Iona's Kate Avery Wins NCAA Women's Cross Country National Championship
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – The Iona Gaels’ junior Kate Avery has solidified herself as the top women’s cross country runner in the nation on Saturday morning in Terra Haute, Indiana at the 2014 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships. Avery is the first MAAC runner, male or female, to be named the individual cross country national champion. She finished first overall with a time of 19:31.60, eight seconds ahead of runner-up Sarah Disanza of Wisconson. She placed first in the MAAC women’s conference championship in Holmdel, N.J. on October 31 as well as also placing first in the NCAA Northeast Regional at Van Courtlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. on November 14. A native of Newton Aycliffe, England, Avery is the first British woman to win the NCAA cross country championship.
Behind Avery’s lead, the Gaels women’s program finished ninth overall in the country with 377 points, the first top ten finish ever for a MAAC women’s cross country program in conference history. Teammate Rosie Clark finished second for the Gaels and 60th overall with a time 20:56.60. Tara Jameson finished third for Iona and 78th overall with a finishing time of 21:06.00.
The Iona men’s cross country team finished eighth overall in the country with 270 points during the 2014 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships. 2014 NCAA Northeast Regional champion Jake Byrne finished first for the Gaels men with a time of 31:04.20, which was good for 49th overall. Freshman Gilbert Kirui and Junior Mike O’Dowd finished consecutively, placing 61st and 62nd with times of 31:11.90 and 31:12.30 respectively.