Cross Country Rookies Push Limits at Iona

The men’s and women’s cross country teams trotted out the youth once again at the Iona Meet of Champions on Saturday, with each team racing five freshmen. The youngsters held their ground just fine, placing 10th out of 19 teams on the women’s side and 11th among 19 men’s squads.

On the women’s side, the large field of 206 runners encouraged a conservative start for the young Crimson athletes, but all the runners finished strong.

The team was paced by freshman Cara Sprague, who finished 47th in 23:27. Shortly behind was fellow rookie Meghan Houser, who ended up 53rd after finishing in 23:52, and a trio of freshman top finishers was completed by Meghan Cleary, who was 77th after completing the Van Cortlandt Park course in 24:21.

For many of the freshmen, it was their first time racing a six-kilometer race, a step up from the high school length of five.

“It didn’t actually feel that different to me,” Houser said, “but the level of competition is way higher. I was pleased with how I placed in the [six-kilometer race] because I’ve never run that distance before.”

The lone sophomore racing for Harvard, Brenda Cohen, was 105th, while freshmen Hillary May and Alison Liewen finished together in 112th and 113th, respectively.

Senior Eliza Gardner rounded out the Crimson group, finishing 141st.

For the men, another large field meant more conservative racing, especially as freshmen adjusted to the longer eight-kilometer race from the five kilometers covered in high school.

“We stayed together in a pack and moved together as a team throughout the race,” sophomore Bobby Kenney said. “It was a large race, so we all felt it was pretty important staying together in the early part of the race. It’s important for all of us to not go out too fast. It helps keep us on pace; it keeps us relaxed.”

Freshman Mark Hirschboeck finished 86th in 27:27, leading the Harvard squad. Kenney was 99th in 27:41, and freshmen Dan Emont and Alex Brenner finished 103rd and 105th, respectively.

Another pair of freshmen, Thomas Hutchinson and Robert Schaaf, finished 114th and 141st, respectively, rounding out the Crimson runners.

The race was also important for gaining experience on the course, where Harvard will compete again on Oct. 26 in the Heptagonals Championships. The race has left Crimson runners with plenty to think about as they look ahead to that event.

“One thing I think we could have done was get a little bit more position in the beginning by going out a little faster,” Kenney said. “It’s important for us to realize that we need to attack the flat section next time. We could also work the downhills more. For every uphill, there’s a downhill.”

In the overall team competition, Keene State’s Breanne Lucey won the women’s race in 21:30, and Penn State took home the women’s title. Iona captured the men’s crown, and Iona runner Mohamed Khadraoui won in 25:02.

—Staff writer Brad Hinshelwood can be reached at bhinshel@fas.harvard.edu.