The women’s and men’s cross country teams competed in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships on Saturday in Princeton, New Jersey, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively.
The women’s team showed impressive depth, with each of its top five runners finishing within the top 40 out of 92 racers. Olivia Fraga ’27 led the way, finishing 17th with a time of 20:51.5, followed closely by Nimrit Ahuja ’26 (21:01.1) in 24th. Morgan Boonshaft ’27 (25th, 21:02.5), Emily Mrakovcic ’26 (36th, 21:17.6) and Maxine Montoya ’25 (38th, 21:18.8) rounded out the Bears’ scoring.
“It was a great representation of who we’ve been working to be this year,” women’s coach John Kenworthy wrote in an email to The Herald. “It was our best finish since 2018 and far surpassed our early season expectations, but that just goes to show how well the last month has gone.”
Fraga credited the team’s strong showing to their rigorous preparation. “I’m really proud of not only my performance but my team’s performance at Heptagonals,” she wrote. “We’ve been working hard all season, so it feels good to see that our training translates into a strong finish for the team.”
Ahuja said she believes the team can be even better moving forward. “We’re a relatively young team with only two graduating seniors, so we think we’re capable of even more and we’re excited to take down more teams next year,” she wrote.
Both runners pointed to the team’s growing chemistry as a driving force for their success. “Throughout the season, we’ve developed a strong sense of camaraderie by supporting each other at practices and races, and this bond has translated into our performances,” Fraga explained. “In addition, the amazing training from our coach truly prepared us for this race, which is clearly reflected in our fifth-place finish.”
The men’s team, led by Justin Hickey ’25, faced a challenging field. Hickey (64th, 24:56.0) and Matthew Doherty ’26 (68th, 25:02.6) were the Bears’ top two runners of the day, with Colin Fisher ’27 (71st, 25:09.4), Tommy Gaffey ’25 (76th, 25:25.7) and John Farrell ’26 (78th, 25:29.2) tallying points as well.
Despite their eighth-place finish, men’s coach Collin Zeffer expressed optimism about the team’s trajectory, as nine of their top 12 runners at Heps will be returning next year.
“When I think about our young guys and returners competing in the Heps atmosphere, I’m excited that we were able to get that group the proper exposure to the level of competition this meet displays,” Zeffer wrote. “We’re a young team that over time will grow to train at the level that’s required to be competitive in this league.”
“The team has made very good progress this season,” Hickey wrote. “We have done well at some competitive meets, and we have some very talented underclassmen who have been contributing significantly and will hopefully keep pushing the program forward.”
Hickey also noted that Fisher and Gaffey both set personal records on the day, underscoring his belief that the team will continue to grow and improve.
Both the men’s and women’s coaches acknowledged the strides their teams had made since the start of the season.
“The growth of the women has been incredible this year,” Kenworthy wrote. “We’ve built on a lot of progress over the last few years, but this season they’ve really elevated their expectations and we’re seeing an investment in the process that’s paying out with big results now.”
Zeffer said the team underwent a “culture shift” at the beginning of the fall. “The guys here are showing up with the intention of working hard and being competitive in races,” he said.
“Our big strength has been our new-found depth,” Zeffer added. “We had a different top finisher for nearly all of our races and have a really strong core group of guys.”
Both teams will now look ahead to the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Nov. 15.
“Going into regionals, we are certainly excited about our momentum,” Zeffer wrote. “When it comes to the 10-kilometer distance at the regional meet, we’ll be relying on our consistency and strong foundation we’ve built all summer and fall to carry us for that extra 2k.”
Kenworthy also underscored the women’s team’s consistency as they look to make noise at regionals. “Our tight pack is a strength and has been a big reason why we’ve been competitive in many meets. That’s even more important in a large field like the NCAA Regional,” he wrote.
Kenworthy said he is focused on making sure his runners maintain a healthy approach to both running and competing. “We’re focused on enjoying the day to day, staying healthy and letting the fitness take care of itself,” he explained. “Winning and racing fast is fun, but we’re having fun every day too.”
As the runners look towards the upcoming race, they can feel confident knowing their teammates have their backs.
“Anytime one of us sees another during a race, we give each other a little tap or a comforting word or two,” Ahuja wrote. “It’s really helpful to know that your teammates are looking out for you and it’s a little reminder that we’re racing for each other.”
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.
