Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND Sports Veteran Irish Team Adopts Pack Mentality team in a cross country meet count toward the school's final score. The rush of gold pinnies swallowed strongest team members on a particuthe finishing line whole at the Na- lar day can help push their struggling tional Catholic Championships on counterparts to keep pace and prevent Notre Dame's campus Sept. 20. All anyone from falling off and hurting the six of the Irish team's team's finish. top runners finished the At the National Cathofive-mile course within lic Championships, fifthone second of each other year senior Jeremy Rae on their way to winning rallied the troops to stay first place at the event as bunched in front of their a group. competition. If not for Loyola's "It's my fifth time Sam Penzenstadler, who around, so I'm starting finished 10 seconds in to figure out what works front of the Irish mob and what doesn't," Rae as the individual winsaid. "I've gotten to ner, Notre Dame would watch the best teams have notched a perfect Fifth-year senior Jeremy Rae, a and that's what they do. national champion in indoor track score in its first home and a three-time All-American, has They'll have five guys meet of the season. Head his sights set on a conference title all run together and coach Joe Piane said it and an All-American nod in cross that's what we want to has taken time, but his country. work toward. We'll see photo courtesy notre dame media relations how that pans out." experienced roster is fully embracing the idea of running A year ago, at the more competias a pack. tive Notre Dame Invitational in South "I think it finally sunk in," Piane Bend, Rae finished in sixth place sursaid. "We talk about it all the time, but rounded by a wave of runners from it really sunk in with all the upperclass- Tulsa. The individual effort was a sucmen." cess for Rae, but the Irish finished two With three seniors and two fifth-year places behind Tulsa, which took first graduates among its top runners this place in the race. fall, Notre Dame has depth and the Rae told Piane that while he was runknow-how to use it properly. Racing as ning he noticed the Hurricanes' fastest a group, Piane said, makes a big differ- runner — fellow sub-four-minute miler ence. The top five finishers from each Chris O'Hare — hanging back with his By Dan Murphy A