Nov. 15, 2008

PRINCETON, N.J. - Maryland finished sixth as a team with 226 points, placing one spot better than its pre-race regional ranking and two spots better than last season's team finish on Saturday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Princeton.

On the men's side, sophomore Alex Lundy earned All Mid-Atlantic Region status and qualified individually for the NCAA National Championship with his 10th-place finish.

Junior Kristin Reed was the leading Maryland women's finisher, covering the 6-kilometer course in 22:50 and finishing 32nd. The Terps placed all five of their scorers within 59 seconds as the team packed and scored well.

Senior Kylynn McKinley was the fifth Terp across the line in 61st place and in 23:49. Junior Lindsay Ritchings placed 37th in 23:04, sophomore Angeli Sivaraman was 46th in 23:25, junior Erin Matyus finished 50th in 23:31.

Also for Maryland, senior Amanda Robotti was 83rd in 24:22, with sophomore Andrea Rothschild in 93rd at 24:29.

Princeton and West Virginia tied for the women's team championship and earned the Mid-Atlantic's automatic berths. The Tigers and Mountaineers scored 51 points, with Villanova in third at 59 points.

Frances Koons of Villanova was the individual women's champion, finishing in 21:11. Liz Costello of Princeton was second in 21:15, with Penn State's Bridget Franek placing third in the same time.

Lundy finished the 10-kilometer course in 32 minutes, 22 seconds to lead the Terrapins to an 11th-place finish as a team. He was the fourth individual placer not on Georgetown or Penn State, which were the two teams that qualified by virtue of their top-two finish.

The NCAA National Championship will be held on Monday, Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Maryland men scored 304 points to place 11th, just six points ahead of Navy. Georgetown scored just 27 points to win the men's team standings, with Penn State in second with 73. The Hoyas and Nittany Lions automatically qualified as teams for the Nationals.

Lundy's mark of 32:22 was just one second ahead of senior Michael Banks of Georgetown, earning him his individual trip to Nationals. Junior Greg Kelsey of Maryland was 45th in 33:55, while junior Kevin Gahr (34:48) and senior Richie Booth (34:49) finished together in 75th and 76th.

Sophomore Drew Abernathy was the Terps' final scorer, placing 98th in 35:23. Junior Joe Simpson was 116th (36:12) and junior Mike Cator was 123rd (36:34) for the Terps.

Andrew Bumbalough of Georgetown was the men's individual champion, running 31:36 for the 10K. He was one second ahead of Hugo Beamish of Villanova and two seconds ahead of Georgetown's Levi Miller.

MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Georgetown 27, 2. Penn State 73, 3. Villanova 84, 4. Princeton 145, 5. St. Joseph's, Pa. 159, 6. Duquesne 168, 7. La Salle 202, 8. Penn 256, 9. Lehigh 269, 10. Navy 298, 11. Maryland 304 (24 scoring teams).

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS (10 kilometers)
1. Andrew Bumbalough, Georgetown, 31:36; 2. Hugo Beamish, Villanova, 31:37; 3. Levi Miller, Georgetown, 31:38; 4. Michael Maag, Princeton, 31:41; 5. Ayalew Taye, Georgetown, 31:51; 6. Vince McNally, Penn State, 31:52; 7. Michael Krisch, Georgetown, 32:08; 8. Kyle Dawson, Penn State, 32:15; 9. Brian Leung, Princeton, 32:19; 10. Alex Lundy, Maryland, 32:22.

MARYLAND MEN'S FINISHERS
10. Alex Lundy, 32:22; 45. Greg Kelsey, 33:55; 75. Kevin Gahr, 34:48; 76. Richie Booth, 34:49; 98. Drew Abernathy, 35:23; 116. Joe Simpson, 36:12; 123. Mike Cator, 36:34.

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. (tie) Princeton and West Virginia 51, 3. Villanova 59, 4. Georgetown 90, 5. Penn State 140, 6. Maryland 226, 7. Navy 240, 8. Bucknell 273, 9. Penn 317, 10. Delaware 335 (26 scoring teams).

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS (6 kilometers)
1. Frances Koons, Villanova, 21:11; 2. Liz Costello, Princeton, 21:15; 3. Bridget Franek, Penn State, 21:15; 4. Keri Bland, West Virginia, 21:24; 5. Bogdana Mimic, Villanova, 21:33; 6. Clara Grandt, West Virginia, 21:35; 7. Jolee Vanleuven, Princeton, 21:39; 8. Elizabeth Maloy, Georgetown, 21:44; 9. Marie-Louise Asselin, West Virginia, 21:46; 10. Alex Banfich, Princeton, 21:51.

MARYLAND WOMEN'S FINISHERS
32. Kristin Reed, 22:50; 37. Lindsay Ritchings, 23:04; 46. Angeli Sivaraman, 23:25; 50. Erin Matyus, 23:31; 61. Kylynn McKinley, 23:49; 83. Amanda Robotti, 24:22; 93. Andrea Rothschild, 24:29.