Completed Event: Men's Cross Country versus Friar Invitational on September 5, 2025 ,
Men's Cross Country
vs Friar Invitational
Final
Providence College Athletics
1998-99 Men's Cross/Track Preview
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
August 22, 1998
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Head Coach Ray Treacy believes this year's men's cross country team has the potential to be one of his top teams in recent years. Treacy has four of the five scorers returning from last year's team that won the NCAA District I Championship and finished 16th at the NCAA Championship. Also last season, the Friars nearly captured their third consecutive BIG EAST title, but had to settle for a second-place finish. This year, the Friars could regain their crown and build upon their league leading 12 BIG EAST titles. The Friars will also field a strong team in indoor and outdoor track. As in the past, the squad's strength will be at the 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase. Although the team was young last year, the Friars had a productive outdoor season, finishing strong at the New England and IC4A Championships. Senior cross country captain Zack Ventress (Spokane, Wash.) will be one of the squad's leaders this season. He is one of the most consistent and reliable runners on the team as well as a top-five performer. He scored in all six cross country races he ran in 1997. Ventress was PC's second finisher (31:16) at the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championship. He ran his top cross country race of 1997 when he finished sixth overall (24:11) and first for the Friars at the New England Championship. He also scored at the BIG EAST Championship (ninth, 25:18) and the Roy Griak Invitational (36th, 25:33). On the track, Ventress produced his top finish at the New England Indoor Championship when he won the 5,000 meters (14:36.50). He also ran well at the New England Outdoor Championship, placing fourth in the 5,000. Senior Ben Noad (Bristol, England) is another talented runner returning to this year's team. Treacy will look for a continuation of the strong cross country season Noad produced in 1997 when he placed 18th at the NCAA Championship and earned All-America honors. He has the potential to be a force in the BIG EAST and could be a top-10 finisher at the NCAA Championship in 1998. This season, Noad will again try to lead the Friars at the BIG EAST Championship. Having scored all three years at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championship, he will try to continue his streak this year. As a freshman, he was PC's fourth scorer at the BIG EAST. In 1996, he placed ninth overall (24:07). Last year, he finished second overall in a time of 25:00. One of Noad's top cross country races of 1997 was at the Roy Griak Invitational where he won the race (24:23) and helped the Friars finish seventh. Noad could help the Friars this season on the track in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. He will be looked upon to reach his potential in the 5,000 meters. Last season, Noad ran a strong 5,000 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship and placed second (14:23.96). Junior Keith Kelly (Drogheda, Ireland) will be one of the leaders of the cross country team this season. Kelly enters the season after a tremendous outdoor track campaign in 1998. He won the 5,000 meters (14:26.02) at the New England Championship and concluded his outdoor track season by becoming the first Friar to win the 10,000 meters at the IC4A Championship (29:46.16) since Ray Treacy won the event in 1981. Kelly has the potential to be an All-American in cross country and should continue to improve this season. Last year, he scored in three of the four cross country races he ran, including the New England Championship and the BIG EAST Championship. Senior Rick Bush (Clifton Park, N.Y.) will be one of the team's top five runners this year. Bush, who transferred to PC from Mt. St. Mary's after his freshman year, made tremendous improvement as a junior. Last year, he consistently scored for the Friar cross country team. Bush placed 18th overall at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championship (25:40) and was the fourth Friar at the NCAA Championship (31:38). He could have a strong year on the track in 1998-99 in the 3,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Last season, he won the 3,000 meters at the New England Indoor Championship (8:17.23) and finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship. Bush could be a factor for the Friars in all the championship meets at the end of the indoor and outdoor seasons. Senior Carl Mauro (Hornell, N.Y.), junior Larry Morrissey (Waterford, Ireland) and sophomore Ciaran Lynch (Limerick, Ireland) will all battle for one of the top spots on the cross country team. Head Coach Ray Treacy expects that Mauro will reach his potential this year. He had a strong track season his freshman year and will try to regain his form. Last year, Mauro scored for PC at the NCAA District I Cross Country Championship and at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. He could be an asset to the track squad in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. Morrissey is a solid cross country runner who should help the team. He also could have an impact on the track team in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Morrissey posted his top cross country time at the New England Championship (24:55), where he finished third for PC. Lynch was the New England J.V. cross country champion as a freshman. He also won the Central Connecticut Invitational in a time of 27:43. Lynch missed most of the indoor and outdoor track seasons last year due to injuries. If he can stay healthy in 1998-99, Lynch should make an impact on the varsity team. Joining the team this season are freshmen Dermot Galvin (Kilrush, Ireland) and Paul Reilly (Loughrea, Ireland). Both of these talented Irish runners have the ability to make an immediate impact on the cross country and track teams. Galvin was the Irish Junior 3,000 and 5,000 meter champion in 1997 and the 5,000 meter champion in 1998. Reilly was a member of the Irish Junior indoor and outdoor track teams. He won the Irish Schools' 5,000 meter title. Reilly also captured the British AAA Amatuer 3,000 meter championship. He has an opportunity to add depth to the track team in the mile and the 3,000 indoor and the 1,500 and the 5,000 outdoors. Head Coach Ray Treacy is excited about the potential for this year's cross country team. The squad returns a strong nucleus of talented runners that could help the Friars regain the BIG EAST Cross Country crown. On the track, Treacy has a group of excellent distance runners who could challenge for several BIG EAST and NCAA titles.
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