DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
National Catholic Championship
Matthew Graham Cruises to Win at National Catholic Championship
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY
Sept. 16, 2011
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Matthew Graham ran away from the rest of the field in Friday evening's National Catholic Championship as the senior crossed the finish line of the five-mile course at Notre Dame in a time of 24:15, a full 20 seconds ahead of the next runner. Graham's effort led the Blue Demon men to a seventh place finish at the meet, while the DePaul women placed 13th.
The win was Graham's second in as many races this season after he won the UIC Home Opener on September 3. His 24:15 time at Notre Dame meant that the Scotland native ran at a pace of 4:51 per mile over the five-mile trek.
Zach Koronkiewicz was the second Blue Demon to complete the race, coming in at a 25:53, 53rd-place time out of over 250 other runners.
"The pack of Chris Miedema, Ian Sanchez, and newcomer Herald Alvarez rounded out the top five" for DePaul, head coach David Dopek said following the meet as the Blue Demons came in seventh behind Notre Dame, who took home first place for the third straight year, Marquette, Dayton, Bellarmine, Xavier, and Stone Hill.
DePaul's women's squad was led by a veteran and a rookie. Senior Kelly Pickering and freshman Jacqueline Kasal were the first Blue Demon women across the line, as both finished the 5k race with identical times of 19:07. Danielle Hernando, Claire O'Brien, and Taylor Hynes were the next three DePaul women to cross, propelling the women to 13th out of 33 teams and over 270 runners.
The Blue Demons are scheduled for their next meet on October 1 in Louisville, Ky., for the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic.
Players Mentioned
