Ray Treacy's Providence College women's team won the Big East conference title with 42 points at historic Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, 29th October.

The Friars captured the title behind the performances of seniors Kim Smith (Auckland, New Zealand) and Sligo's Mary Cullen. Smith and Cullen took the top two spots for the second consecutive year with Smith, the top collegiate harrier setting a new Big East 6k course record with her first-place time of 19.23.

Mary Cullen held off challengers in the final straight with a brilliant show of finishing speed. Cullen ran 20.10 with Deirdre Byrne (Avoca, Co Wicklow) in 15th with a time of 21.09 and Waterford's Róisín Quinn placing 29th with a time of 21.59.

The Providence men's team placed third in the Big East Conference with 52 points behind Notre Dame (47) and Georgetown (48). The Friars were led by Mullingar's Martin Fagan in fourth place covering the 8-kilometre course in 23.43. Patrick Guidera (Clonmel, Co Tipperary) placed 19th in 24.28.

Marcus O'Sullivan's Villanova team placed fourth with 65 points but could boast the individual champion in Bobby Curtis (Louisville, Kentucky) timed in 23.26.

Wes Alkin, a second-year transfer from the University of Arkansas who now competes for Eastern Michigan University placed 18th at the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships held in Toledo, Ohio on Saturday, 30th October. The Dublin-born Alkin covered the 8-kilometre course in 26.03.5 helping his team place fifth with 116 points behind Central Michigan's 31-point total.

Mick Byrne's Iona College team took the top 7 places in the Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference Championships held on 30th October at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.

Richard Kiplagat (Marakwet, Kenya) defended his individual title (24.19.4) with a trio of Irishmen finish behind him on the 8k course. Mark Smyth, from Sligo finished third (24.35.1) followed by Tallaght's Sean Connolly in fourth (24.38.8) and Dubliner Robert Connolly in fifth running 24.45.7.

Byrne's women's team placed second (64 points) behind Marist College (40) despite a 1-4 finish with Emmily Chelanga defending her title on the 6k course (20.39.6) and Canadian sophomore Lauren Simeson (21.48.7).

St Malachy's twins Thomas and John Frazer helped Butler University win the Horizon League Championships held at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin on 30th October.

Butler took the top six places scoring an impressive 15 points. Thomas Frazer placed fourth with brother John in fifth both with a time 25.32 only one tic behind teammate and winner Andrew Sherman (Swindon Wiltshire, England).

The Butler University Bulldogs also dominated the women's event placing first with 23 points well clear of runner-up Loyola University with 60. Butler junior Ava Hutchinson (Dundrum South Dublin), who has competed for Ireland as a junior placed fourth overall in 18.32.

Yale University first year runner Tadhg O'Callaghan from Cork placed 69th in 26.33 at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships for Brown University on 29th October in the Bronx, New York. Eamonn O'Connor (Dundalk, Co Louth) placed 77th for Brown University. O'Connor who has been nagged by injuries for much of his collegiate career at Brown covered the legendary Van Cortlandt Park 26.39.6.

Leevale's Alan Foolkes who competes for McNeese State placed 11th in 25.12 at the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships held in Beaumont, Texas on 1st November. Foolke's teammate, Damien Bateman from Mullingar placed 34th in 26.32. McNeese State placed seventh with 155 points behind team champion Stephen F. Austin (32 points) and runner-up Sam Houston State with 50 points.

Joe Byrne (Down Patrick, North Ireland) and Diarmuid Grant (Derry, North Ireland) compete for Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Byrne was the top runner for the Salukis finishing fourth overall at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships held in Carbondale, Illinois, Iowa on 30th October. Byrne ran 25.45.5 on the 8k course with Grant placing 5th in 25.52.7. The Salukis tied with Indiana State with 48 points for a share of the Missouri Valley Conference team championship.

Peter Dalton (East Tennessee University) placed 11th at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships held at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina on 30th November. Dalton, from Dublin covered the 8k course in 26.27.4 with the ETSU Buccaneers placing seventh in the team competition. The East Tennessee University's women's team is coached by Michelle Byrne from Dublin. They placed sixth in the meet with 165 points.

Brian Farrell from Wicklow who competes for Stony Brook University ran 25.02 on the 8-kilometre course to place 11th at the America East Cross Country Championships held on 30th October in Durham, New Hampshire. The Stony Brook team which is coached by Irish Olympian Andy Ronan (Co Wexford) placed 3rd (71 points) behind winner University of New Hampshire (28) and University of Maine (58).

Ronan's Stony Brook women's team also placed 3rd (93 points) behind Boston University (27) and New Hampshire (85).

The Western Kentucky University women's teams successfully defend their Sun Belt Conference title winning with 33 points along with having the individual winner in Cara Nichols. Nichols, who is coached by Michelle Murphy Scott (Carraig na bhFear, Co Cork) ran 18.34.8 on the 5k course at the Rebsaman Golf Course in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Dubliner Richard Byrne led the DePaul Blue Demons with a 10th-place finish at the Conference USA Championships held in the Palos Hills Forest Preserve located outside Chicago, Illinois on 30th October. Byrne, who attended North Monastery covered Bullfrog Lake 8k course 25.24. DePaul teammate and fellow Irishman, Gavin Kennedy from Waterford placed 30th in 26.14. DePaul placed 7th with 154 points with the University of Houston winning the event with 73 points.

John McDonnell's (Crossmolina, Co Mayo) Arkansas Razorbacks continued to add to the longest tenured championship streaks in US collegiate athletics' history as the Arkansas cross country team took the trophy at the 2004 Southeastern Conference Championships held 30th October at the Agri Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Hogs earned their 14th-straight SEC crown since entering the league in 1991 and their 31st-consecutive conference crown. Arkansas captured the final 17 cross country titles in the Southwest Conference before switching leagues. UA has not lost a conference cross country meet since 1973, when it came in second behind Texas. Arkansas tallied 23 points when its five scoring runners finished in the top nine on the 8,000-metre course led by Josphat Boit (Eldoret, Kenya) in 23.09.

Next up for the Irish competing at US Colleges is competition in the NCAA Regional qualifying meets held on Saturday, 13th November for a spot on the starting line at the NCAA Championships which are being held in Terre Haute, Indiana on Monday, 22nd November.

NCAA Cross Country Regional Sites

Great Lakes Region
Eagle Crest Golf Club, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Host: Eastern Michigan University

Mid Atlantic Region
Blue & White Golf Courses, State College, Pennsylvania
Host: Pennsylvania State University

Midwest Region
Newman Golf Course, Peoria, Illinois
Host: Bradley University

Mountain Region
COllindale Golf Course, Fort Collins, Colorado
Host: Colorado State University

Northeast Region
Van Cortland Park,Bronx, New York City, New York
Host: Metro Atlantic Athletic Association

South Region
Harry Pritchett Golf Course, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Host: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

South Central Region
Cottonwood Creek Golf Course, Waco, Texas
Host: Baylor University

Southeast Region
Lake Kristi, Greenville, North Carolina
Host: East Carolina University

West Region
Woodward Park, Fresno, California
Host: Fresno State University