Villanova's Tiernan wins NCAA men's cross-country title

Senior Patrick Tiernan of Villanova won the individual championship Saturday in the NCAA Division I men's cross-country championships in a time of 29 minutes, 22.0 seconds on a 10,000-meter course in Terra Haute, Ind.

With the victory, Tiernan, who ran in the Rio Olympics for Australia, broke the streak of Oregon's Edward Cheserek, who had been seeking his fourth consecutive individual men's crown. Cheserek finished third in 29:48.0, behind runner-up Justyn Knight of Syracuse (29:27.3).

Tiernan, who finished second to Cheserek last year, pulled away from Knight in the final 1,000 meters.

Tiernan said Cheserek "has got me about seven or eight more times than I've got him.  Honestly, you've just got to be confident.  Everybody in the race is on an equal level when you get there."

Tiernan's victory capped a sensational postseason of racing. He won his fourth consecutive Big East individual championship, followed by his third title in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional last weekend.