BU run for NCAAs goes to the finish
By Pete Daly

The Boston University men’s and women’s cross country teams ran strongly in the Northeast Regional Championships at Vancortland Park, N.Y., this weekend, but each failed to qualify for the NCAA championships.

The men’s team finished fifth overall with 193 points, while the women placed sixth with 144 points. The men’s team was close to qualifying after getting back on track by winning its first America East championship following a two-year absence Oct. 28, but it was the women who missed, almost literally, by a step.

The women’s team finished just one point behind Columbia University and still had a chance of qualifying for the NCAAs with an at-large bid. BU was at the mercy of mathematics, however, and it turned out that the numbers were not kind.

The University of Georgia tied with Georgia Tech University, but if Georgia’s fifth runner had beaten Georgia Tech’s fifth runner, BU would have advanced. Even more cruel than that twist of fate was that Duke University, who the Terriers pummeled earlier this season, weaseled into the national finals as a side effect of the points debacle.

But one Terrier from both the men’s and the women’s team had outstanding performances at the Northeast Regionals, and will be competing individually at the NCAA Championships in Ames, Iowa Nov. 20. Freshman Jochen Dieckfoss finished ninth overall with a time of 31:20, while sophomore Bolpar Vinh crossed the line with a time of 20:59 in the women’s race, good for an 11th place finish.

“It will be my first time at the nationals,” Dieckfoss said. “I’m very excited and very nervous since I don’t know the people. I’m going to try to run as well as I can, but I have no idea how the field will be.”

While neither BU squad qualified as a team, both had solid season-ending runs, according to BU coach Bruce Lehane.

“The men’s team did considerably better than it had in the last few years,” Lehane said. “They took a big step forward winning the conference and trying to get back to the front of the region. [The women] went in the race in good shape and did the best they could, but they just couldn’t put it together.”

On the men’s side, Providence College finished in first, Iona College followed in second, Dartmouth College placed third and Columbia came in fourth ahead of BU. Along with Dieckfoss, several Terriers finished in the top percentage of the field. Junior Fredrick Naalsund was second on the team with a time of 32:11 for a 23rd place finish; sophomore Paul Morrice came in third on the team and 32nd overall (32:17); junior Jason Borbet finished 64th overall with a time of 33:02; sophomore Liam Revell followed in 67th (33:04); junior John Wiley crossed the line in the 98th spot (33:40); and junior Paul Ryan rounded out the race for the Terriers with a time of 33:47 for 105th place.

In addition, freshman Jordan Jones placed ninth in the open race with a 33:25.

“It was possible for us to make nationals, but Dartmouth ran so strong and Providence is No. 3 in the country so it was a tough field,” Borbet said. “[The race] played out the way everyone thought it would. We went out and positioned ourselves well and we definitely went for it; sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s not.”

The women’s race saw Boston College take first place, followed by Yale University, Providence College, Brown University and Columbia.

Junior Lauren Matthews was second on the Terriers and 22nd overall with a 21:15; freshman Tara Johnson came in 28th overall, crossing the line in 21:29; senior Alicia Heisel was a step behind Johnson, as she finished 29th in 21:30; and junior Katie Ireland closed out the race for BU with a time of 22:04 and was the 50th runner to finish.

“We feel we had a better team this year; this was the second best team the University has ever had,” Lehane said. “The Northeast Regional is the best it has ever been though, they’ve upped the ante. Not making it to nationals is hard because that was our primary goal. We made a good run at it.”

The Terriers’ seasons have seen their last legs until the 2001 cross country season, and with any luck, Dieckfoss and Vinh will be joined by their teammates at the NCAA championships come next fall.