NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's cross country team took a big step forward last season, finishing third at the Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championships just a year after placing sixth. The Bulldogs also claimed the 2024 ECAC Championship and beat rival Harvard. They will look to bring that momentum into the 2025 season, which starts Saturday morning at the Fordham Fiasco in Van Cortlandt Park.
All but one of Yale's top seven runners from last year's NCAA Northeast Regional meet return this year, setting the Bulldogs up for success. 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.
Here is a look at the Bulldogs heading into the season:
Seniors (9)
Archer was Yale's top finisher in every 6K race she ran last year, culminating with a 12th place finish at NCAA Regionals to earn All-Region honors. Archer (first team) and Fonville (second team) were both All-Ivy League honorees. Fonville (second on the team at Heps, third on the team at Regionals) and Poe (second on the team at Regionals, third on the team at Heps) rounded out a consistent top three for the Bulldogs at season's end. Joyce and Whitehurst were also among Yale's top seven at both of those meets. Chamberlin ran at Heps as well.
Barton, Carlos and Lorsbach were all part of Yale's ECAC Championship squad and will look to make further contributions this season.
Juniors (4)
Henderson ended last season on a high note; her fourth-place finish on the team at Regionals was her best such finish of the year. She was seventh on the team at Heps and Chadwick was ninth. Gangadharan gained experience in a pair of races, and Villatoro was 10th among the Bulldogs at the ECAC Championships.
Sophomores (7)
Martonfi was the lone Yale first-year to compete at Heps last season. She, Jin and Sanok Dufallo were all part of Yale's ECAC Championship squad. Those three along with Heijnen, Lovshin and Piot helped the Bulldogs beat Harvard in the season opener. Marchand did not compete last year.
First-years (4)
Benun brings a personal best of 17:45.84 for a 5K cross country race. Carter's PB is 17:18.45, while Polay's is 17:32.90. Svihalkova has excelled in track and field, competing in the Czech U20 Championships and the England Open U20 Championships in the 800m.
