U of L Men Finish Sixth at NCAA Southeast Regional

Saturday, November 12

Greenville, N.C.

11:00 AM

University of Louisville

at NCAA Southeast Regionals

November 12, 2005 | Cross Country

Nov. 12, 2005

Results

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Led by sophomore Wesley Korir's All-Region performance, the University of Louisville men's cross country team closed out the 2005 racing season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by East Carolina University Saturday at Overton's Kristi Lake Course.

William and Mary, ranked 17th in the this week's Mondo Top 30 National Poll, won the team title with 68 points while 19th ranked Virginia was second with 91 points. Both squads earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind. North Carolina State was third out of 30 teams with 96 points while Duke was fourth with 198 points. James Madison was fifth with 204 points and the Cards were sixth with 214 points, only 16 points behind the fourth-place Blue Devils.

Korir, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, finished 16th in a field of 207 runners with a time of 30 minutes, 39.6 seconds across the 10-kilometer course to earn All-Region honors. Liberty University's Josh McDougal won the individual title with a time of 29:40.1.

"We ran okay today, but obviously, it wasn't the performance we needed to finish at the top," said U of L head coach Ron Mann. "There were a lot of positives from today because six of our seven runners had personal best times and we improved from 10th at this meet last year to sixth. It was also great to have Wesley finish as an All-Region performer."

U of L freshman Cory Thorne closed out his first collegiate season with a 29th-place finish with a time of 30:52.3 while junior Wes Seacat was next for the Cards in 44th at 31:33.0. Freshman Ryan Byrne was 54th overall with a time of 31:49.7 and was followed by sophomore Thad Schroeder in 74th at 32:09.5 and senior Tim Kaiser in 129th at 33:02.2.

"We weren't far from being in the top four spots and that's something we can really build on," Mann said. "I'm also proud of the way Ryan Byrne ran today because he's another one of our young guys who continues to improve."

Cardinal senior Ashley Ruberg was the only member of the U of L women's team to compete at the NCAA Southeast Regional earning an 89th-place finish in a field of 205 runners with a time of 22:40.3 across the 6-kilometer course.

"All in all, I think we ended the season on a positive note," Mann said. "Things are really moving in the right direction for this program. With the runners we have coming back, and the recruits we're continuing to add for 2006 and beyond, I feel very good about the future of U of L cross country."

Up next, U of L will open the 2005-06 indoor track and field season on Dec. 9 at the Fast Start Invitational hosted by Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill.

 NCAA Southeast Regional ChampionshipsOverton's Lake Kristi - Greenville, N.C. - Nov. 12, 2005Men: 10 km / Women: 6 km

MENS RESULTS (30 Teams)1.  #17 William and Mary    68 points2.  #19 Virginia        91 points3.  N.C. State      96 points4.  Duke            198 points5.  James Madison       204 points6.  LOUISVILLE      214 points7.  Wake Forest     216 points8.  Norfolk State       221 points9.  Liberty         276 points10. Clemson         279 points11.     Appalachian State       289 points12. Eastern Kentucky        311 points13. Virginia Tech       317 points14. North Carolina      334 points15. High Point      346 points
U of L Men's Individual Finishers (Field of 207)16. Wesley Korir 30:39.629. Cory Thorne   30:52.344. Wes Seacat 31:33.054. Ryan Byrne 31:49.774. Thad Schroeder 32:09.5129.    Tim Kaiser 33:02.2
U of L Women's Individual Finishers (Field of 205)89. Ashley Ruberg   22:40.3