Sept. 11, 2007

Providence, R.I. - The Providence College cross country teams yet again earned top honors as the NCAA Division I Regional Rankings were announced yesterday, September 10th. The women's team is ranked No. 1, while the men's squad is ranked No. 2 in the Northeast Region.

The women have earned the No. 1 rank after returning four of the top five runners from last year's ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The four returning runners all finished within the top 120 at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Leading the way for the Friars are sophomores Krystal Douglas (Harpswell, Maine) and Breffini Twohig (Dublin, Ireland) and juniors Katie DiCamillo (Garden City, N.Y.) and Danette Doetzel (Macklin, Saskatchewan). The four runners finished 80th, 93rd, 96th, and 116th, respectively. Rounding out the top five teams on the women's side are Boston College, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale.

The PC men's team ranks second in the Northeast Region, only behind 2006 NCAA third-place finisher Iona. The men return four of their top runners from the 2006 team, which placed ninth at the NCAA Championships in 2006.

Seniors Ahmed Haji (West Hartford, Conn.) and Max Smith (Dunedin, New Zealand) both return after finishing the 2006 NCAA Championships 72nd and 84th, respectively. Also returning are Richard Yeates (Dublin, Ireland) and Hayden McLaren (Christchurch, New Zealand) who both finished in the top 200. Syracuse, Columbia and Cornell make up the top five.

The Friar men's and women's cross country teams return to action on September 14 at the Boston College Invitational. The event will be held at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.