Nov. 20, 2000

AMES, Iowa. -- Led by senior Keith Kelly (Drogheda, Ireland) the fourth-ranked Providence College men's cross country team scored 121 points and finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championship on Monday, November 20 at the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames, Iowa. Kelly won the NCAA men's individual title after covering the 10,000 meter course in a time of 30:14.5. It marked the first NCAA cross country individual title ever for the Friars. Kellly is the first runner from New England to win the NCAA men's cross country title since URI's Bob Black won in 1948 and 1949. PC's 19th-ranked women's team scored 310 points and placed ninth in the women's race that covered the 6,000-meter course.

Kelly, who captured his third All-America honor and was named the Cross Country Coaches' Association's Athlete of the Year, outkicked Fairleigh Dickinson's Stephen Ondiecki and Alabama's David Kimani at the finish to earn the win. "The race started very slow and got going over the last four kilometers," Kelly stated. "With four kilometers to go I unleashed. Before that I was behind Ondiecki and Kimani. I took over first place in the final 400 meters."

With its third-place finish, the Friars earned their top finish since they place third in 1992. Providence Head Coach Ray Treacy was excited about his team's effort. "The men's team ran great from top to bottom," Treacy stated. "Only two teams ran a better race today."

In addition to Kelly's strong performance, juniors Hamish Thorpe (Auckland, New Zealand) and Dermot Galvin (Kilrush, Ireland) earned All-America honors. Thorpe finished 11th (30:43.8) and Galvin placed 16th (30:52.3). Also scoring for the men's team were sophomore Adam Sutton of Preston, England (45th - 31:23.9) and junior Paul Reilly of Loughrea, Ireland (48th - 31:26.1).

On the women's side, senior Rachel Hixson (Media, Pa.) was PC's top finisher, placing 28th in a time of 21:25. Senior Francine Darroch of Cambridge, Ontario (46th - 21:40.4), junior Kathryn Casserly of Galway, Ireland (54th - 21:51.1), sophomore Emily Tallen of Kingston, Ontario (73rd - 21:59.0) and junior Claire Shearman of Portsmouth, N.H. (109th - 22:21.0).

On his women's team, Treacy said,"I'm delighted with the women's finish. The team came in ranked 19th and finished ninth. The team has now finished in the top 10 in 11 of the last 12 NCAA Championships."

The University of Arkansas won the men's race with 83 points and was followed by Colorado with 94 points.

Colorado took the women's title with 117 points. Brigham Young finished second with 167. Colorado senior Kara Grgas-Wheeler won the women's individual title in a time of 20:30.5.

MEN'S RESULTS Top 10 - Distance: Cross Country
1.	Keith Kelly	        Providence	        30:14.5
2.	Stephen Ondiecki	Fairleigh Dickinson	30:16.3
3.	Jorge Torres	        Colorado	        30:21.4
4.	David Kimani	        Alabama	                30:21.6
5.	Franklyn Sanchez	Georgetown	        30:26.9
6.	Ian Connor	        Ohio State	        30:29.0
7.	Luke Watson	        Notre Dame	        30:29.4
8.	Jason Vanderhoof	Wisconsin	        30:30.2
9.	Adrian Blincoe	        Villanova	        30:32.0
10.	Jonathan Riley	        Stanford	        30:40.6



PC Finishers:
11.	Hamish Thorpe	Providence	30:43.8
16.	Dermot Galvin	Providence	30:52.3
45.	Adam Sutton	Providence	31:23.9
48.	Paul Reilly	Providence	31:26.1



MEN'S TEAM SCORES TOP 10 of 31
1. 	Arkansas	83
2.	Colorado	94
3.	Providence	121
4.	Stanford	149
5.	Wisconsin	167
6.	Villanova	181
7.	Georgetown	269
7.	Northern Arizona	269
9.	Notre Dame	276
10.	William & Mary	363





WOMEN'S RESULTS Top 10 - Distance: Cross Country
1.	Kara Grgas-Wheeler	Colorado	20:30.5
2.	Sabrina Monro	        Montana         20:37.8
3.	Erica Palmer	        Wisconsin	20:39.9
4.	Shalane Flanagan	North Carolina	20:42.7
5.	Lisa Aguilera	        Arizona State	20:46.3
6.	Amy Mortimer	        Kanasas State	20:50.1
7.	Sheela Agrawal	        Duke	20:50.4
8.	Sara Gorton	        Colorado	20:51.3
9.	Bethany Brewster	Wisconsin	20:53.3
10.	Larissa Kleinmann	Arkansas	20:54.0



PC Finishers
28.	Rachel Hixson	        Providence	21:25.0
46.	Francine Darroch	Providence	21:40.4
54.	Kathryn Casserly	Providence	21:51.1
73.	Emily Tallen	        Providnece	21:59.0
109.	Claire Shearman	        Providnece	22:21.0



WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES TOP 10 of 31
1. 	Colorado	117
2.	Brigham Young	167
3.	Stanford	198
4.	Boston College	214
5.	Georgetown	247
6.	Arizona State	266
7.	Yale	        285
8.	Wisconsin	298
9.	Providence	310
10.	Kansas State	325