NEW HAVEN, Conn – The Yale men's cross country team began the season in stunning fashion on the Yale Golf Course Friday, beating Harvard by a decisive nine points. Cheered on by fantastic home support, star sophomore Cade Brown stormed to the individual title -- beating last year's Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Champion, Kieran Tuntivate, in the process.
In an unequivocal statement to the league, the Elis clearly demonstrated the depth of quality in their front pack: six of the top 10 – and 10 of the top 15 – were proudly "repping the Y". Moreover, that depth is sourced from across the team; the Bulldogs' first 10 comprised men of every class. Stephen Moody led the first-years, coming home in an impressive ninth place, closely followed by Richard Sturtevant in 11th and Henry Saul in 14th. Juniors Nick Dahl and Will Laird secured all-important sixth and seventh spots, while seniors Allen Siegler and captain Austin Stoner finished in 12th and 15th.
Harvard finished second in the league at the Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championships last year. To beat the Crimson by nine points is the perfect validation of the hundreds of miles the Yale squad ran over the summer and should provide a platform of confidence from which they can now build their season.
Arguably, the performance of the afternoon was that of Brown, closely followed by fellow sophomore Robert Miranda. They kicked away from Tuntivate – a 28-minute 10-kilometer runner and multiple-time Ivy League Champion – with controlled ease in the last kilometer to complete the 6.2-kilometer course in 18.47 and 18.52 respectively. By comparison, the winner of the last Harvard-Yale race on the Yale Golf Course, Matthew Chisholm, ran 19.27 over the same distance.
In a reflection of both his own humility and the team's culture, Brown said of both his and the team's performance:
"This win was huge for us. We came out of last year's race disappointed but hungry for more and we really showed it today. Getting the win today, while it's something to be celebrated, is only the start. Our goals stretch far beyond this one competition and we're really looking forward to shaking things up at Heps."
Of the race and the season ahead, captain Stoner said:
"We came into today excited to compete and see where we stacked up against a talented Harvard team. I thought we ran with excitement and grit that we haven't seen in quite some time, and I think that was the real difference-maker for us. I am incredibly proud of this team and all who raced today. We will enjoy this one, but we have lots more work to do. On to the next one!"
That "next one" is in two weeks, on September 27th, when the Bulldogs will travel to the University of Virginia for the Panorama Farms Invitational looking to further affirm their status as a major force as they build towards the key races of the season in October and November. For now, though, they will look to recover and return swiftly to training, fueled by the sweet taste of beating Harvard.
Results can be found here.
