with the ECAC Championship, followed by the men at 11 a.m. in the IC4As.
