Ivy Cross Country Teams Find Success at the Iona Meet of Champions as Part of a Busy Week

Brown's Margaret Connelly

PRINCETON, N.J. -- It was another busy week for the Ivy League men’s and women’s cross country teams, including three teams participating in the Iona Meet of Champions.

In the women’s race at the Iona Meet of Champions, Penn finished second, Brown third and Columbia eighth on the 6k course at Van Cortlandt Park. Penn finished just two points behind the winners from Iona. Brown sophomore Margaret Connelly placed second out of 202 participants with a time of 22:07. In the men’s race at the Iona Meet of Champions, Brown finished second, Columbia fifth and Penn seventh. Brown senior Dan Lowry’s fifth place finish (25:06) on the 8k course paced the Bears.

Elsewhere, the Cornell men’s and women’s teams each finished second at the Colgate Invitational, earning wins over the host Raiders but falling to Syracuse.

The women’s teams from Harvard, Yale and Princeton contested their annual HYP race at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. Princeton claimed its eighth consecutive HYP title, led by senior Alex Banfich, who won the 5k race in 17:33. Banfich bested Yale’s Liana Epstein by six seconds. Yale finished second and Harvard placed third.

On the men’s side, Harvard and Yale also squared off at Franklin Park and the Crimson posted a 23-34 victory over the Bulldogs. Harvard sophomore James Leakos captured the individual title, running the 8k course in a time of 24:21.

Complete USTFCCCA Polls
The second set of in-season national rankings was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Sept. 20. On the men’s side, Princeton remained steady at No. 12 and Dartmouth also stayed put at 29th. Columbia also received a vote. In the women’s poll, Princeton dropped one spot from 19th to 20th, while Dartmouth received 18 votes and Columbia 13.

Regional Polls – Men – Sept. 19
1. Princeton (Mid-Atlantic)
4. Dartmouth (Northeast)
5. Columbia (Northeast)
6. Harvard (Northeast)
9. Brown (Northeast)
10. Cornell (Northeast)
10. Penn (Mid-Atlantic)
12. Yale (Northeast)

Brown
Men: Lowry Leads Men's XC to Second Place Finish at Iona Meet of Champions
Women: Women's Cross Country Earns Third at Iona Meet of Champions

Columbia
Men & Women: Cross Country Competes in Iona Meet of Chamions in Van Cortland Park

Harvard
Men & Women: Sophomore Stampede Helps Men's Cross Country Top Yale in Annual Showdown 

Penn
Men: Men's Cross Country Makes Huge Strides at Iona
Women: Women's Cross Country Narrowly Misses Team Title

Princeton
Men: Race next at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sept. 30
Women: Banfich and Tigers Win HYP

Yale
Men: Bulldogs Second at Harvard
Women: Women's Cross Country Bests Harvard, Falls Narrowly to Princeton