(May 9, 2006) - The University of Lowell 1991 men's cross country team, which captured the NCAA Division II Championship, was inducted into the UML Athletic Hall of Fame on Tuesday, May 9, at the University's Excellence Banquet at the Campus Recreation Center.
The ULowell team remains the sole Division II New England cross country team - men's or women's - to capture an NCAA title.
"It was a tribune to the kids," said head coach George Davis, who was named the 1991 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. "We were expected to do well and we handled everything very well physically and mentally. We won the NCAAs for the first time and we did it with style."
The national championship was the culmination of many significant accomplishments for the team, which produced an astounding five All-Americans, three All-New England standouts and six NCAA East Regional and ECAC all-stars.
Additionally, the ULowell harriers captured the Division II East Regional Championship, the Eastern League Championship and the ECAC title, and also placed third at the New England Championship behind only Boston University and the University of Connecticut.
"We got a good reading of what we were all about at the New Englands," Davis recalled. "We finished third behind Boston University and Connecticut, but we were right up with them for four miles. That's good against Division I schools."
At the NCAA Championship, the Chiefs scored a 48 - then the second-lowest point total in championship history - and placed three runners among the top four spots and five among the top 20.
Junior John Doherty (Billerica, MA), who took second in 31:37 for the 10K course, led the way while senior Mike Chamberas (Chelmsford, MA) placed third in 31:38; and senior David Cremin (Lowell, MA) fourth in 31:46.
Rounding out the ULowell top five were sophomore Mike Toomey (Lynn, MA), who placed 22nd overall and 19th among scoring runners in 32:34; and senior Jim McGaugh (Dorchester, MA), who took 20th/23rd in 32:35.
Junior Scott Bridges (Milton, MA) placed 43rd/49th in 33:24 and senior Terence White (Chelmsford, MA) took 66th/72nd in 33:52.
The Chiefs prefaced the NCAA Championship by winning the NCAA East Regional, placing five runners among the top 12 spots, and the ECAC title, in which they placed five among the top 10 places.
The 1991 cross country team is the second-ever team to be inducted into the UML Athletic Hall of Fame and follows the 1987-88 men's basketball team, which also won the NCAA Championship and was inducted in 2004.
Other members of the cross country team included senior Joe Donovan (Salem, NH) and junior Jerry Bailey (Medford, MA); sophomores Ray Boutette (Fitchburg, MA) and Gary Neal (Lawrence, MA); and freshmen Mark Bushey (Ludlow, MA), Jim Corcoran (Haverhill, MA), Craig Eaton (Lowell, MA), Craig Meyer (Clinton Corners, NY), Jason Rogers (Stoneham, MA) and Mike Sweeney (Lowell, MA).
