Crimson Dominates Albany Invitational

The Harvard cross country teams took another step forward this past Saturday, turning in a dominating performance at the 41st annual University of Albany Cross Country Invitational, held in Albany, N.Y. The Crimson swept all four events, including the men’s and women’s championship races, the men’s purple race, and the women’s gold race.

“We got out of the meet exactly what we were hoping to,” head coach Jason Saretsky said. “We pushed ourselves, raced aggressively, and got some confidence going into [Heptagonals].”

In their final tuneup for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, to be held in two weeks, Harvard’s runners excelled in a convincing way.

The Crimson recorded 38 points in the 26-team men’s championship race, finishing ahead of second-place RIT by 102 points. Four runners placed in the top 10.

Captain Brian Holmquest led the way with a third-place finish overall in a time of 24:53 over the eight-kilometer course. Senior Andrew Lipkin was fourth in 25:00, sophomore Chas Gillespie fifth in 25:06, and freshman Dan Chenoweth placed seventh in 25:11, rounding out Harvard’s top 10 finishers.

Also contributing to the team were Ryan Hafer at 19th overall with a time of 25:53, sophomore Vito Cannavo at 24th in 26:03, and freshman Ryan Neely, who finished 98th with a time of 27:34.

David Raucci of Marist College finished first overall with a time of 24:41.

“Everyone had a solid day—that’s what I was most pleased with,” Holmquest said. “There’s a good vibe overall right now.”

The Harvard women matched the men’s performance, edging out second-place Brown by 10 points in a 29-team field. The Crimson finished with a score of 42 points.

The top four spots on the Harvard team were taken by freshmen. Jamie Olson placed fourth overall in a time of 17:41, and right next to her was Claire Richardson in fifth, finishing a split second behind Olson.

Eliza Ives’ time of 17:52 was good for eighth. Freshman Renata Cummins was 12th with a time of 18:08, sophomore Caitlin Clifford was 13th with a time of 18:09, and captain Sarah Bourne was 14th with a time of 18:09, giving the women six finishers in the top 15.

Also racing was sophomore Stacy Carlson, who finished 25th with a time of 18:31.

“That was the best I’ve seen them run in my four years here,” Holmquest said of the women’s team. “I was super-impressed with their race.”

The Albany course, which was softer due to rainfall the past few days, allowed many runners to achieve personal bests, Saretsky noted.

Harvard also proved that it would be a contender beyond this year, showing its depth at the men’s and women’s junior varsity levels.

In the men’s purple race, Harvard swept the top five spots and had all its runners place in the top 10. Junior Adam Daoud was first overall with a time of 26:32.

On the women’s side, Harvard beat second-place Middlebury by 21 points, largely on the strength of underclassmen. Led by freshman Meghan Houser, who was first overall with a time of 18:23, the whole team finished within the top 11.

“The main strategy was to get out and be the team to beat,” Holmquest said. “Every day, we’re making progress towards where we want to be at the end of the year.”

The cross country team will now prepare for the Ivy League championships in two weeks, where they look to continue their strong showing.

“The biggest thing right now,” Holmquest said, “is to continue to focus on what we can do and just do all the little things—believing in what you’ve done to this point, and acknowledging how good you can run.”

The Crimson performance this Saturday set the bar high for Heptagonals, and the team is optimistic it will achieve its goals.

“I’m just really pleased with the way the team is handling themselves this season, setting up for a great finish in the year,” Saretsky said. “We’re making great strides in turning the program into what it’s capable of.”