Sept. 30, 2005
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Redshirt sophomore Shannon Bell finished 13th to pace Santa Clara University to a fourth place finish in the Gold Division at the 50th annual Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational this afternoon at the Notre Dame Golf Course.
Led by a 47th-place finish by Chris Mulvany, the Bronco men finished 16th overall in what has been generally described as Santa Clara's farthest road trip in the distance programs' history.
Bell, a Spokane, Wash. native who missed last season due to injury, traversed the 5k course in a time of 18:16, her fastest time of the season. Anna Wheatley finished 34th overall in a time of 18:51, while Veronica Vasques was 41st in 18:57 and Noelle Lopez finished 43rd with a time of 18:59. Kiley Strong was the Broncos number five scorer with a 58th place finish in 19:07.
The women scored 189 points to tie Indiana State for fourth place, which hosts this year's national championships in Terre Haute, Ind. THe Broncos finished eight points ahead of Wyoming.
On the men's side, Mulvany ran the five-mile course in a time of 26:06 to finish 47th overall. Chris Doerhoff cross the line in 64th place in a time of 26:16 and Christen Gumbs was 97th with a 26:41. Michael Delaurenti and John Paul Thyken finished 106th and 107th, respectively, in times of 26:48 and 26:50.
The Notre Dame Invitational was conceived in 1956 by former Irish head coach (and Canadian Track Hall of Famer) Alex Wilson and features some of the top teams from around the country. This year's five races (men's and women's Blue and Gold, plus a junior varsity/open event) saw nearly 700 competitors from 58 different schools (including 16 men's or women's Division I teams ranked among the top 30 in the nation) race in one of the country's largest in-season meets.
A small squad of Broncos races in the Gator Invitational on Saturday at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The entire squad returns to action at the Santa Clara Invitational on October 15.
