William and Mary Blazes to Eighth at NCAA Championships

Best Team Finish Since 1973 Led By All-American

11/20/06 4:11PM

TERRE HAUTE, IND - William and Mary’s 21st-ranked men’s cross country team had its best race at the NCAA Championships in over 30 years, finishing eighth in the field of 31 teams. The 1973 Tribe team finished fourth, the only performance in school history better than the one today. Second-ranked Colorado claimed its third NCAA Championship with an upset victory over top-ranked Wisconsin, 94-142. Josh Rohatinsky from Brigham Young was the individual champion, finishing the 10-kilometer course in 30:44.9.

Junior Christo Landry (Falls Church, Va.) earned his second All-America honor, finishing 34th overall in a time of 31:40.8. All-America honors are given to the top 35 overall finishers, and the top 35 American finishers. Second for the Tribe was senior Keith Bechtol (Alexandria, Va.), who finished his cross country career in 60th place and a time of 32:07 even. Junior Ian Fitzgerald (Glenshaw, Pa.) was 96th, and classmate Dave Mock (Johnstown, Pa.) was 108th with a time of 32:40.9. Anthony Arena (Manassas, Va.) rounded out the scoring for the College in 120th. Senior Sean Anastasia-Murphy (Gloucester, Mass.) and sophomore Colin Leak (Chadds Ford, Pa.) also ran for the Tribe, finishing in 33:06 and 33:53.5, respectively.

NCAA Championships – 10K
Wabash Valley Family Sports Center

Top Five Teams
1. #2 Colorado 94
2. #1 Wisconsin 142
3. #4 Iona 172
4. #6 Stanford 195
T5. #5 Oregon 196
T5. #3 Arkansas 196
…
8. #21 WILLIAM AND MARY 292

Top Five Individuals
1. Josh Rohatinsky (BYU) 30:44.9
2. Neftalem Araia (STAN) 30:52.6
3. Jess Baumgartner (SUU) 30:53.2
4. Lopez Lomong (NAU) 30:59.8
5. Martin Fagan (PROV) 31:01.0

Tribe All-Americans
34. Christo Landry 31:40.8

Other Tribe Individuals
60. Keith Bechtol 32:07.0
96. Ian Fitzgerald 32:34.9
108. Dave Mock 32:40.9
120. Anthony Arena 32:46.6
156. Sean Anastasia-Murphy 33:06.0
211. Colin Leak 33:53.5