ND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Irish reach goals, Handley takes 7th
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Sports Editor
NEW YORK
The Irish women's cross country team went into last Friday's Big East Cross Country Championships with two goals: place in the top four and beat Villanova, ranked No. 16 in the latest national MONDO poll.
They accomplished both.
Led by junior Jen Handley's seventh-place overall finish, Notre Dame totaled 107 points and garnered a fourth-place finish behind conference champion Georgetown (36 points), second-place Boston College (53 points) and third-place Providence (73 points). The Irish just edged out the Wildcats of Villanova, who ended the day with 112 points.
"We wanted to be in the top four," head coach Tim Connelly said. "We needed to beat Villanova because they'll be an automatic qualifier out of their region so we're looking at at-large points. We think that will help us."
Handley, who finished 31st in the meet as a sophomore in 2000, stayed with the front pack the entire race, finishing in 20:45, to earn a place on the All-Big East team for the first time. Connelly was less than shocked by the performance from the steady Handley, who has been Notre Dame's No. 1 runner all season long.
"Jen Handley ran about what I thought she was capable of," Connelly said. "I thought she'd be in the top 10."
Handley added that she approached Friday's race like she approaches any other.
"I usually try to be with the leaders and then I just hang on as long as I can," she said. "I was in the top five right off the start and then I just hang on to stay in the top 10 and finished with everything I had left."
The second Irish runner across the line was sophomore Megan Johnson, who finished 12th in a time of 21:09. Johnson finished 39th a year ago but has stepped up as one of the top three Irish runners this fall.
Notre Dame's third finisher was freshman Lauren King.
King, who did not begin training until mid-season yet won the Notre Dame Invitational in her collegiate debut, ran with Handley through the first turn of the race, but fell behind after the race turned to a hilly backstretch.
The Ontario, Canada native finished 24th overall in a time of 21:50.
"She just didn't run very well," Connelly said. "Everyone has a bad race once in a while and this was hers."
But Connelly blamed some of that struggle to the fact that King had been training harder than her teammates in preparation for the Nov. 19 NCAA Championships.
"She's not quite as rested as some of the other kids because they were working two months before her," Connelly said. "So now we're backing those kids away and she's doing more work. It cost her today but she'll be fine."
Right behind King was freshman Christi Arnerich, placing 25th in 21:53. The final Irish scorer, Jennifer Fibuch, helped close the gap on Villanova, placing 37th in a time of 22:28. Fibuch's finish was a pleasant surprise to Connelly, as the junior had been nursing an injury.
"Jen Fibuch had a good, solid race," Connelly said. "She's been a little bit hurt, she's had a sore Achilles. She missed about a full week of real training. She's been running the past four or five days but its been just jogging, basically."
The Irish now focus on the NCAA regional on Nov. 10 and the national week a week later. But even if the Irish fail to reach their expectations this year, hopes are high as every runner that competed Friday returns next fall.
"Every one of those kids is back," Connelly said. "Potentially we could add some recruits down the line so I think the future for us looks great."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 30, 2001
