Fighting fifth for Fagan in Indiana

MARTIN FAGAN defied unfavourable conditions to take fifth place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Indiana.

The Mullingar runner, in his senior year at Providence College, Rhode Island, had won the Pre-National meet over the same trails in Terre Haute last month but found a softer track and high humidity not to his liking this time around.

Yet he still pulled out a 10-kilometre time of 31:01 on Monday to help the Providence men to a ninth-place team finish, completing a male and female top-10 double for Friars’ coach Ray Treacy.