Amid the buzz of Freshman Parents Weekend and other Princeton athletic events on campus, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams had a solid weekend of racing. The two teams sent their top groups to Terre Haute, Ind., for the Pre-Nationals meet, while the rest of the squads hosted the Princeton Invitational at West Windsor Fields.
After a successful meet in Wisconsin two weeks ago — after which the men leaped up the national rankings to No. 12, from No. 23 — the Tigers went into Pre-Nationals with the goals of preparing for the end of the season and testing out the course that will be used for the NCAA championship.
On Saturday, the men’s team finished fifth overall, with junior Donn Cabral leading the way with a sixth-place individual finish in a time of 23 minutes 36.1 seconds on the 8-kilometer course.
Junior Brian Leung also had a solid race, finishing in 24:01.2 to take 16th place as the second-fastest Tiger of the meet. Stanford, ranked No. 1 nationally, topped the competition, while No. 18 Iona and No. 15 Florida State came in second and third, respectively.
“Our team executed very well at the Pre-Nationals meet. The main goal was to see and feel out the course to better prepare ourselves for nationals, which is in five weeks,” Leung said. “Although we did not perform as well as we would have liked, it was a solid race that we took a lot away from. Running there the second time this season will be much easier now that we’ve seen the course.”
The women also had strong competition in Terre Haute. Of the 38 teams that competed, nine were nationally ranked, including the No. 15 Tigers.
Princeton collected 291 points to place seventh, with junior Alex Banfich finishing second in the women’s 6-kilometer race. Banfich ran head to head with Risper Kimaiyo from University of Texas at El Paso almost the entire race, with Kimaiyo winning by five seconds. Banfich finished in 20:08.3, an improvement of 50 seconds from the same course last year. Senior Ashley Higginson also posted solid results, coming in eighth in 20:33.1 and shaving 34 seconds off her previous time on the course.
Back at home, the women and men both faced other nationally ranked teams at the Princeton Invitational.
The women’s team finished in third place, just behind Iona in first and Columbia in second.
Leading the Tigers was senior Brooke Russell, who finished in 10th place. Freshman Katie Skinner and sophomores Greta Feldman and Lauren Zumbach also finished in the top 30. Zumbach is a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.
The men’s team also placed high at the Princeton Invitational. With Junior Max Kaulbach leading the way to a seventh-place individual finish, the Tigers placed second overall just behind No. 29 Texas.
Both the men’s and women’s squads are now looking ahead to the much-anticipated Heptagonals — the Ivy League championship for cross country — which will be held in New York City in two weekends.
“I am really looking forward to Heptagonals,” Kaulbach said. “I think that we are definitely ready to make some noise. The rest of the league is pretty good this year, but I think that right now we have one of the best Ivy League cross country teams.”
“Heptagonals is a really special race to us because we know that every other [competitor] out there on the course is doing the same amount of school work and is balancing their sports in the exact same way we are,” Banfich said. “Basically we’re all in the same boat as far as our experiences with school and running, and there’s definitely a level of mutual respect that we all have for each other. To win that meet is definitely our goal. As long as we have everyone healthy, we will have a great shot.”
Read More
No. 7 women’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals against No. 1 UNC
Hayk YengibaryanWith the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
With the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals after 19–18 loss to No. 5 Syracuse
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
With the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.