SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA (10/27/01) - Saint Joseph's had three runners earn All-Atlantic 10 honors, and ran its best race of the 2001 season, but it was not enough to hold off favorite La Salle in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships at Belmont Plateau on Saturday morning. The Hawks finished a a strong second to the Explorers in the meet. Senior Bill Hoffman led the Hawks with a fifth place finish, completing the demanding Belmont course in a time of 25:22.7. He was followed closely behind by fellow seniors Ben Koch and Brian Rosetti, who placed seventh (25:27.7) and eighth (25:29.0), respectively. All three earned all-conference accolades for their superb runs. Sophomore Rich Cullin turned in a fine race as SJU's fourth place finisher, placing 15th in a time of 25:54.2 while senior Jim Smith rounded out the Hawk scorers with a 17th place showing (26:00.8). Juniors Tim Fisher (22nd, 26:12.6) and Dan Mays (25th, 26:16.1) also contributed with strong sixth and seventh place finishes for SJU, helping to displace opposing runners. La Salle captured the team title, placing five runners among the top six overall, including A-10 Champion Todd Witzleben (25:00.3). The Explorers finished with 16 points with the Hawks tallying 52. Placing third was UMass (80 points) followed by Duquesne (99), George Washington 174), Fordham (175), Dayton (191), Richmond (224), Rhode Island (244), Xavier (257) and St. Bonaventure (365). The Hawks next compete at the District II Championships held on the campus of Lehigh University on November 10.