Villanova Cross Country Prepares for Big East Championships
1997 Big East Conference Championships Van Cortlandt Park The Bronx, N.Y. Oct. 31, 1997Women's Preview
The Villanova women enter the 1997 Big East Cross Country Championships with a squad depleted due to illness and injury. Unable to compete at the Big East meet for head coach John Marshall is junior All-American Kristine Jost, who will not run due to illness, and freshman Geraldine McCarthy, who has a foot injury.
Despite these two tremendous losses, Villanova will have the services of junior Carrie Tollefson, an All-American and one of the nation's finest runners. Sophomore Carmen Douma will also compete and has made incredible strides throughout her sophomore campaign. Tamieka Grizzle, a scorer in last year's cross country league meet, will also compete.
The Wildcats captured Big East Conference team cross country titles in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Villanova finished third a season ago, and second in 1995, and has never placed lower than fourth overall in the league meet.
This season, Villanova has run in two team competitions, capturing the title of the Iona Meet of Champions. Tollefson won the individual crown on the Van Cortlandt Park course in 16:54.4, the second-fastest time ever run in history. Jost placed second at that competition in 16:58.8, while Douma placed fourth, Grizzle eighth and McCarthy 13th. At the NCAA Pre-Meet, held at Furman University on Oct. 11, Villanova placed fifth overall, with Tollefson running at the head of the pack and finishing second in the individual race. Jost was third and Douma sixth at the meet that featured 11 teams ranked among the nation's top 25.
Top Runners Carrie Tollefson (Jr., 5-9, 118, Dawson, Minn.) Carmen Douma (So., 5-7, 125, Cambridge, Ontario) Tamieka Grizzle (So., 5-7, 130, Bronx, N.Y.)Men's Preview
The Wildcat men enter the 1997 Big East Cross Country Championships after an extremely busy fall in which they have run in four team competitions thus far. Led by juniors Coulby Dunn and Brock Butler, and sophomores Scott Tantino and Dean Smith, the Wildcats hope to make a strong showing at the annual meeting of the conference teams.
Throughout history, Villanova has captured two Big East team cross country titles, in 1983 and 1993. The Wildcats earned runner-up honors on five occasions, in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, and 1994. Last season, Villanova placed fifth overall, with Dunn recording the Wildcats' best finish of 14th in 24:19.
This season, Villanova has placed second at the Lafayette Invitational, fourth at the Spiked Shoe Invitational held at Penn State, 18th at the Paul Short Invitational held at Lehigh, and ninth at the IC4A Championships. Dunn won the individual title at the Lafayette meet in 25:53, while Tantino and Smith placed third and fourth, respectively. Dunn was the Wildcats' top finisher at Paul Short also, placing fifth overall, while Smith captured top honors for the Wildcats twice at Paul Short (32nd) and the IC4As (ninth).
Top Wildcat RunnersBrock Butler Jr. 5-8 140 West Chester, Pa.
Competed in every meet this fall ... Best outing came at the Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 24th-place run in 27:19.31 ... Placed 53rd at the Lafayette Invitational (28:42) ... Covered the Lehigh University course in 25:54.5 to finish 77th at Paul Short ... Finished 73rd at the IC4As in 26:29.3 ... Finsihed 83rd at the 1996 Big East Championships in 26:22.
Carmen Douma So. 5-7 125 Cambridge, Ontario
Has made incredible strides as a sophomore ... Villanova's No. 3 runner all season ... Competed three times thus far this fall ... Placed fourth at the Iona Meet of Champions in 17:54.3 ... Ran to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Meet, covering the Furman University Course in 17:15 ... Also competed in the individual race at Penn State, placing second to Carrie Tollefson in 17:02.26 ... Finished eighth at the Big East Championships last year in 17:07 at Franklin Park.
Coulby Dunn Jr. 5-9 135 Greentown, Pa.
Villanova's No. 1 runner in two meets, winning the individual crown at the Lafayette Invitational (25:53) and placing fifth at the Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State (26:43.10) ... Came down with the flu and did not compete at Paul Short ... Returned to competition at the IC4A Championships, finishing 41st in 25:56.8 ... Still trying to regain top form ... Earned All-Big East honors a year ago, finishing 14th in 24:19 at the league meet held at Franklin Park.
Tamieka Grizzle So. 5-7 130 Bronx, N.Y.
The Big East Conference meet will serve as a homecoming for the Wildcat sophomore ... Competed twice during the fall ... Placed eighth at the Iona Meet of Champions at Van Cortlandt Park in 18:14.0 ... Also ran at the NCAA Pre-Meet at Furman, finishing 86th in 18:45 ... Finished 41st in 18:16 at the 1996 Big East Conference Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park.
Dean Smith So. 5-7 130 Baltimore, Md.
Has run very well throughout the fall ... Best finish came at the Lafayette Invitational with a fourth-place run in 26:12 ... Villanova's No. 1 runner at the IC4A Championships, placing ninth in 25:16.6 at the Van Cortlandt Park course ... Placed 11th at the Spiked Shoe Invitational in 26:56.46 and 32nd at the Paul Short Invitational in 25:13.9 ... Finished 39th at last year's Big East Championships in 25:04 at Franklin Park in Boston.
Scott Tantino So. 6-1 145 North Wales, Pa.
Villanova's No. 2 runner in three meets this season ... Did not compete at the Paul Short Invitational due to a hamstring pull ... Best finish came at the Lafayette Invitational with a third-place run in 26:06 ... Finished sixth at the Spiked Shoe Invitational in 26:43.50 ... Placed 11th at the IC4A Championships in 25:18.8 ... Finished 34th at last year's Big East meet in 24:53 at Franklin Park in Boston.
Carrie Tollefson Jr. 5-7 118 Dawson, Minn.
One of the nation's finest runners ... All-American in both cross country and track ... Placed fifth at last year's Big East Cross Country Championships in 16:52 as Villanova's No. 1 runner ... Should be a strong contender for the Big East individual crown ... Ran the second-fastest time ever at Van Cortlandt Park at the Iona Meet of Champions, winning the race in 16:54.4 ... Placed second overall at the NCAA Pre-Meet, running a time of 16:54 at the Furman University site ... Set a new course record at Penn State, running a time of 16:39.88 ... Surpassed the record set by Miesha Marzell of Georgetown in 1995 (17:06).
1997 Rosters WOMEN Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/High School Carmen Douma 5-7 125 So. Cambridge, Ontrario/Wellington Kate Etter 5-5 107 So. Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin Tamieka Grizzle 5-7 130 So. Bronx, N.Y./George Washington Jackie Gruters 5-7 125 Jr. Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney Lony'e Johnson 5-2 107 So. Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Acad. Carrie Tollefson 5-9 118 Jr. Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd MEN Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/High School Eric Bind 5-10 135 Jr. Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh Michael Bosacco 5-7 140 Jr. Wallingford, Pa./Wallingford Brock Butler 5-8 140 Jr. West Chester, Pa./WC Henderson Coulby Dunn 5-9 135 Jr. Greentown, Pa./Walenpaupack Joseph McNamara 6-0 176 Jr. Granville, N.Y./Granville Rich Morris 5-10 140 Sr. Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial Ryan Payne 6-0 150 So. Gwynedd Valley, Pa./Wissahicon Dean Smith 5-7 130 So. Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall Scott Tantino 6-1 145 So. North Wales, Pa./North Penn Greg Young 6-2 165 So. Wilmington, Mass./WilmingtonHead Coach JOHN MARSHALL
Currently in the midst of his fourth year as head coach of the Wildcat men's and women's cross country and track & field squads, John Marshall has established himself as one of the top coaches in the country. During his three-year stint, he has guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Women's Cross Country title in 1994, a runner-up finish a year ago, and a third-place effort in 1995. In addition, his women's teams have won three Big East Conference team championships during his tenure, and his staff has been cited as "Staff of the Year" by the league coaches twice. He has had six individual or relay national champions on the women's side, while his men's and women's programs have comvined for 46 All-America awards, six top 10 NCAA team finishes, and 38 Big East Conference individual or relay championships.
One of the all-time great Villanova runners himself, Marshall not only knows of Villanova's tremendous tradition, but has been a part of it as a student-athlete, assistant coach, and now as the head coach responsible for the entire program.
A 1985 graduate of Villanova, Marshall was a member of the 1984 United States Olympic Team in the 800m following his junior year with the Wildcats. He still holds the two fastest 800m times in school history, including his Villanova record time of 1:43.92 set at the 1984 Olympic Trials.
1996 Big East Cross Country Championships Review
Franklin Park Boston, Mass.
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Providence 1 9 11 12 14 47
2. Georgetown 3 7 15 16 17 58
3. Villanova 5 6 8 21 32 72
4. Boston College 4 13 26 29 31 103
5. Notre Dame 2 10 30 35 46 123
6. West Virginia 24 25 34 57 67 207
7. Connecticut 23 27 41 61 63 215
8. Pittsburgh 33 36 45 51 56 221
9. Rutgers 28 44 50 53 60 235
10. Syracuse 49 55 58 59 71 292
11. Miami 40 54 65 74 87 320
12. Seton Hall 42 52 80 83 85 342
13. St. John's 43 69 72 79 81 344
WOMEN'S ALL-BIG EAST TEAM
(Bold indicates 1997 returnees)
1. Marie McMahon, Providence 16:36
2. JoAnna Deeter, Notre Dame 16:41
3. Miesha Marzell, Georgetown 16:48
4. Angie Graham, Boston College 16:51
5. Carrie Tollefson, Villanova 16:52
6. Krestena Sullivan, Villanova 16:54
7. Janelle Thomas, Georgetown 16:56
8. Carmen Douma, Villanova 17:07
9. Maria McCambridge, Providence 17:16
10. Nicole LaSelle, Notre Dame 17:16
11. Sarah Dupre, Providence 17:23
12. Krissy Haacke, Providence 17:23
13. Amy Lyman, Boston College 17:28
14. Heather Couture, Providence 17:29
15. Melissa Lucas, Georgetown 17:30
MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Providence 5 9 19 20 23 76
2. Georgetown 1 12 17 21 28 79
3. St. John's 3 4 10 18 45 80
4. Notre Dame 2 8 11 29 31 81
5. Villanova 14 16 22 25 32 109
6. West Virginia 6 27 39 48 50 170
7. Boston College 13 15 36 54 55 173
8. Rutgers 35 42 49 56 66 248
9. Syracuse 43 44 47 57 61 252
10. Pittsburgh 30 52 60 70 72 284
11. Seton Hall 7 53 73 80 81 294
12. Miami 46 58 68 77 83 332
13. Connecticut 65 75 76 79 84 379
MEN'S ALL-BIG EAST TEAM
1. Brook Kintz, Georgetown 23.49
2. Jason Rexing, Notre Dame 23:57
3. Chris Graff, St. John's 24:01
4. Chris Fogarazzo, St. John's 24:02
5. Mike Donnelly, Providence 24:02
6. Mac Knapp, West Virginia 24:04
7. Anthony DeBenedictus, Seton Hall 24:04
8. Derek Seiling, Notre Dame 24:06
9. Ben Noad, Providence 24:07
10. Brian Quinn, St. John's 24:10
11. Matthew Althoff, Notre Dame 24:13
12. Brendan Heffernan, Georgetown 24:16
13. Darren Keenan, Boston College 24:18
14. Coulby Dunn, Villanova 24:19
15. Brian Shafer, Boston College 24:20
Current Coaches' Polls
WOMEN
1. Stanford 225
2. Brigham Young 215
3. Wisconsin 208
4. Oregon 195
5. Colorado 188
6. Providence 184
7. Villanova 171
8. Arkansas 155
9. N.C. State 151
10. Georgetown 145
11. Boston College 127
12. Colorado State 126
13. UCLA 106
14. Washington 101
15. Dartmouth 99
16. William & Mary 95
17. Michigan 91
18. Weber State 73
19. Florida 55
20. Coastal Carolina 34
21. N. Arizona 31
22. Marquette 29
23. Wake Forest 21
24. Baylor 19
25. North Carolina 17
MEN
1. Stanford 394
2. Arkansas 389
3. Michigan 367
4. Colorado 349
5. Oregon 327
6. Wisconsin 320
7. Michigan State 296
8. N.C. State 294
9. Notre Dame 243
Villanova's History
BIG EAST CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN WOMEN
1996 5th 3rd
1995 4th 2nd
1994 2nd 1st
1993 1st 1st
1992 2nd 1st
1991 3rd 1st
1990 6th 1st
1989 7th 1st
1988 6th 4th
1987 8th 1st
1986 3rd 1st
1985 6th 2nd
1984 4th 1st
Women's Results
Iona Meet of Champions
Saturday, Sept. 27, 1997
Van Cortland Park New York, N.Y.
Team Results
1. VILLANOVA 28
2. Dartmouth 43
3. Army 77
4. Westchester TC 110
5. Harvard 122
6. Miami 163
7. South Carolina 216
8. Princeton 227
9. Fordham 266
10. Loyola 273
11. Iona 361
12. St. Peter's 376
13. FDU 419
14. Monmouth 431
15. Siena 433
16. Long Island 434
17. Fairfield 470
Individual Results
Top 10 Finishers
1. Carrie Tollefson (VU) 16:54.4
2. Kristine Jost (VU) 16:58.8
3. Jenna Rogers (DC) 17:47.4
4. Carmen Douma (VU) 17:54.3
5. Anne Devlin (DC) 17:58.4
6. Marisa Hanson (WTC) 18:07.5
7. Jessica Jones (Army) 18:11.2
8. Tamieka Grizzle (VU) 18:14.0
9. Shannon Sarabyn (UM) 18:17.3
10. Erin Dromgoole (DC) 18:20.0
Other Villanova Finishers
13. Geraldine McCarthy (VU) 18:34.8
52. Jackie Gruters (VU) 19:49.9
82. Kate Etter (VU) 20:34.8
93. Lony'e Johnson (VU) 20:47.2
Women's NCAA Pre-Meet
Saturday, Oct. 11, 1997
Furman University s Greenville, S.C.
Team Results
1. Stanford 39
2. Wisconsin 89
3. Oregon 107
4. Colorado 139
5. Villanova 146
6. North Carolina 228
7. William & Mary 233
8. Nebraska 252
9. Nothern Arizona 279
10. UCLA, Coastal Carolina 289
12. Minnesota 318
13. South Florida 340
14. Notre Dame 349
15. Wake Forest 402
16. East Tennessee State 421
17. Georgia 435
18. Virginia 472
19. Indiana State 474
20. Iowa State, Central Michigan 485
22. Clemson 566
23. Western Kentucky 687
Individual Results
Top 10 Finishers
1. Julia Stamps (Stanford) 16:44
2. Carrie Tollefson (VU) 16:54
3. Kristine Jost (VU) 16:57
4. Sarna Renfro (Stanford) 17:12
5. Collette Liss (Valparaiso) 17:13
6. Carmen Douma (VU) 17:15
7. Amy Swier (N. Arizona) 17:20
8. Mary Cobb (Stanford) 17:22
9. Sally Glynn (Stanford) 17:22
10. Catherine Berry (ETSU) 17:23
Other Villanova Finishers
58. Geraldine McCarthy (VU) 18:21
86. Tamieka Grizzle (VU) 18:45
151. Jackie Gruters (VU) 20:19
158. Kate Etter (VU) 21:06
Men's Results
Lafayette Invitational
Saturday, Sept. 13, 1997
Metzgar Fields s Lafayette College
Easton, Pa.
Weather: Sunny, 80 degrees
Team Results
1. LaSalle 59
2. VILLANOVA 67
3. Lafayette 80
4. Monmouth 107
5. Seton Hall 125
6. Millersville 165
7. East Stroudsburg 166
8. Syracuse 196
9. Bloomsburg 225
10. Moravian 228
11. West Chester 337
12. Alfred 348
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Coulby Dunn (VU) 25:53
2. David Robinson (Laf) 25:56
3. Scott Tantino (VU) 26:06
4. Dean Smith (VU) 26:12
5. Mark Hagan (Mil) 26:27
6. Steve Osaduik (SH) 26:28
7. Greg Blaszko (Las) 26:38
8. Kevin Myles (Las) 26:39
9. Joseph DiGiacomo (Las) 26:40
10. Nate Getman (Syr) 26:43
Other Villanova Finishers
22. Joseph McNamara (VU) 27:19
37. Wojciec Szela (VU) 28:00
45. Eric Bind (VU) 28:29
53. Brock Butler (VU) 28:42
Spiked Shoe Invitational
Saturday, Sept. 27, 1997
PSU Golf Course s Penn State
University Park, Pa.
Team Results
1. Bucknell 43
2. Penn State 57
3. US Naval Academy 59
4. VILLANOVA 86
5. SUNY-Albany 162
6. St. Francis 204
7. PSU Alumni 207
8. Duquesne 227
9. Pittsburgh 262
10. Fleet Feet 276
11. Frostburg State 284
12. Rider 303
13. Clarion 354
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Matt Kodak (BU) 26:25.23
2. Dan Ford (PSU) 26:29.56
3. Eric Adams (Navy) 26:38.68
4. Ron Hess (BU) 26:40.99
5. Coulby Dunn (VU) 26:43.10
6. Scott Tantino (VU) 26:43.50
7. Mike Pfaff (PSU) 26:44.20
8. Jonathan Dietrich (BU) 26:48.75
9. Todd Malligan (BU) 26:51.03
10. Johan Sandquist (PSU) 26:54.20
Other Villanova Finishers
11. Dean Smith (VU) 26:56.46
24. Brock Butler (VU) 27:19.31
61. Eric Bind (VU) 28:18.29
72. Joseph McNamara (VU) 28:34.18
75. Ryan Payne (VU) 28:41.09
124. Rich Morris (VU) 30:28.33
128. Michael Bosacco (VU)30:40.44
Paul Short Invitational
Saturday, Oct. 4, 1997
Goodman Course s Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pa.
Team Results
1. Michigan State 52
2. N.C. State 54
3. James Madison 81
4. Brown 146
5. Mt. St. Mary's 161
6. Penn State 169
7. Army 209
8. Penn 246
9. VCU 315
10. Lafayette 317
11. Cornell 318
12. St. Joseph's 352
13. Houston 357
14. Shippensburg 399
15. Maryland 400
16. New Jersey 473
17. Rhode Island 498
18. VILLANOVA 558
19. Queen's 578
20. Syracuse 804
21. UMass 605
22. Duquesne 630
23. Kutztown 668
24. Millersville 669
25. Cortland 707
26. Pittsburgh 717
27. Bloomsburg 724
28. Lehigh 741
29. Georgetown 776
30. California (PA) 841
31. Delaware 925
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Kyle Baker (MSU) 24:19.1
2. Stephen Ondieki (MSM) 24:20.0
3. Daniel Kinyua (MSM) 24:20.9
4. Ryan Foster (JMU) 24:25.2
5. Chan Pons (NCS) 24:27.5
6. Abdul Alzindani (NCS) 24:34.8
7. Chris Wehrman (MSU) 24:39.2
8. Robby Howell (NCS) 24:40.4
9. Scott Goff (Army) 24:40.9
10. Brendan Prindiville (BU) 24:42.9
Villanova Finishers
32. Dean Smith (VU) 25:13.9
77. Brock Butler (VU) 25:54.5
136. Joseph McNamara (VU)26:42.3
142. Ryan Payne (VU) 26:47.6
171. Wojciec Szela (VU) 27:24.9
IC4A Championships
Friday, Oct. 17, 1997
Van Cortlandt Park Course 5 miles
Bronx, N.Y.
Team Results
1. Princeton 49
2. Iona 63
3. Duke 122
4. Virginia Tech 162
5. Pennsylvania 167
6. Va. Commonwealth 169
7. LaSalle 189
8. Virginia 212
9. VILLANOVA 225
10. Maryland 229
11. Yale 259
12. St. Joseph's 269
13. Cornell 286
14. Lafayette 301
15. Syracuse 375
16. Seton Hall 421
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Tony Barroco (Princeton) 24:48.7
2. Ricardo Santos (Iona) 24:57.6
3. Francis Rono (VCU) 25:02.2
4. Erik Kean (Princeton) 25:03.4
5. Tom Becker (Duke) 25:11.0
6. Padraic Buckley (Iona) 25:14.2
7. Matt Zacharias (Va. Tech) 25:15.2
8. Brendan Fitzgibbon (Duke) 25:15.9
9. Dean Smith (VU) 25:16.6
10. Jesus Ortega (VCU) 25:18.1
Other Villanova Finishers
11. Scott Tantino (VU) 25:18.8
41. Coulby Dunn (VU) 25:56.8
73. Brock Butler (VU) 26:29.3
94. Ryan Payne (VU) 27:17.9
100. Wojciec Szela (VU) 27:48.8
104. Joseph McNamara (VU) 28:06.5
