Nov. 2, 2002

CENTREVILLE, VA ... Senior Mollie DeFrancesco set a conference record to defend her title and lead the James Madison University women's cross country team to their fourth consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championship at Bull Run Regional Park. The men's team from William & Mary took the top two spots and placed five runners in the top 10 to claim the men's team title for the 10th time in the last 13 years.

DeFrancesco led the women's 6,000-meter race from the start, and finished in a CAA Championship-record 20 minutes, 46.05 seconds (20:46.05) for the Dukes. James Madison had five runners place in the top 10 and finished with 25 points, while the women's team from William & Mary placed four runners in the top 10 to finish second with 31 points. Junior Alison Henderson was the top Tribe runner, finishing second in 21:12.66.

On the women's side, James Madison and William & Mary were followed by Towson in third (121), George Mason in fourth (137), Virginia Commonwealth and Hofstra in a tie for fifth (139), Delaware in seventh (155) and North Carolina Wilmington in eighth (214 points).

William and Mary seniors Ed Moran (24:29.32) and John O'Connor (24:52.73) finished the men's 8,000-meter race first and second to lead the Tribe to the men's team title with 24 points. Sophomore James Kays placed fifth in 24:57.59 to help James Madison to a second-place team finish with 56 points.

Delaware was the third-finishing men's team with 68 points, followed by Virginia Commonwealth in fourth (110), Towson in fifth (156), North Carolina Wilmington in sixth (176), Hofstra in seventh (190) and George Mason in eighth (202).

Junior Michelle DiPenti (Warren, PA/Warren Area) was the top women's finisher for the host George Mason University, placing 10th in a season-best 22:28.76, while junior Ben Sommers (Nashua, NH/Nashua) led the Patriots men's team, placing 35th in 27:16.99.