BIG EAST
Ray Treacy's Providence College Friars teams competed at the 2005 Big East Cross Country Championships held on 28th October at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York. The women's team placed second with 59 points behind #4 ranked Notre Dame with a 34 point total. The men placed third with 68 points behind winner #5 Notre Dame (31) and Georgetown University (51).

Whilst the Friars couldn't manage a victory in the team race, they did have both Big East Conference individual champions. Fiona Crombie (Christchurch, New Zealand) won the women's race covering the 6k course in 20.50. On the men's side, Senior Martin Fagan from Mullingar was timed in 23.48 recording the fastest collegiate time on the most storied cross country course records in America breaking a 27-year old record.

Villanova sophomore Richard Corcoran placed 40th. Corcoran, from Dublin, covered the 8-kilomtre course in 26.00. Marcus O'Sullivan's Villanova Wildcat team finished fifth with 157 points.

Liam Reale (Hospital, Co. Limerick) placed 45th in 26.08 and was the sixth runner for Providence.

MAAC
Mick Byrne's Iona College men and women's programs captured the 2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Cross Country Championships held on 28th October at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York.

The Iona men finished with the lowest score possible, total of 15 points as their scores took the first five spots along with the number 6 and 7 runners also finishing before any team's top runner crossed the line.

This is the 15th consecutive MAAC Cross Country Championship won by the Gaels and their 19th overall. Marist College finished second with a score of 73, while Manhattan College finished third with 81 points.

Iona Gael graduate student Richard Kiplagat (Marakwet, Kenya) defended his individual title by finishing the race in a time of 24.51.5 on the 8-kilometre course. Iona's Andrew Ledwith, from Co Meath, placed 11th overall with a time of 25.31.9.

On the women's side, Iona had five of their runners finish in the top 10 of the race and finished with a score of 26 points. Loyola College finished in second place with a score of 63 points, and Marist finished third with a score of 83 points.

Loyola senior Caitlin Dunne, from nearby Yonkers, New York won the women's race in 21.32.2 on the 6-kilometre course. Iona's Salome Kosgei, from Keio, Kenya placed second in 21.59.0. The top Irish finisher was Michelle Gallagher (Dundrum South Dublin) in fifth spot with a time of 22.44.0. Tracey Williams, from Tallaght, Co Dublin placed sixth, two tics later in 22.46.6.

Southeastern
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 2005 Southeastern Conference Championships hosted by the University of South Carolina held 29th October at the Hilton Field at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina.

Senior Josphat Boit (Eldoret, Kenya) successfully defended his individual title, helping the Razorbacks extend their long-standing winning streak to 32-consecutive conference cross country titles, including 15-straight SEC crowns since entering the league in 1991. It's marvelous to think of getting 32 in a row," Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. "We really rose to the occasion and we were solid up front. Josphat ran a great race and beat a great field." Arkansas placed their Top 5 runners amongst the top 8 finishers to win with 23 points, 50 points clear of runner-up, the University of Alabama.

Atlantic Sun
Peter Dalton (East Tennessee State University) placed 7th at the 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina on Saturday, 29th October.

Dalton, from Dublin covered the 8k course in 25.29 with the ETSU Buccaneers placing second in the team competition with 46 points behind winner Belmont University with 31 points.

The East Tennessee University's women's team, which is coached by Michelle Byrne from Dublin, placed eighth in the meet with 161 points.

America East
Irish Olympian (Barcelona 1992 - Marathon) Andy Ronan is in his sixth year at Stony Brook University in New York and continues to make an impact. Ronan's Sea Wolves placed second in the women's race scoring 56 points behind winner Boston University with 40 points. Leona Joy, who is coach by the from Wexfordman won the women's individual title at the America East Conference Cross Country Championship held at the Binghamton University Course in Vestal, New York. Joy, a senior from Auckland, New Zealand ran 18.04.7 some 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Marissa Ryan from Boston University.

The Stony Brook men's team placed 7th in the men's race with 180 points with the University of Maryland - Baltimore County winning the team championship with 52 points. The top runner for Stony Brook was Shaun Krawitz who ran 26.00 to placed 3rd overall.

Horizon League
DSD's Ava Hutchinson who competes for Butler University placed 3rd at the Horizon League Womens Cross Country Championships held at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs, Ohio on 29th October. Hutchinson helped Butler win the team title with just 22 points - 47 points ahead of runner-up Loyola-Chicago. Butler teammate Victoria Mitchell won the race in 17.16.

The Butler Bulldogs also won the men's title scoring 31 points, 5 ahead of Loyola-Chicago.

The top Irish finisher was Robbie Wade (Portlaw, Co Waterford) who competes for Loyola-Chicago finishing 4th and covering the 8-kilometre course in 24.38. Wexford man, Steve Murphy, a junior at Butler University placed 24th in 25.51. Butler's Andy Rayner won the race in 24.21.

Missouri Valley
Joe Byrne (Down Patrick, North Ireland) who competes for Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois was the top runner for the Salukis finishing third overall at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships hosted by the University of Evansville located in Evansville, Indiana on 29th October.

Byrne ran 24.23.6 on the UE 8k Cross Country Course.

The Salukis placed third with 104 points behind Indiana State (35) and Drake (75).

Sun Belt
The Sun Belt Conference announced on Tuesday, 25th October that due to Hurricane Wilma, Western Kentucky University has volunteered to host the league cross country championships. Florida International University was originally scheduled to play host to the races in Miami, Florida. The Western Kentucky University women's team coached by Michelle Murphy Scott (Carraig na bhFear, Co Cork) was unsuccessful in defending their Sun Belt Conference title. The Lady Hilltoppers placed second with 57 points behind winner, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock whose tally was 33. Natalie Leeper was the first WKU finisher running 18.08.7 on the 5k course. Ruth Jepchirchir, from the University of New Orleans won the race in 17.25.0.

Southland
Damien Bateman gave McNeese State its top individual finish in the past 17 years in the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships hosted by McNeese in Natchitoches, Louisiana on Monday, 31st October.

Bateman, from Mullingar turned in a 25.46 clocking over the 8K distance to finish only 12 seconds in back of champion Cody Clark of Stephen F. Austin University.

Bateman's effort is the highest finish by a Cowboy since Irishman Tom McGrath, also from Mullingar won the individual title in 1988.

Leevale's Alan Foolkes who also competes for McNeese State placed 13th in 26.34.