Nov. 1, 2008

Courtesy of Big East Conference

BRONX, N.Y. - The Georgetown men and Villanova women won the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y., on Oct. 31.  Junior Andrew Bumbalough led the Hoyas with a time of 23:55 in the men’s 8,000-meter race.  Senior Frances Koons paced the Wildcat women with a 20:13 finish on the 6,000-meter race.

 

Georgetown wins its sixth BIG EAST men’s team championship, the first for the Hoyas since 2003, with the help of five top-10 finishes.  Behind Bumbalough for the Hoyas, who was the men’s individual champion in first-place overall, was sophomore Ayalew Taye in seventh with a time of 24:40.

 

Koons’ second-place overall finish led Villanova to its eleventh women’s BIG EAST team championship.  Junior Marie-Louise Asselin of West Virginia won the women’s individual title with a time of 20:10.  Two of her Mountaineer teammates also finished in the top 5, but the Wildcats claimed the title with four runners in the top 10.

 

Behind Koons was freshman Bogdana Mimic, who finished fifth-place overall in 20:34. Following close behind was junior Kaitlyn Tallman in seventh-place overall in 20:47.  For the Wildcats, it was their first BIG EAST cross country team championship since 1998.