Oct. 31, 2005

Wilmington, N.C. - George Mason's Cross Country teams finished the season this past weekend at the 2005 CAA cross country championships. For the third straight year William & Mary swept both the men's and the women's championships held on the campus of UNC Wilmington. Tribe sophomore Ian Fitzgerald paced the men's 8k race with a time of 24:31.53. On the women's side, James Madison senior Shannon Saunders captured her second individual title in as many years, covering the 6k course in 21:04.05.

George Mason's sophomore John Crain ran his best time of the season finishing with a time of 26:55.66 and a 43rd place finish. Sophomore Ryan Davis completed the 8k course in 27:23.76 and finished 53rd. Crain and Davis have been the top finishers for the Patriots this season. Freshman Mitch Milkov finished his first CAA Championship in 73rd with a finishing time of 28:32.30. Senior Charles Bowles finished his last cross country race as a Patriot in a time of 29:06.86.

The William & Mary men tallied a team score of 26 behind six runners in the top 10 to claim their sixth straight CAA title and 13th all-time. James Madison followed the pair of C.W. Moran and Allen Carr, who finished second and third, respectively, to a second-place finish for the sixth consecutive year. Conference newcomer Georgia State took third place in its inaugural CAA championship meet.

Patriots' sophomore Melissa Ferry has been the top finisher for the women's team all season and the CAA Championship was no different as she crossed the finish line in 66th place with a time of 24:53.04. Sophomores Danielle Turner and Alicia York were the next two Patriot finishers with times of 25:23.57 and 26:03.90. Senior Jessica Young ran in her last CAA Cross Country Championship in a time of 28:22.97.

The Tribe women placed six runners in the top 12, including the junior duo of Meghan Bishop (fourth-place) and Julia Cathcart, (fifth place), and finished with a score of 35. James Madison took home second-place honors behind Saunders' back-to-back effort, while Georgia State placed third in its debut CAA meet. Hofstra freshman Mary Sullivan followed up her five regular season titles with an impressive second place showing in conference meet.

MEN
1. W&M (26)
2. JMU (46)
3. Georgia State (93)
4. Delaware (107)
5. VCU (111)
6. Hofstra (191)
7. Northeastern (213)
8. UNCW (229)
9. Mason (250)

INDIVIDUAL (All-CAA honors)
1. Ian Fitzgerald, W&M (24:31.53)
2. C.W. Moran, JMU (24:35.87)
3. Allen Carr, JMU (24:37.62)
4. Jeff Hedley, W&M (25:04.01)
5. Matt Keally, W&M (25:04.29)
6. James Kays, JMU (25:08.31)
7. Keith Bechtol, W&M (25:09.45)
8. P.J. Meany, Delaware (25:11.08)
9. Dave Mock, W&M (25:13.19)
10. Sean Anastasia-Murphy, W&M (25:18.66)
11. Steve Walters, VCU (25:19.91)
12. Mark Steeds, Georgia State (25:21.69)

WOMEN
1. W&M (35)
2. JMU (46)
3. Georgia State (116)
4. Delaware (122)
5. Northeastern (163)
T5. Towson (163)
T5. Hofstra (163)
8. UNCW (197)
9. VCU (205)
10. Mason (318)

INDIVDIUAL (All-CAA honors)
1. Shannon Saunders, JMU (21:04.05)
2. Mary Sullivan, Hofstra (21:11.82)
3. Colleen O'Brien, Delaware (21:24.74)
4. Meghan Bishop, W&M (21:26.55)
5. Julia Cathcart, W&M (21:34.55)
6. Nelly Anderson, JMU (21:40.20)
7. Erin Prillaman, W&M (21:57.69)
8. Michelle Beardmore, JMU (22:07.73)
9. Julie Taylor, W&M (22:09.64)
10. Tracy Williams, W&M (22:12.90)
11. Marissa Murtaugh, UNCW (22:20.66)
12. Kait Hurley, W&M (22:29.94)