The women’s and men’s cross country teams fought through tough conditions to finish first and second respectively at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday.
The women’s team won their meet with 39 points, led by Emily Mrakovcic ’26, who finished second with a time of 17:34.27. On the men’s side, the Bears secured a runner-up finish with 103 points, headlined by sixth-place finisher John Ryan ’27 (25:10.32).
“I think our performance as a team today was really reflective of the culture and attitude we have been culminating the past couple of years,” Mrakovcic wrote in an email to the Herald. “Moving forward, I think replicating the positive attitude and open mind we maintained will help us continue to compete at a high level.”
Sebastien Margetts ’27, who finished 17th in the men’s race, emphasized the challenge of succeeding despite the rainy and muddy conditions. “Last year, a race through horrid conditions like the ones at UMass would’ve probably broken me,” he wrote. “This year I was able to really hold it together basically all the way through.”
Mrakovcic said the team’s tight chemistry helped them overcome the bad weather. “In the hours leading up to the race, instead of stressing over the rainy and windy conditions, we had a lot of fun out there and really enjoyed each other’s company,” she wrote.
The women’s team had five runners finish in the top 15, with Olivia Fraga ’27 (17:35.06) coming in third. Isolde McManus ’25 (9th, 17:53.31), Morgan Boonshaft ’28 (11th, 17:59.40) and Nimrit Ahuja ’26 (14th, 18:07.75) rounded out the Bears’ five.
“Finishing third in such a competitive field feels amazing and is a testament to the hard work I’ve put into Coach John (Kenworthy)’s training,” Fraga wrote. “I’m excited to keep building from here and see how I can improve in the next race.”
Coach Kenworthy echoed Fraga’s positive sentiment. “It's always nice to gain momentum early in the season,” he wrote. “When you’re racing against 300+ athletes, confidence can go a long way, so for us to get near the front of this race and run as a pack definitely gives us that confidence to continue those habits as meets get more competitive.”
Kenworthy stressed the positive impact of the team’s offseason training on their performance. “Cross country results are always about the quality of an athlete's offseason training,” he explained. “It takes weeks and months to lay down that foundation. While everyone is spread out across the country, it seems like the summer went really well on that front for many of the women.”
On the men’s side, Ryan led the way, followed by Margetts (25:24.81), Sam Colton ’25 (20th, 25:28.06), John Farrell ’26 (25th, 25:34.81) and Justin Hickey ’25 (38th, 25:50.01). With all five finishing in the top 40, Brown secured second place in the meet behind Boston University.
Coach Collin Zeffer praised his team’s strong performance. “We are really celebrating our success, not just in our fitness but in how we are competing,” he wrote. “The athletes are more bought into our process and their teammates. When I watch these guys race, I see they are doing it for each other.”
“This was a big confidence booster for the races ahead,” Margetts wrote. “The team is really shaping up well. If we stay focused and work through our weaknesses, moving forward, there should be some more exciting performances from this squad.”
Ryan’s performance was especially impressive: It was his “first 8k race ever” due to a freshman season plagued with an injury. “I’m very happy to start the season off on a good note,” he added.
Both teams are looking to build on their success at their next meet, the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“Moving toward the Paul Short Run, I think our team will continue our streak of working hard and focusing on what’s important while also having fun and enjoying the process,” Mrakovcic wrote.
Margetts thinks the team can build on this strong start and be even better moving forward.
“Technically, we need to start stronger and feel more comfortable at race pace,” Margetts wrote. “This team has had a lot of struggles over the past year and now we can take the thought into Paul Short that nothing extraordinary has to happen for us to be competitive.”
The Paul Short Run “will be a great test against strong teams so we are hoping to take all of the great habits we’ve formed on prior race days and transfer them over to that next level of competition,” Zeffer wrote. He believes the Bears are ready for that test.
“Our guys came in hungry to raise the bar of what it means to be a Brown Bear, and they are starting to bring a better version of themselves to the starting line,” Zeffer wrote. “It all starts now, and we hope to see it pay off in the postseason.”
Gus Bailey is a senior staff writer covering the sports beat. He is a sophomore studying applied math-economics. His interests include data analytics, marketing, social media and of course, sports.
