NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP WRAP-UP, TRIBE MEN FINISH FIFTH

11/24/2009 4:00:00 PM

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (November 23, 2009) - William and Mary finished in fifth place in Monday's NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship hosted by Indiana State University at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.

The Tribe finished the 10K race with 226 points and had three runners earn All-America status for the first time in each of their careers. Oklahoma State won the event with 126 total points.

Junior Jon Grey led William & Mary, crossing the line in 29:51.4 to take 17^th place. Seniors Patterson Wilhelm and Colin Leak finished 34^th in 30:18.9 and 40^th in 30:21.4, respectively.

Junior Lewis Woodard just missed the cutoff for All-America honors, finishing in 30:30.2, good for 53^rd in the meet. Redshirt freshman Zach Gates rounded out the Tribe's team scoring with his 126^th place finish in a time of 31:10.6.

CAA champion Brian Sklodowski (31:57.6) and senior Ben Massam (32:17.1) also competed for the Tribe in the event.

The Tribe's finish was the second highest in school history, behind only the 1974 squad that placed fourth-place at the NCAA Championship. It was the College's sixth top-10 finish in history and first since 2006, when it placed eighth.

Also competing at the NCAA Cross Country Championship on the women's side were Georgia State senior Janel Blancett and James Madison senior Alison Parris, who both performed well in the 6K race.

Blancett nearly achieved All-American status with a 47^th-place effort, which was the second-best finish ever for a Panther runner at the championship. Her time of 20:53.2 set the Georgia State record for the fastest time at the national event.

Parris crossed the finish line in 71^st place in 21:07.2. The Saint Leonard, Md., native now ranks fifth on the JMU all-time list of best finishes at the national meet.