W&M's Best Ever Cross Country Team (as they looked in 1973 and when they were enshrined into the W&M Hall of Fame).

Five W&M XC teams have finished in the top ten at the NCAA meet, last year’s 8th place team, 2000 (10th), 1997 (9th), 1970 (10th) and the 1973 team that finished 4th. With the men aiming for a second straight top ten finish, I thought it might be interesting to look at the best W&M team of all time – the 1973 team that has long been enshrined in the W&M Hall of Fame. Read more

W&M Men 18th All Time In NCAA XC Appearances
According to this, there are only 17 teams that have gone to the NCAA XC meet more than the men's team twenty-two appearances. The national leader is Wisconsin with forty-seven trips to the meet. The top finish remains the 1973 team that was 4th.  The women have gone six times to the NCAA XC meet. 

Letsrun.com Ranks Men #9
The rather well visited site, LetsRun.com today ranked the men 9th in the US (still waiting for their women's poll). Ranked #1 was Oklahoma and #3 was NAU which was only 7 points ahead of the men's team at the Jamboree meet. W&M has had several teams in the top 10 at the NCAA meet including a high of 4th in 1973. The pre-national meet in two weeks will tell if this ranking can continue further in the season. A week ago the coaches' association ranked the team 13th.

District 3 Regional from 1974

Back when I was in school (mid-80s) we were still divided into districts in XC instead of regions.  We were the largest (when I ran the race, we typically had 250 in the race) in the country.  Only 180 people ran in the NCAA race (as opposed to 240 today).  Each district's number of teams were decided beforehand (we had the most with four).  Our district could have up to 5 individuals as long as they were in the top 15 overall.  At any rate, thanks to Ed Lull for the heads up on this amazing footage.  You will notice a number of great shots of W&M runners. Go here to see the race and a number of closeups of W&M runners.  The footage actually is quite clear. The XC team was 4th (best showing ever) in 1973, but did not make it in 1974.  Thanks to Randy and Shelby Hawkthorne for identifying many of the runners: Reggie Clark #359,  John Greenplate #385, Gene Schultz #371, Christophe :Tophe” Tulou, George Baquis #358, and Tim Cook # 381 and Brendan Gallaher #374.

Gibby Recognized As 2010 Coach of the Year
Alex Gibby '97, now taking up a new challenge as track and field coach at the University of Michigan, led the Tribe to conference titles and the NCAA championships in cross country in each of his seven years with his alma mater. Last season, the cross country team was ranked in the national top 10 and finished fifth at the NCAAs. Three runners were named All-Americans as the team made their best showing since 1973.
“I really enjoyed the time I had at William and Mary,” says Gibby. “I feel really fortunate that I had the opportunity to coach and grow there. There’s a lineage of success that’s established and that’s what you look for in an epitaph: You took a good tradition and made it better.”
For his performance last year he was chosen as the W&M Coach of the Year.