Sept. 23, 2004

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The second-ranked Providence College women's cross country team and the 14th-ranked men's team will compete at the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, September 25 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. The men's race will begin at 12:20 PM EDT, while the women's race will start at 1:10 PM EDT.

The Providence women will be looking for their fourth team title as they won the event 1995, 1996 and 1998. Providence also has three individual Roy Griak Champions, including senior Kim Smith (Auckland, New Zealand), who won the event last season. Sara Dupre (1997) and Maria McCambridge (1996) have also won the meet for PC. This race will mark the 2004 cross country debut for Smith, who represented New Zealand in the Summer Olympics.

Smith, who has a chance to become only the second repeat champion, will lead the women in their quest for PC's first Roy Griak title since 1998. Smith's triumph last season led the Friars to a fourth-place finish. Senior Mary Cullen (Sligo, Ireland) placed eighth, while junior Fiona Crombie (Christchurch, New Zealand) took 12th-place. Seniors Deirdre Byrne of Wicklow, Ireland (26th) and Katie Twarog of Albany, N.Y. (97th) also scored for the Friars.

This season, Providence has captured its first two meets, including its most recent win at the Fordham Invitational on September 11 at Van Cortlandt Park in New York, N.Y. Cullen won the individual title, while Byrne, Twarog, junior Jane Nalder (Wellington, New Zealand) and freshman Ashley Hughes (Phoenix, N.Y.) finished seventh, eighth and 17th, respectively for the Friars. PC's squad at the Roy Griak Invitational this season features Smith, Cullen, Byrne, Twarog, Crombie, Nalder and Hughes as well as freshmen Michelle Childs (Cameron, Ontario) and Mary Nelle Trefz (Iowa City, Iowa).

The men's team will be aiming for its third Roy Griak title. The Friars won the event in 1998 and 2000. In 2000, PC's Keith Kelly became the third Friar to win the individual title. Ben Noad captured the event in 1997 and 1998 to become the first athlete to win the Roy Griak Invitational multiple times.

Last season, the Friars finished seventh as senior Dylan Wykes (Kingston, Ontario) was the team's highest finisher (18th), while classmate Patrick Moulton (Pelham, N.H.) placed 31st. The Friars have won their first two meets this season as Moulton paced the way both times. PC's most recent triumph came at the Fordham Invitational on September 11 at Van Cortlandt Park in New York, N.Y. The Friars earned a perfect score (15 points), taking the top five spots. Moulton was followed by Wykes, junior Martin Fagan (Mullingar, Ireland), senior Patrick Guidera (Clonmel, Ireland) and junior Joe Dionne (Oshawa, Ontario). That quintet along with senior Liam Reale (Hospital, Ireland), sophomore Darren Brown (Spring, Texas), and freshmen Max Smith (Dunedin, New Zealand) and Ahmed Haji (West Hartford, Conn.) will compete at the 2004 Roy Griak Invitational.