Keith Kelly Wins NCAA Cross Country Title

Nov. 20, 2000

AMES, Iowa. -- Led by senior Keith Kelly (Drogheda, Ireland) the fourth-ranked Providence College men's cross country team scored 121 points and finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championship on Monday, November 20 at the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames, Iowa. Kelly won the NCAA men's individual title after covering the 10,000 meter course in a time of 30:14.5. It marked the first NCAA cross country individual title ever for the Friars. Kellly is the first runner from New England to win the NCAA men's cross country title since URI's Bob Black won in 1948 and 1949. PC's 19th-ranked women's team scored 310 points and placed ninth in the women's race that covered the 6,000-meter course.

Kelly, who captured his third All-America honor and was named the Cross Country Coaches' Association's Athlete of the Year, outkicked Fairleigh Dickinson's Stephen Ondiecki and Alabama's David Kimani at the finish to earn the win. "The race started very slow and got going over the last four kilometers," Kelly stated. "With four kilometers to go I unleashed. Before that I was behind Ondiecki and Kimani. I took over first place in the final 400 meters."

With its third-place finish, the Friars earned their top finish since they place third in 1992. Providence Head Coach Ray Treacy was excited about his team's effort. "The men's team ran great from top to bottom," Treacy stated. "Only two teams ran a better race today."

In addition to Kelly's strong performance, juniors Hamish Thorpe (Auckland, New Zealand) and Dermot Galvin (Kilrush, Ireland) earned All-America honors. Thorpe finished 11th (30:43.8) and Galvin placed 16th (30:52.3). Also scoring for the men's team were sophomore Adam Sutton of Preston, England (45th - 31:23.9) and junior Paul Reilly of Loughrea, Ireland (48th - 31:26.1).

On the women's side, senior Rachel Hixson (Media, Pa.) was PC's top finisher, placing 28th in a time of 21:25. Senior Francine Darroch of Cambridge, Ontario (46th - 21:40.4), junior Kathryn Casserly of Galway, Ireland (54th - 21:51.1), sophomore Emily Tallen of Kingston, Ontario (73rd - 21:59.0) and junior Claire Shearman of Portsmouth, N.H. (109th - 22:21.0).

On his women's team, Treacy said,"I'm delighted with the women's finish. The team came in ranked 19th and finished ninth. The team has now finished in the top 10 in 11 of the last 12 NCAA Championships."

The University of Arkansas won the men's race with 83 points and was followed by Colorado with 94 points.

Colorado took the women's title with 117 points. Brigham Young finished second with 167. Colorado senior Kara Grgas-Wheeler won the women's individual title in a time of 20:30.5.

MEN'S RESULTS Top 10 - Distance: Cross Country1. Keith Kelly Providence 30:14.52. Stephen Ondiecki Fairleigh Dickinson 30:16.33. Jorge Torres Colorado 30:21.44. David Kimani Alabama 30:21.65. Franklyn Sanchez Georgetown 30:26.96. Ian Connor Ohio State 30:29.07. Luke Watson Notre Dame 30:29.48. Jason Vanderhoof Wisconsin 30:30.29. Adrian Blincoe Villanova 30:32.010. Jonathan Riley Stanford 30:40.6

PC Finishers:11. Hamish Thorpe Providence 30:43.816. Dermot Galvin Providence 30:52.345. Adam Sutton Providence 31:23.948. Paul Reilly Providence 31:26.1

MEN'S TEAM SCORES TOP 10 of 311. Arkansas 832. Colorado 943. Providence 1214. Stanford 1495. Wisconsin 1676. Villanova 1817. Georgetown 2697. Northern Arizona 2699. Notre Dame 27610. William & Mary 363

WOMEN'S RESULTS Top 10 - Distance: Cross Country1. Kara Grgas-Wheeler Colorado 20:30.52. Sabrina Monro Montana 20:37.83. Erica Palmer Wisconsin 20:39.94. Shalane Flanagan North Carolina 20:42.75. Lisa Aguilera Arizona State 20:46.36. Amy Mortimer Kanasas State 20:50.17. Sheela Agrawal Duke 20:50.48. Sara Gorton Colorado 20:51.39. Bethany Brewster Wisconsin 20:53.310. Larissa Kleinmann Arkansas 20:54.0

PC Finishers28. Rachel Hixson Providence 21:25.046. Francine Darroch Providence 21:40.454. Kathryn Casserly Providence 21:51.173. Emily Tallen Providnece 21:59.0109. Claire Shearman Providnece 22:21.0

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES TOP 10 of 311. Colorado 1172. Brigham Young 1673. Stanford 1984. Boston College 2145. Georgetown 2476. Arizona State 2667. Yale 2858. Wisconsin 2989. Providence 31010. Kansas State 325

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country versus Friar Invitational on September 5, 2025 at 3:15 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational on October 3, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at New England Championship on October 10, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at Princeton Fall Classic on October 17, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at Rothenberg Run on October 24, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at BIG EAST Championship on October 31, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at NCAA Northeast Regional on November 14, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Cross Country at NCAA Championship on November 22, 2025

Providence College Athletics

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