Three Earn All-America Honors as W&M Cross Country Takes Fifth at NCAA Championships

Tribe Posts Second-Best Finish Ever

11/23/09 6:35PM

TERRE HAUTE, IND - The William and Mary men's cross country team again proved better than expected at the NCAA Championships, scoring 226 points Monday afternoon with three All-Americans for fifth place. Oklahoma State won the team title with 127 points over Oregon (143), Alabama (173), Northern Arizona (190) and the Tribe, while Liberty's Sam Chelanga won the individual championship with a course record 28:41.3.

Team Results
Individual Results

The College had three athletes place in the top-40 overall and earn All-America honors, the first time W&M has ever had more than one All-American in a single meet. Junior Jon Grey (Lancaster, Pa.) led the way, taking 17th overall in 29:51.4 for his first All-America award. Seniors Patterson Wilhelm (Lynchburg, Va.) and Colin Leak (Chadds Ford, Pa.) also were named All-American for the first time, finishing 34th in 30:18.9 and 40th in 30:21.4, respectively.

Junior Lewis Woodard (Charlotte, N.C.) was close to the All-America cutoff, finishing 53rd in 30:30.2, and redshirt-freshman Zach Gates (Fishers, Ind.) rounded out the team scoring in 126th, with a time of 31:10.6. Also running for the College was junior Brian Sklodowski (Newark, Del.), the CAA Champion this season, and senior Ben Massam (Chatham, N.J.), running times of 31:57.6 and 32:17.1, respectively.

W&M's fifth-place finish is the second-best ever for the Tribe, after the 1973 team's fourth-place effort. It was also the sixth time that W&M has placed in the top-10, which last happened in 2006 with an eighth-place showing. Leak was the seventh finisher on that team, and was making his fourth appearance at NCAAs today.

With the cross country season now complete, the Tribe turns its attention to the indoor track schedule, and the season-opening CNU Holiday Open on December 5.

71st NCAA Cross Country Championships - 10K
Terre Haute, Ind. - Wabash Valley Family Sports Center

Top Five Teams
1. Oklahoma State 127
2. Oregon 143
3. Alabama 173
4. Northern Arizona 190
5. WILLIAM AND MARY 226

Top Five Individuals
1. Samuel Chelanga (Liberty) 28:41.3
2. David McNeill (NAU) 29:06.5
3. Chris Derrick (Stanford) 29:14.8
4. Barnabas Kirui (MISS) 29:24.1
5. Jordan Chipangama (NAU) 29:33.1

W&M All-Americans (Top-40 Finish)
17. Jon Grey 29:51.4
34. Patterson Wilhelm 30:18.9
40. Colin Leak 30:21.4

Other Tribe Runners
53. Lewis Woodard 30:30.2
126. Zach Gates 31:10.6
202. Brian Sklodowski 31:57.6
212. Ben Massam 32:17.1