Cross Country Gears Up For BIG EAST Championships

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NEW YORK – The Georgetown men's team will be taking aim at a fourth straight crown and the Villanova women will be looking to grab a second consecutive title at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships presented by Jeep this Saturday, October 28, at the Northview Church Course in Carmel, Ind.

The women's 6K race will begin at 10 a.m. CT and the men's 8K run will start at 10:50 a.m. CT. Butler University will serve as the championship host. It will be the second time the BIG EAST has conducted its championship at the Northview Church Course after the initial meet in 2014.

The 2018 Cross Country Championships will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network on the Fox Sports app. Full coverage of both men's and women's races begins at 10:55 am ET. Matt Schumacker, Will Haskett and Paul Fritschner will call the races.

The broadcast link: https://a.fsgo.com/ieyxBuGegR

Villanova won the 2017 women's crown with 39 points and finished with three runners in the top 10. The top finisher was Bella Burda, who took third place with a time of 20:19.4. Providence's Catarina Rocha won the race with a time of 19:59.0. Teammate Brianna Ilarda took second with a time of 20:12.2 and Millie Palladino was fifth with a time of 20:27.9. Despite Providence having three runners finish among the top four, Villanova's overall depth gave the Wildcats a close victory with 39 points. PC had 46 points.

On the men's side last year, Georgetown graduate student Jonathan Green won the 8K race in a time of 24:27 at the Wayne Dennehl National Course in Kenosha, Wis. Teammate Reilly Bloomer took fourth place in a time of 24:50.8. The Hoyas placed all five of their scoring runners in the top 16 and had 40 points. Butler was the runner-up with 54 points, the Bulldogs' best finish as a BIG EAST member. Butler had three runners in the top 10. Freshman Barry Keane took fifth with a time of 24:52.5. Villanova was a close third with 57 points. The Wildcats' Andrew Marston was second with a time of 24:32.7 and Casey Comber finished third at 24:40.6

Historically, cross country is one of the BIG EAST's most accomplished sports. Nationally, BIG EAST women's teams have won four of the last nine NCAA national championships. Providence won the NCAA women's title in 2013. Villanova has won nine NCAA women's titles, the last coming in 2010.

Women's Preview
Villanova, ranked eighth nationally in the latest USTFCCCA poll, has been anchored by the duo of grad student Caroline Alcorta and senior Nicole Hutchinson. Senior Bella Burda was the Wildcats' top performer in last year's Championship, finishing third in a time of 20:19.4. Villanova is coming off a dominant performance at the Princeton Invitational when the Wildcats took the top three positions with Alcorta winning and being followed by Hutchinson and sophomore Lauren Ryan. Last year, Ryan finished sixth at the Championship.

Providence's Abbey Wheeler has been a top performer for the Friars this fall. She has won National XC Athlete of the Week twice. The junior is coming off a second-place finish in the CCSU Mini Meet, losing only to former PC All-American Brianna Illarda. Wheeler took 10^th place in last year's Championship. Sophomore Maria Coffin has also enjoyed a strong season, notching a personal best at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

Last year, Georgetown finished in third place for a second straight year. Junior Paige Hofstad has been the leader throughout this fall. She paced the team with an 11^th-place finish at the recent Penn State National Open. Hofstad finished 14^th at the 2016 BIG EAST Championship. She did not compete at last year's Championship.

Marquette was fourth last year after taking fifth two seasons ago. The Golden Eagles' last meet was the Illini Open over the weekend. Mary Rose Flood was the top performer in the 5K race, taking a 10^th finish.

Xavier was just behind Marquette by a few points last year in fifth place. The Musketeers are led by a strong core of underclassmen, paced by sophomore tandem Jenna Clayworth and Anna Kostarellis. The two runners have posted top-10 times in the school record books after only two seasons. Clayworth's 6K time of 21:19.50 at the Bradley Pink Classic this season ranks ninth, while Kostarellis' 6K time of 21:14.00 at the Paul Short Run this season ranks eighth.

Creighton finished sixth last year. Freshman Danielle Hotalling has led the Bluejays in every race this fall for new coach Chris Gannon.

Butler took seventh place last year. Junior Josephine Threstup has been the top Bulldog for the fall season. She won the Indiana State Invitational. Last year, she was the top Butler finisher at the Championship, taking 17^th place.

Seton Hall wants to improve on its eighth-place finish last fall. This year, freshman Emma Newgarden has enjoyed a strong start to her career. She is coming off a win at the NJIT XC Challenge. She led the Pirates to their third victory of the fall.

DePaul finished ninth last year for a second straight year. This fall, freshman Maret Elgren has been an impressive performer. She had the team's top performance at the recent Loyola Invitational.

St. John's was 10^th last year.   Junior Ant Howard has led the Red Storm in their last two races, the Metropolitan Championships and the Paul Short Invite.

Men's Preview
Defending champion Georgetown has been led by Jack Van Scoter, who has been the top Hoya in his last two races. At the Penn State National Open he took 14^th overall with a time over the 5.2 mile race of 25:21. Teammate Nick Wareham was 15^th also with a time of 25:21. Wareham finished seventh in last year's BIG EAST Championship.

Villanova should be considered a strong contender with the return of Marston and Comber, a pair of juniors who finished second and third at last year's Championship. Two years ago, they also finished in the top 10. They have separated themselves from the rest of the Wildcat squad with their outstanding performances.

Butler took second place last year, three points ahead of Villanova. Barry Keane finished fifth last season as a freshman at the BIG EAST Championship. Johnny Leverenz, who took 10the last year, is back for his senior campaign.

Providence, took fourth place last year. This fall, sophomore Ryan Gallagher is coming off a second-place finish at the CCSU Mini Meet. Seniors Marcus Karamanolis and Aaron Hanlon were the top Friar finishers last year, taking 11^th and 13^th.

Marquette has finished fifth for the last three years. Danny Peterson and Max McClelland have had strong seasons. They were the Golden Eagles' top two finishers at last weekend's Illini Open. In last year's Championship, Peterson finished eighth.

DePaul will aim to improve on last year's sixth-place finish. Sophomore Charlie McIntyre led the Blue Demons at the recent Bradley Pink Classic. Senior Noah Deck was second on the team and has enjoyed a strong fall season.

Junior Chase Howard has been Creighton's top performer in every race this fall for the Bluejays, who will be looking to move up from their seventh place finish last year.

Xavier took eighth place. This fall, freshman Thomas Gardiner has been the team's top finisher in the squad's last two meets. His 8K time of 24:48.30 at the Louisville Classic this season ranks sixth in school history. Sophomore Brady Harless has also posted a Xavier top-10 performance as he recorded an 8K time of 25:16.00 at the Louisville Classic this season, ranking 10th in school history.

Seton Hall was ninth last year and will look to senior Jarod Moser, who placed eighth at the recent Metropolitan Championships. He was the top Pirate finisher at last year's Championship.

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Players Mentioned

Danielle Hotalling

Chase Howard