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 Junior Abdullah Saleh was WSU's top finisher at the NCAA national championship meet. |
Nov. 17, 2007
Joplin, Mo. - The Wayne State University men's cross country team concluded its 2007 season with a 19th place finish at the NCAA Championship meet held at the Missouri Southern State Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. It marked the fifth consecutive year and sixth time in the last seven years that the WSU men's cross country squad had competed in the national championship meet.
The Warriors were led by junior Abdullah Saleh (Dearborn, Mich./Fordson) who placed 66th (55th in team scoring) in a time of 32:17.5.
Sophomore Sam Breen (Brownstown, Mich./Woodhaven), who did not run in last year's national championship meet was 79th (66th in team scoring) with a time of 32:36.5, while senior Kevin Christensen (Battle Creek, Mich./Pennfield) placed 118th (99th in team scoring) in a time of 33:16.1 in his fourth NCAA Championship meet appearance.
Sophomore Dan Kapadia (Canton, Mich./Salem) and freshman Chris Tassen (Troy, Mich./Athens) rounded out the top five for WSU. Kapadia was 122nd (102nd in team scoring) in a time of 33:20.5, while Tassen was 140th (120th in team scoring) with a time of 33:59.0.
Senior Dave Lucas (Dearborn, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) and freshman Pat Webster (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II) also competed in the national championship meet. Lucas was 155th in a time of 34:30.6, while Webster placed 162nd in a time of 34:40.7.
The Warriors only graduate two of their top 13 runners in hopes of 2008 being the sixth consecutive year that WSU qualifies for the national championship meet.
