The Georgetown cross country team began its season in dominant fashion this past weekend at the Great Meadows Invitational, showing the nation that the Hoyas are primed for a successful 2005 campaign.

The Hoya men swept the top three spots, clinching the team title as they placed seven runners within the top 10. Junior Brian Dalpiaz led a trifecta of runners across the finish line. Junior att Debole, senior Charles Milleoin and Dalpiaz all earned a time of 20:56 for the 4.1-mile race.

In his debut race as a Hoya, transfer student-athlete Andre Laboy, a junior, ran to an impressive fifth place with a time of 21:02.

“Andre ran really well,” said men’s coach Patrick Henner. “I feel that he will bring a lot to this team in terms of his performances and his personality.”

Closely behind were sophomores Daniel Nunn and Shane Young. They finished the race in sixth and ninth place, respectively, with times of 21:05 and 21:16. Junior Rasheed Thompson rounded out the Georgetown squad with a 10th-place finish in a time of 21:20.

The men’s team compiled an average team time of under 21 minutes, which secured the overall win for the Hoyas. Competing without some of their top runners made their performance even more impressive. Senior Fleet Hower, senior Chris Esselborn and freshman Andrew Bumbalough are among those who did not compete in the first meet.

“Overall, the guys executed the race well and ran in a nice pack and kept a small 10-second spread between the top five,” Henner said.

Georgetown easily won the meet with 17 points. American was second with 51 points, while Yale took third place with 93.

On the women’s side, a similar story unraveled as the Hoyas, mostly underclassmen, turned in some fast times – and runner-up honors – without the help of certain standouts. Sophomore Maggie Infeld led the team to a second-place finish as she crossed the line in fourth with a time of 17:38 for the 5K course. Freshman Natasha Labeaud made a notable debut as a Hoya with her 11th-place finish in 17:58.

Seniors Erin Henry and Sabine Knothe proved they were in great form, as they finished 16th and 18th with respective times of 18:30 and 18:31. Sophomore Melissa Grelli rounded out the scorers with a 20th-place finish in 18:38. The next Hoya to cross the line was junior captain Nana Hanson Hall, who finished the course in 18:58, good for 25th place.

While Georgetown finished second, Michigan scored 17 points to capture the invitational team title. The Hoyas had a total of 57 points, followed by Maryland with 73.

The Hoyas continue their season this weekend at the James adison University Invitational on Saturday in New Market, Va.