HUNTING VALLEY, Ohio -- Notre Dame opened up its 2010 season at the Bill Sudeck Invitational on Saturday.  The Falcon Men's and Women's teams placed fifth and sixth, respectively.  (Results: Men | Women)

For the men, #Joshua Edmonds# (21:40) and Patrick Fisher (21:47) earned NDC's top finishes; they placed 58th and 62nd, respectively, in a field of 97 runners in the Men's 6k Run.  Head Coach #Kyle Komer# indicated that the men's squad was minus a few runners, who were resting in preparation for one of the feature events on the 2010 slate, the National Catholic Invitational, which will be conducted in South Bend, Ind., on Sept. 17.

"We'll be rested and ready for that one," said Komer, who himself was a standout runner at NDC.  "Today was all about getting some fresh faces in the mix."

The NDC men's lineup on Saturday featured eight runners making their collegiate debut.  Allegheny (Pa.) won the men's competition, with 19 team points.  Host Case Western Reserve placed second, with 44 points,  Notre Dame earned 159 points.  The Falcons' average time came in at 22:04.78, as the team placed fifth in a field of six.

On the women's side, Notre Dame was led by #Cherice May# and #Mary Volk#, who clocked in with Top-40 times in the 4k Run.  May placed 19th in the field of 74 with a time of 16:14.  Volk clocked in at 16:49.

The host Spartans won the women's race, with 34 points, 27 fewer than Baldwin-Wallace, which placed second with 61 points.   Notre Dame finished with 158 points (sixth place in a field of six).  The women's field included several nationally ranked squads, marking a tough test for the Falcons in their first event of the season.

"On the women's side, we definitely went up against some very strong teams," said Komer.  "That being said, our girls are a veteran group, I have a lot of faith in them, They're the type of team that will grow stronger with each race."