Georgetown’s top-10 ranked men’s and women’s cross country teams returned from Friday’s Big East Championship at Franklin Park in Boston with a pair of top-three finishes. The men’s team placed second behind fourth ranked Providence, and the women took third behind Boston College and Providence.

Providence senior Keith Kelly took the individual title of the men’s 8,000-meter race, leading the Friars to the men’s crown. Kelly, a two-time All-American, took runner-up honors at the Big East Championship last year. He is also considered a top candidate for the individual NCAA title, placing in the top 20 at nationals the past two years. Friday, Kelly posted the fastest time ever run on the Franklin Park course during a Big East Championship, breaking the old mark of 23:37 set in 1998 by Providence’s Ben Noad. Kelly’s teammate Hamish Thorpe crossed the line at 23:34 for second. Georgetown freshman standout Franklyn Sanchez took third.

Sanchez, the 1999 junior cross-country champion, crossed the line in 23:35, only one second shy of Thorpe, to garner three points for the Hoyas. It was Sanchez’s first collegiate race, and Assistant Coach Patrick Henner said Sanchez gave “a phenomenal performance.”

Georgetown sophomore Mike Smith clocked 23:43 for fifth, and senior David Rodriguez claimed ninth place with a 23:52 race. Seniors Corey Smith and Kyle Smits also scored for the Hoyas, finishing 13th and 16th, respectively.

“I was really pleased with our seniors Rodriguez, Smits and Smith,” Henner said. “They’re providing great senior leadership. To have two new guys come in here like Franklyn Sanchez and Mike Smith – a lot of guys with less motivation and character might start running bad, but they’re continuing to run very well, and they’re running very good team races. I think [the seniors] were the key to why we ran so well, and I think those three will be the key to us running well at the district and NCAA meets.”

On the women’s side, the Hoyas failed to retain their conference champion status after finishing behind Boston College and Providence in the race on Friday. The Eagles are the fourth different team in as many years to win the women’s Big East title. BC placed all five point-scorers in the top 15, with sophomore Megan Guiney pacing the team with her second-place finish. Ann McGranahan of the fourth place finishing Villanova squad captured the individual title, covering the 5,000-meter course in 16:59.

Georgetown graduate student Autumn Fogg took third in the race. The 1998 All-American, who red-shirted last season, timed 17:07 to lead the Hoyas. Senior Emily Enstice placed 10th with a 17:36 race, and senior Lorena Adams crossed the line three seconds after Enstice for 14th place.

All-American Kristen Gordon, who placed second at last year’s Big East Championship, timed 17:54 for 22nd. Freshman Amanda Pape rounded out the scoring five for the Hoyas, crossing the line with the same time as Gordon to earn 23 points.

“Autumn ran very well up front for us,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “But I think the potential is there for us to run much better as a team.”

The third-place finish marked the first time in the past five years the Hoyas failed to finish in the top two at the conference Championship. However, the team’s 72 points fell only one point short of second-place Providence, and it came without last year’s number-three runner sophomore Marni Kruppa, who has been sidelined this season with tendonitis. Kruppa placed 11th in the 1999 Big East conference championship and Helmer, once hopeful she could re-join the team in time for the regional and national meets, decided against using a year of Kruppa’s eligibility this late in the season. Instead, Helmer said his strategy for the upcoming District II meet is centered on developing some of the Hoyas’ young talent.

“We’re working hard at this point to get another young runner or two ready to step up to the championship level,” Helmer said. “[Freshman] Colleen Kelly ran number six for us, and I’ll get Mandy [Pape] rested so she can run better, so I can get some youthful freshmen enthusiasm injected into what we’re doing. I think Autumn [Fogg] will continue to run a great number one for us, and you always need that up front, but then I’ve got three or four other people that have to step up.”

The District II Regional meet will take place Nov. 11 at Penn State.