DePaul University Athletics
Cross Country Readies for National Catholic Championship
9/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY
Sept. 15, 2011
CHICAGO - After a successful showing at the UIC Home Opener on September 3, the DePaul men's and women's cross country teams are slated to travel to South Bend, Ind., for the National Catholic Championship hosted by Notre Dame on Friday.
Both squads are competing at the Notre Dame Cross Country Course with the women's 5000m race starting at 3:15 p.m. The men's race, a five-mile trek, follows the women's competition at 4 p.m. A total of 33 teams are scheduled to compete on the women's side while 32 squads are expected in the men's race.
DePaul last competed at the UIC Home Opener on September 3 when both the men's and women's teams collected a third place finish. Senior Matthew Graham completed the 4.1 mile course in a time of 20:29.5, earning him not only the individual first place award, but also a BIG EAST Athlete of the Week award for cross country.
In the women's race, freshman Jackie Kasal finished with a team-best time of 11:51.7, followed by senior Claire O'Brien who registered a time of 12:01.2. It was Kasal's first collegiate race and O'Brien's first since spending two quarters studying abroad.
DePaul looks to build on its success from the season opener while continuing its success from last season's National Catholic Championship. In last year's Graham placed third in the men's race and current senior Toni Salvatore placed sixth among the women.
