There are eleven Irish harriers and six coaches competing at the 2002 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Cross Country Championship to be held on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana on Monday, 25th November.

The teams and individuals qualified at one of nine regional races held last Saturday, 16th November. The regions are Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, Northeast, South Central, South, Southwest and the West.

This will be the 64th Championships for the men and the 22nd for the women. The women's race is at 12.00 noon on a 6-kilometre course while the men compete at 1.15 pm over 10-kilometres. This is the third year the women compete at 6k having run 5k for the previous championships.

Three Irish runners have won the individual title at the NCAA Cross Championships. The first Irish NCAA Cross Country individual champion was Neil Cusack in 1972 running for East Tennessee State, followed by Sean Dollman who won the race held in Arizona in 1991 while running for Western Kentucky University. The third champion is Providence College's Keith Kelly (Boyne AC) who captured the honour in 2000 in unbearable weather conditions at Iowa State University.

John McDonnell's (Crossmolina, Co. Mayo) Arkansas Razorback squad will be looking to claim an unprecedented 12th NCAA Team title. Ray Treacy's (Villierstown, Co. Waterford) Providence College women's teams have placed in the top 10 at the Championships 12 out of the last 13 years. Dubliner Mick Byrne's Iona Gaels are ranked 8th in the final Mondo NCAA Cross Country Poll released on 19th November with Marcus O'Sullivan's Villanova men's team 9th and Treacy's lads at 12th. Irish Olympian (Barcelona 1992 - Marathon) Andy Ronan, who is in his third year at Stonybrook in New York qualified an individual (Jenny Payne, 8th, 21.04.8 in Northeast Regional) in the women's race. Ronan was a coach at his Alma Mater, Providence College for six years prior to Stonybrook. Breaking into the Irish coaching fraternity at the NCAA meeting is Michelle Murphy Scott (Carraig na bhFear, Co. Cork) who coaches at Western Kentucky University and has an athlete that qualified as an individual.

Both the men and women's teams will represent Providence College at the Championships. The Friars placed second at the Northeast Regional held at Van Courtlandt Park in the Bronx in New York City. Mick Byrne's Iona College team won the men's title with 59 points, just two clear of Providence. Treacy and Byrne both attended Providence and enjoy a friendly and oft animated rivalry. The cold and rainy weather failed to dampen the spirits of the runners or the coaches who were pleased to qualify without incident or injury.

Byrne's team is comprised of seven runners from seven countries which explains the ''Assembled in America" slogan on the back of their shirts. Joe McAlister (St Malachy's) played a pivotal role in Iona's win as he passed two runners, including a Providence athlete in the final 50 metres. McAlister finished 14th in 31.19.8. The next Irish finisher was PC's Pat Guidera (Clonmel, Co. Tipperary) in 20th (31.33.3) with Iona's Mark Smyth from Sligo placing 28th in 31.54.1. Martin Fagan from Mullingar will be running for the Friars at the NCAA meet.

Sophomore Mary Cullen from Sligo, and senior Roisin McGettigan from Wicklow led the Friars. Cullen placed fourth overall in a time of 20.57, while McGettigan finished fifth in a time of 21.02 Deirdre Byrne (Avoca, Co. Wicklow) placed 23rd in a time of 21.49. Also scoring for the Friars was senior Emer O'Shea from Limerick who finished 25th in a time of 21.51. Roisin Quinn (Co. Waterford) will be running at the NCAA's on Monday.

The Providence College women's cross country team climbed to No. 12 in the FinishLynx Division I Women's Cross Country National Poll, which was released on Monday, November 18.

Marcus O'Sullivan's Villanova Wildcats men's team (40 points) beat Georgetown University (45 points) to win the team championship at the Mid-Atlantic NCAA Regional Qualifying race held in Davis, West Virginia and a berth at the NCAA Championships. O'Sullivan's squad placed four runners in the top 10 (2,3,4, 9).

The Southeast Regional race was held on a flat course in Greenville, North Carolina accompanied by constant but relatively warm temperatures. In last year's men's race, two Irishmen qualified as individuals, this year they were not so fortunate. Kilkenny's Tommy Evans who competes for High Point University was one the two lads that made the 2001 Championships along with Kerryman Enda Grandfield from Western Kentucky University. Evans had a consistent season winning several races and in fine form. Grandfield struggled to find his fitness. In the Regional race, Evans placed 19th running 30.40.4 narrowly missing a spot as an individual qualifier. Grandfield realising it wasn't his day walked-off just after the mile.

John McDonnell's Arkansas Razorback squad is always in the team hunt and because of that usually has a runner vying for the individual crown as well. The legendary Mayoman has also had his share of fine Irish runners wearing the Arkansas singlet including Niall O'Shaughnessy, Frank O'Mara (twice a World Indoor Champion at 3000 metres), Paul Donovan, Niall Bruton and most recently Alan Dunleavy. This year, two Irishmen will be competing for Arkansas; South African born Alistair Cragg, who declared for Ireland last year and Westley Alkin who was born in Dublin and has lived in Canada. Cragg, the reigning NCAA indoor 5k Champion won the South Central Regional race in 29.45. The Arkansas cross-country team also claimed their 14th consecutive South Central Regional Championship in Waco, Texas. Alkin rested his legs in hopes to be fresh for the Championships. Only a handful of teams have the luxury of being able to hold out a few runners in the regional races and still have the talent and confidence to qualify.

Robbie Wade (Portlaw, Co. Waterford) had a grand performance at the Midwest regional held in Normal, Illinois. By placing 4th (30.06.7), Wade automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships.

He narrowly missed last year but all was not lost, as he placed 3rd in the Inter Counties Junior Men's race and qualified for the European Championships. The Inter Counties were held in his home county in Dungarvan.

Wade's Loyola University - Chicago teammate, Corkman Sean Conroy placed 61st in the regional race in 31.34.6. Gavin Kennedy, also from Waterford placed 52nd in 31.15.2. Kennedy transferred from McNeese State and now competes for DePaul University where he's been the #1 or #2 runner all season highlighted by a 10th place finish in the Conference USA meet. Kennedy, Wade and Conroy competed for North Monastery.

Harvard University's Mairead O'Callaghan (Co. Cork) placed 71st in 22:55.8 in the Northeast Region.

Dubliner Deborah McGowan placed 102nd in South Central Region in 24.31. She competes for the University of Texas in Arlington.

Damien Bateman from Mullingar placed 42nd in the South Central Regional covering the 10-kilometre course in 32.13. Bateman runs for McNeese State, the Alma Mater of journalist extraordinaire Joe Conway.