FirstPoint USA News
Matthew Graham Leads DePaul to Title
September 25, 2009
Former FirstPoint USA athlete and DePaul University sophomore Matthew Graham won his third race in a row at the 30th Annual National Catholic Championships and was rewarded for his efforts as he was named the men’s cross country BIG EAST Athlete of the Week. West Virginia senior Clara Grandt, this week’s female Athlete of the Week, was equally impressive, not only winning the UW-Parkside Midwest Open, but led her squad to an overall victory.
Graham picked up his third straight win in Notre Dame, Ind., after taking the top spot at the Bradley Open and DePaul Opener in the first two weeks of competition. The sophomore finished 5.2 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher at the five mile Notre Dame Golf Course. Graham’s time of 24:53.90 was more than a minute faster than his personal best and marked the third time this season that he has kept a pace of under a five minute mile. DePaul races again on Oct. 2 when the team heads back to South Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational.
Grandt, who finished third at the BIG EAST Championship a season ago, paced No. 4 West Virginia to a team win with the fastest time recorded at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wis., in over 20 years. The senior finished the 5k race in 17:00.1, 19.3 seconds faster than the second-place runner. The Mountaineers return to action on Oct. 2 at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.
Note: The next U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Regional Coaches' Poll will be released on Sept. 28 with the national polls announced on Sept. 29.