University of Washington
NCAA Championships
Huskies Earn Top-21 Finishes At NCAA Cross Country Meet
November 25, 2003 | Cross Country
Nov. 25, 2003
WATERLOO, Iowa - Washington's cross country squads capped one of the most outstanding seasons in school history Monday, both earning top-21 finishes at the 2003 NCAA Championships at the Irv Warren Golf Course in Waterloo, Iowa.
Thirteen of the Huskies' 14 runners were making their NCAA debuts, with only junior women's captain Lindsey Egerdahl returning from last year's national meet. Washington qualified both of its teams for NCAA competition for just the third time in school history, and the first since 1989.
The 22nd-ranked Husky women, whose streak of seven-consecutive trips to the NCAA meet is the nation's seventh-longest, placed 19th overall, a 12-spot improvement from their finish at the national meet a year ago. The team's top-four finishers crossed the line in a span of only 10 seconds, led by Egerdahl's 85th-place finish. Egerdahl covered the frigid 6,000-meter course in 21:11, just ahead of sophomore Ingvill Makestad (96th, 21:15), freshman Amy Lia (108th, 21:19) and freshman Dallon Williams (118th, 21:21).
"Our top-four women did a great job of staying together - that 10-second split is incredible," said head coach Greg Metcalf. "It's under 20 degrees out here today, but these ladies weren't going to let that stop them. For us to come here and run well with so many freshmen and underclassmen is outstanding. This was supposed to be our rebuilding year, so if rebuilding means a 19th-place NCAA finish, I'll take it."
Washington's 22nd-ranked men's team, meanwhile, earned 21st overall in its first NCAA Championships appearance since 1993. The Huskies' 448 points placed them just 15 points out of 15th place, and just 50 points out of 12th.
Sophomore Mark Mandi led all UW finishers in 67th, the best finish by a Husky men's runner at the NCAA meet since 1998. Mandi finished the 10,000-meter course in 30:37, just ahead of senior John Russell (78th, 30:40), senior Eric Garner (108th, 30:44).
"I think our men could have scored better as a team today, but overall I'm very proud of how they ran today, and all season," Metcalf said.
Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional champs Stanford achieved just the second NCAA Championships sweep in history, winning the men's title with 24 points and the women's crown with 120. Stanford's men placed four runners in the top five, but could only watch as Colorado's Dathan Ritzenhein won his first NCAA title in 29 minutes, 15 seconds, just one second ahead of the Cardinal's Ryan Hall.
North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan earned her second-straight NCAA cross country crown, running away from the field in a near course-record 19:31.
For complete resutls of the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships, visit www.ncaasports.com.
