Nothing but success in Greenville, S.C. as both the men's and women's cross country teams cruised to top-five finishes Saturday at the NCAA Southeast region meet. The men finished an impressive third out of 28 teams, while the women captured fourth out of 26 teams. With nationals only a week away, both teams have reason to be confident.
The men, led by the dynamic trio of Terry Brennan, Sean Kelly and Brendan Fitzgibbon, managed to steal three of the top seven spots in the 10,000-meter race to seal their third-place finish behind rivals N.C. State and William & Mary. Brennan, a dependable veteran for Duke, crossed the finish line in 30:37, fast enough to win the individual title. Kelly trailed by 11 seconds to secure second place for Duke, while Fitzgibbon took the seventh spot in 30:59.
Although 10,000 meters can be a bit intimidating, especially for those like Fitzgibbon who usually run shorter, all three runners approached the course with patience and tact. Sitting back in the leading pack, the trio ran together comfortably for the first four and a half miles until Brennan made his move. Although Brennan and Kelly went one and two, Fitzgibbon, who has had somewhat of an up-and-down season, was quite satisfied with his own finish.
"I was totally comfortable," Fitzgibbon said. "I went into the race thinking, 'Just relax.' With a mile to go, I got a second wind and passed about seven or eight guys in the last 800 meters."
All three runners, who were named first team All-Southeast Region, look to make a statement at the NCAA Championships next weekend.
Coach Norm Ogilvie, extremely satisfied with Saturday's outcome, acknowledged that all three runners were candidates for All-America honors.
The women boasted comparable success as they too claimed three All-Southeast Region honors. Sophomore powerhouse Sheela Agrawal completed her best race of the season in a time of 21:11, while senior Megan Sullivan and freshman Katie Atlas also turned in excellent performances. Agrawal fell short of the individual championship to North Carolina's Shalene Hannigan (20:51), but her second-place finish helped solidify the top-five performance for the Duke women. Agrawal's teammates finished 16th and 21st, respectively.
Both the men's and women's teams anticipate an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, which will be held next Monday at Iowa State.
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