DETROIT (9/14/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's cross country teams will make a familiar stop in their schedule as the Titans compete in Notre Dame's 43rd Annual National Catholic Championships.
The races will be held on Friday, Sept. 25, at the Burke Golf Course, with the women's collegiate 5k slated for 3:30 p.m., and the men's 8k at 4:15.
In the season opener, sophomore
Joshua Otten led the Titans in his collegiate cross country debut as he was 21st overall with a 15:49 run at the Michigan Open, while junior
Connor Joyce was next in line at 16:22 for 26th, more than 40 seconds better than his run at the course last season. The men were eighth last year at Notre Dame with a 252 score.
Oscar Hernandez led the squad, placing 47th overall with a time of 26:46, while
John Burke secured 67th in 27:28,
For the women, graduate senior
Allison Sherman led the Titans claimed 14th with a time of 18:53, nearly 11 seconds faster than her time on the course in last year's opener. Junior
Evie Wright was the second Titan in at 19:53, more than 10 seconds quicker than last year's pace, to take 21st. Last season for the women at Notre Dame, Sherman and
Kaitlin Murray had top-50 finishes. Sherman led the Titans with a then personal record 5k time of 18:36 for 17th, while Murray ran 19:45.7 for 50th. The team would place sixth with a score of 250.
Detroit Mercy has run a team in all the previous 42 years of the event's existence. The National Catholic Championships began in 1980 as a men's only race as the Titans claimed sixth that day, led by Gary Servais' 13th-place time of 25:25.
The men have two top-five finishes, taking fifth in 1997 and in 2013. Detroit Mercy has had one individual winner at the race, with Ben Kendell crossing the line first in 2018 with a time of 24:33 time, also the best time by a Titan at the event.
The women's collegiate race started in 1984 as the Titans placed 10th with Lisa Salyers the highest harrier, taking 39th in 20:12. The first six years of the women's race was 3.2 miles before moving to the standard 5k format.
Detroit Mercy has had one female winner at the event as Kim Hemstreet claimed first in 2002 with a time of 18:00, while Louisa Coppola set a school record at the race with a time of 17:58 for 14th. As a team, the highest a Titan has ever recorded on the women's side was a share of second with Marquette in 1993. Other top-five performances included third in 1997, fourth in 1994 and 1999 and fifth in 1987, 1995 and 1998.
Besides the team competing, Director of Track and Field & Cross Country
Guy Murray '89 has been to 40 of the 42 previous races, missing the event in 1989 and 1994. He was the Titans' top runner in 1988 with a 68th-place effort in 27:00.
