For Immediate Release
November 20, 2004
ASC women repeat; WSC takes men's crown
EVANSVILLE, Ind.-Four national championships were captured on a cool
and overcast day at the University of Southern Indiana Cross Country Course
Saturday. Adams State College captured the women's team title for the second
consecutive season, while Brigham Young University-Hawaii's Chelsea Smith took
home her third straight individual title.
Western State started the day by taking home the men's team title. The race
for the men's individual championship was tight, with Abilene Christian
University's Nicodemus Naimadu edging Western State's Oliver Bodor by
one-tenth of a second.
WSC, however, had a convincing victory in the race for the team title as it
defeated Adams State 39-76. The Mountaineers had three of the top six
finishers, including the second and third finishers.
It marked the sixth national championship for WSC's men's team, the last
coming in 2002 when it defeated Abilene Christian by 46 points.
"It was an unbelievably good course," WSC Head Coach Duane Vandenbusche said
of the course. "It had a lot of hills in it and it reminded me of Kenosha,
Wisconsin. I regard that as one of the great courses in the nation and the
world."
The individual title for Nicodemus Naimadu, who finished the 10k course with a
time of 31 minutes, 38.1 seconds, marked the third time in the past six years
that a runner from Abilene Christian has won a national championship. Alfred
Rugema won the title in 2000 and 2002.
The women's race marked the 10th time Adams State has won a national
championship at the NCAA II level and the 13th time in the program's storied
history. The Grizzlies were led by Victoria Martinez and Stephanie Bylander,
who finished second and fourth, respectively.
ASC had four of the top seven finishers in the team-only results as it stormed past the competition,
defeating second-place Edinboro University 31-101.
"It was a great event," ASC Head Coach Damon Martin said. "USI put on a
first-class meet. This has been one of the finest (championships) I have ever
attended. "The course was well marked and run efficiently and everything was
great about the competition.
Three seconds separated the race for the women's individual title as Smith
finished the 6k course with a time of 21 minutes, 33.0 seconds.
"She always knows how to run a race," BYU-Hawaii Head Coach Norman
Kaluhiokalani of Smith. "She just goes when she gets the lead. As soon as she
broke away, she was by herself."
Dan McDonnell, USI Sports Information
Quotes courtesy of Tony Black, USI Shield Sports Editor
NCAA
Division II Cross Country Championships
Hosted by the University
of Southern Indiana