NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's cross country team is coming off its best NCAA Northeast Regionals finish (fifth) since 2004. Four of Yale's top seven finishers from 2024 Regionals are back, fueling a sense of optimism for the 2025 season.
This is Yale's second season with
Courtney Jaworski as the team's Mark T. Young '68 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field and with
Kyle Basista as the team's head coach of men's cross country, assistant coach of men's track and field.
The team kicks off the campaign Friday at the Br. John "Paddy" Doyle Iona Meet of Champions at Van Cortlandt Park.
Here is a look at the Bulldogs:
Seniors (6)
Karas was Yale's top finisher at the NCAA Northeast Regional last fall, placing 22nd overall to earn All-Region honors. He is coming off a stellar track and field season that saw him break school records in the 1500, mile, 3K and 5K. Pala finished third on the team at both Heps and NCAA Regionals last year. He has competed at both those meets all three years of his career. His Regionals finish last year (25th) earned him All-Region honors.
King, Yale's captain, finished last season strong. He was among Yale's top seven at both Heps and NCAA Regionals, posting an 8K PR at Heps. Sheehy made his Heps debut last season and looks to build on that.
Chettiar has gained experience in four cross country races in his career, including a seventh-place finish at the Harvard-Yale-Princeton race two years ago. Mader gained his first collegiate cross country experience at the Codfish Bowl two years ago. He is coming off a track and field season in which he took 13th in the 5K at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Juniors (10)
A large junior class fuels Yale's depth. Last year, Cutter was the top finisher among the members of the Class of 2027 at both Heps (fourth on the team) and Regionals (sixth on the team). He looks to continue to be one of the Bulldogs' top seven. Luff made his Heps debut last year.
Gamble showed promise in last year's season-opening win vs. Harvard, taking third on the team and fourth overall. Diaz was Yale's third finisher at the Codfish Bowl. Fields was fourth on the team at IC4As and Sullivan – the recipient of the team's Coaches Award – was fourth at the Codfish Bowl. Seidman's best finish on the team was eighth at IC4As.
Bravo, Montini and Stevens did not appear in any cross country races last year, but made their impact felt during track and field season.
Sophomores (6)
Cohen and Schutzbank both made their Heps debuts last year. Schutzbank earned the team's Most Outstanding First-Year Award. Hom, Murray and Sutch all were among the Bulldogs' top 10 finishers at a pair of races. Bishop made his collegiate cross country debut at IC4As and went on to shine during track and field season, helping Yale's distance medley relay team to an Ivy League Championship.
First-years (5)
Five first-years join the Bulldogs in 2025. Collier brings a 5K road race personal best time of 14:13, while Manley has run 15:17 for a 5K cross country race. McNulty helped his high school team win the OHSAA DI Cross Country State Championship in 2023. Strichartz finished fifth individually at the 2024 Wisconsin State Cross Country Championships (15:31 for the 5K). Strong ran a 5K cross country race in 15:08.90.
