MEN'S SPORTS

WOMEN'S SPORTS

ATHLETICS DEPT

Nov. 19, 2007

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Led by a pair of All-America performances from senior Wesley Korir and junior Cory Thorne, the No. 15 ranked University of Louisville men's cross country team earned a school record setting ninth-place team finish at Monday's NCAA Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Cards, making the program's second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships, improved six spots from last year's 15th-place finish by scoring 324 points overall for their best national finish. With the finish, U of L closed the 2007 calendar year with top 10 team finishes in all three NCAA track & field and cross country events and completed the greatest track and field/cross country season in school history. The Cards opened 2007 with a 10th-place team finish and two event champions at the NCAA Indoor Championships and followed that with a school record seventh-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

"To complete this trio of events in 2007 with three top 10 team finishes, two event national titles and eight All-Americans is extremely special and I'm so happy for our athletes and our coaches," said Cards' head coach Ron Mann, in his fourth season at the helm in Louisville. "I can't thank (U of L athletics director) Tom Jurich and (U of L associate AD) Julie Hermann enough for all of their support and the amazing support of everyone within the University of Louisville family. They believed in this program and our athletes, and today, our guys stepped up one more time for a great finish."

Leading the way for the Cards was Korir, a senior from Eldoret, Kenya, who finished 12th overall with a time of 29 minutes, 58.3 seconds across the 10-kilometer course to become the Cards' first ever cross country All-America performer. Korir has been the Cards' top runner throughout 2007 leading the Cards' to their first ever BIG EAST title on Oct. 27 with a second-place finish as well as earning All-Region honors to lead U of L to a school record second-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 10. A track All-American in 2007 with a third-place national finish in the 5,000m, Korir closes his collegiate career as a three-time All-BIG EAST performer and All-Region performer and with eight total cross country event titles.

"It's been a special honor to coach someone like Wesley and I can't even begin to tell you how much he's meant to the University of Louisville cross country and track and programs," said Mann. "To see him mature and grow as a person and as an athlete has been a joy for me and our entire coaching staff and I couldn't be happier with the he closed his collegiate career by leading our team to another top 10 national finish."

Joining Korir with an All-America performance on Monday was Thorne, a junior from Portsmouth, N.H., with a time of 30:34.7 and 35th-place overall. An All-BIG EAST and All-Region performer in 2007, Thorne closed the season in strong fashion as the Cards' No. 2 runner in the final two events. Finishing third for the Cards and 65th overall was senior Soimo Kiplagat with a time of 30:49.4. A native of Kapsabet, Kenya, Kiplagat overcame a fall during the second half of the race to finish strong and guarantee the top 10 finish for the Cards.

U of L's fourth runner was Michael Eaton, a sophomore from Bowling Green, Ky., with a time of 30:55.8 to finish 71st overall, while sophomore Scott McClain closed the scoring for the Cards finishing in 217th overall with a time of 32:30.5. Also competing for the Cards on Monday was senior captain Thad Schroeder in 227th with a time of 32:41.7, while sophomore Matt Smith was 228th with a time of 32:43.4.

"Our guys have been so focused all season long and they've taken every meet and every practice with a wonderful professionalism," said Mann. "They knew we had an opportunity to do some special things this season and to close it out with this kind of finish after winning our first ever BIG EAST title is something I'll remember for a long time. This has been a special group of guys and I hope we can continue to build this program with people like our senior group of Thad Schroeder, Wesley Korir and Soimo Kiplagat."

Leading the way in the men's team race was No. 1 ranked Oregon, which won its fifth NCAA championship overall and the first since 1977, with 85 points, while No. 3 ranked Iona was second with 113. No. 9 Oklahoma State was third with 180 points followed by No. 6 Northern Arizona in fourth with 190 points and No. 5 Wisconsin in fifth with 239 points.

The back half of the top 10 included No. 12 Alabama in sixth, No. 2 Colorado in seventh, No. 17 Minnesota in eighth, the Cards in ninth and No. 4 UTEP in 10th in the field of 31 teams.

In the individual race, NCAA Southeast Regional champion Josh McDougal won his first career NCAA title to finish with a time of 29:22.4 to edge Oregon's Galen Rupp in second with a time of 29:23.4.

With the completion of the cross country season on Monday, the Cards will now turn their focus to the indoor track and field season, which will begin on Dec. 7 at the Fast Start Invitational in Carbondale, Ill.

NCAA Championships
Terre Haute, Ind. - Nov. 19, 2007
Men: 10 km


MENS RACE RESULTS (31 Teams)
1.	No. 1 Oregon		85 points
2.	No. 3 Iona		113 points
3.	No. 9 Oklahoma State	180 points
4.	No. 6 Northern Arizona	190 points
5.	No. 5 Wisconsin		239 points
6.	No. 12 Alabama		280 points
7.	No. 2 Colorado		287 points
8.	No. 17 Minnesota	322 points
9.	No. 15 LOUISVILLE	324 points
10.	No. 4 UTEP		331 points
11.	No. 22 Cal Poly		367 points
12.	No. 24 Virginia		374 points
13.	No. 14 Georgetown	398 points
14.	No. 8 Portland		424 points
15.	No. 21 William & Mary	432 points


U of L Men's Individual Finishers (Field of 250)
12.	Wesley Korir	A 29:58.3
35.	Cory Thorne	A 30:34.7
65	Soimo Kiplagat	30:49.4
71.	Michael Eaton	30:55.8
217.	Scott McClain	32:30.5
227.	Thad Schroeder	32:41.7
228.	Matt Smith	32:43.4


A = Earns NCAA All-America honors