Oct. 24, 2002

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins men's and women's cross country teams are both ranked in this week's NCAA Division III Mideast Region Cross Country Coaches Poll. The women remained 10th in the poll, while the men debuted in the eighth spot.

Last weekend, the Blue Jay men had their best meet of the season as they finished third out of seven schools with 98 total points at the University of Maryland Invitational. JHU placed ahead of George Washington, Coppin State, and George Mason, all of which finished above Hopkins at the George Washington Invitational earlier this season. The women were fifth out of seven schools with 122 points.

Senior John Onofrey (Needham, MA/Needham) continued his strong season as he led the Blue Jays in 12th place with a time of 26:31. Junior Steven Chu (Columbia, MD/River Hill) also had a strong performance in his first race of the year, placing 15th at a 26:50 pace. Senior Hilary Knipe (Contoocook, NH/St. Paul's School) led the women as she finished ninth out of 89 runners with a season-best time of 19:17. Freshman Emily Chisholm (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) was the second to finish for JHU in 26th place with a time of 20:15.

The Blue Jays return to action Saturday, November 2 as Hopkins travels to Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the Centennial Conference Championships. Last season, the men placed sixth out of nine schools, while the women were seventh out of 10 schools.

NCAA Division III Mideast Region Cross Country Coaches Polls

Men's Poll
1. Haverford
2. Elizabethtown
3. Allegheny
4. Carnegie Mellon
5. Widener
6. Dickinson
7. Muhlenberg
8. Johns Hopkins
9. Messiah
10. DeSales

Women's Poll
1. Dickinson
2. Allegheny
3. Haverford
4. Moravian
5. Swarthmore
6. Carnegie Mellon
7. Grove City
8. Messiah
9. DeSales
10. JohnsHopkins