June 9, 2006

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Providence College track runner Martin Fagan (Mullingar, Ireland) ran to a second-place finish in the 10,000 meters at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Thursday, June 8 in Sacramento, Calif. With his second-place finish, Fagan earned his second All-America honor. He also garnered All-America accolades during the 2005 cross country season.

Fagan's impressive time of 28:41.41 was a personal best. He finished just under four seconds behind Arkansas' Josphat Boit and two seconds ahead of Wisconsin's Simon Bairu, who won the 2005 cross country individual title. Fagan's second-place finish also gave the Friar team eight points, which put PC in a tie for fifth-place after two days of competition.

In addition to Fagan's exceptional performance, Friar sophomore Max Smith (Dunedin, New Zealand) ran in the preliminary 1,500-meter heat. Smith recorded a time of 3:42.37 to qualify for the finals, which will take place on Saturday, June 10 at 5:04 p.m. EST.

On the women's side, graduate student Aine Hoban (Wakefield, England), who was making her first appearance in the NCAAs, competed in the 10,000 meters, however she did not finish the race. Senior Mary Cullen (Sligo, Ireland), who recorded the best time in the preliminary 5,000-meter heat on Wednesday, June 7, will run in the finals on Friday, June 9 at 10:00 p.m. EST. Cullen, a five-time All-American, will be aiming to win her first NCAA individual crown.

To follow the Friars at the NCAA Championships click here.