Villanova Univeristy Athletics

November 23, 1994
Mike Blimm
Assistant Director of Media Relations

The Villanova University women’s cross country team continued their amazing dominance of collegiate cross country with their sixth consecutive NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championship this past Monday in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. The Wildcats’ winning point total of 75 points bettered runner-up Michigan’s 108 and host Arkansas’ 110. Colorado was fourth with 126, while fellow Big East Conference members Providence and Georgetown were fifth and sixth respectively with 154 and 195 points.
 
Villanova’s total of 75 points was their second best total during their six year run of success that began in 1989, bettered only by last year’s 66 points. No other school has won more than two team titles in the 14 year history of NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
The win gave first-year Wildcat head coach John Marshall an NCAA Championships in his first season as a collegiate head coach. Marshall was named Villanova’s head coach for both men’s and women’s cross country and track & field on June 30, 1994. He had served as an assistant coach during Villanova’s 1992 and 1993 titles.
 
Also for the sixth consecutive year, a Wildcat harrier broke the tape at the finish line as Jen Rhines (Jr., Liverpool, NY) continued Villanova’s tradition of individual champions by claiming top honors in 16:31.2 over the 5,000 meter course. Rhines joins former Wildcats Vicki Huber (1989), Sonia O’Sullivan (1990 & 1991) and Carole Zajac (1992 & 1993) as winners of this race.
 
Rhines and teammate Becky Spies (Sr., Livermore, CA) ran together along with Amy Rudolph of Providence and Megan Flowers of Arkansas over the first half of the race. At that point Rhines and Rudolph broke away, with Rhines eventually pulling away from Rudolph over the second half of the race to win easily, over 13 seconds ahead of Rudolph. Spies meanwhile was also running strongly over the second portion of the race and finished third overall in 16:55.8, over eight seconds ahead of the fourth place Flowers.
 
Villanova’s third and fourth runners were together the entire race, as Krestena Sullivan (So., Kitchener, Ontario) and Tosha Woodward (Sr., Bel Air, MD) finished exactly one second apart in 17:32.3 and 17:33.3, good for 21^st and 23^rd place respectively. The duo came on strong at the end picking up valuable points for the team competition.
 
Rhines, Spies, Sullivan and Woodward all earned All-America honors for their efforts. Counting indoor and outdoor track as well, it was the fifth such honor for Woodward, the fourth for both Rhines and Spies, and the first for Sullivan.
 
For the second year in a row Emer Molloy (Sr., Ballymahon, Ireland) was the fifth and final scorer for the Wildcats. This year she crossed the finish line in 18:02.4, which earned her 54^th place overall. Stacy Robinson (Jr., Phoenixville, PA) also ran well as Villanova’s sixth finisher, placing 69^th overall in 18:11.8. In fact, Villanova still would have won the national championship with Robinson’s score as their fifth runner. Cara Salabrici (So., Syracuse, NY) was the seventh Wildcat competitor finishing 123^rd in 20:16.7.
 
“I am very proud of the way these athletes responded as a team,” said Marshall. “No matter what happens the rest of my career as a coach, this will probably be one of the most special moments. Our top six runners all ran their best race of the year in the biggest race of the year, and I’m happy for the athletes and the program.”
 
“With all the pressure of being the favorite entering the meet, Jen Rhines showed her character, that of a true champion,” continued Marshall. “Coming in I thought we needed two runners in the top five and Becky Spies gave us two in the top three by running the race of her life, in her usual champion’s style. Krestena Sullivan and Tosha Woodward decided to run together to score points for the team, and their unselfish style was rewarded with a championship. The whole country knew the race would come down to the fifth runner and with Emer Molloy anchoring our five scorers, you have to feel good about your chances, and Stacy Robinson gave us great depth and we still would have won had she been our fifth runner. It was just a total team effort.”
 

VILLANOVA ROSTER
Name	Class	Hometown	High School
Diane Hansen	Sophomore	Media, Pa.	Cardinal O'Hara
Emer Molloy	Senior	Ballymahon, Ireland	Mercy Secondary
Allison Pojanowski	Sophomore	Ramsey, N.J.	Ramsey
Jen Rhines	Junior	Liverpool, N.Y.	Liverpool
Stacy Robinson	Junior	Phoenixville, Pa.	Phoenixville
Cara Salabrici	Sophomore	Syracuse, N.Y.	Henninger
Ryan Sartwell	Freshman	Arcadia, Calif.	Arcadia
Nikki Shaw	Junior	Fillmore, Calif.	Fillmore
Becky Spies	Senior	Livermore, Calif.	Livermore
Cathalina Staye	Junior	Brooklyn, N.Y.	John Jay
Krestena Sullivan	Sophomore	Kitchener, Ont.	St. Mary's
Tosha Woodward	Senior	Bel Air, Md.	Fairport (N.Y.)
Head Coach: John Marshall (Villanova '85), First Season
Assistant Coach: Jim Tuppeny, First Season

 

1994 HONORS AND AWARDS