Three Lions Earn All-Ivy Honors As Cross Country Takes Home Fourth Place At The Ivy League Heptagonal Championships

Upper West Side NY

03 November, 2021

12:49 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ROBERT GAO AND HENRY OLTMAN NOVEMBER 2, 2021 Gloomy Halloween eve clouds dissipated overhead just hours before the Columbia men's and women's cross country teams prepared to compete in the Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championships on Saturday. As amber-hued trees swayed alongside the starting grid, fans supporting each of the Ancient Eight teams turned out in full force, cheering eagerly and excited for the long-awaited return of the cross country Heps held at West Windsor Fields in Princeton, New Jersey. The women's cross country team has held the Ivy League championship title since 2017. Hoping to win its fourth straight Ivy League title, the Light Blue was disappointed as it placed fourth in the 6K race with a total of 89 points. Track and field and cross country director Daniel Ireland was disheartened by the women's squad. "Being fourth was disappointing. But on paper coming in, I knew if we didn't run a really strong race, we'd be fourth," Ireland said. However, given that the team was a majority-underclassmen squad, Ireland acknowledged the valuable experience that was gained for the team. "It was really exciting to see that young group—we got something to build on," Ireland said. "This makes me really excited about the coming years." As Ireland noted, it was many of the Lions' first Heps, including first-year Phoebe Anderson, who placed fourth in the women's 6K with a blazing time of 20:38.6—a personal best. The young runner placed highest out of all competing Columbia athletes, earning first-team All-Ivy League honors. The next in light blue to cross the finish line was sophomore Nikki Vanasse, placing 11th with a quality time of 21:02.6, warranting a second-team All-Ivy League award. Following Anderson and Vanasse was senior Sofia Camacho who finished in 21st place. She was followed by first-year Sofia Matson and senior Linnaea Kavulich, who finished in 26th and 27th place respectively. The Crimson ultimately claimed the women's Ivy League Heps trophy with a total of 37 team points and four runners in the top 10, despite a first-place individual finish by Yale's Kayley Delay with a searing 20:08.8. The men's team, which completed an 8K in the second race of the day, placed fourth as well. The team was led by junior Tyler Berg, whose personal best time of 24:11.1 earned him an 11th place finish and second-team All-Ivy recognition—his second-straight Heps with conference honors. Reflecting on his performance, Berg said, "It was a little bittersweet. I finished fourth as a freshman, 11th today. But I've been dealing with some injuries, so to come back and finish like that, I'm super happy." Despite performances that did not quite meet the Light Blue's own expectations, Ireland praised the men's team. "We were really happy to come in here with only two upperclassmen and the rest are all competing in their first Heps ever, freshmen basically, and get fourth. We beat everyone that I thought we should have beaten today, we lost to the teams on paper that we should've lost to today." To wit, eight of the 10 runners that competed for the Light Blue in the men's 8K were first-years. Senior David Vorbach, the Lions' only other upperclassman, earned 23rd place after fading somewhat down the stretch following a strong start. The Princeton men claimed the title on their home turf with five Tigers finishing in the top 10, and Harvard placed second with three top five finishes, including individual champion Matthew Pereira. Both Columbia teams will head to Boston for the NCAA Cross Country Northeast Regional Championships on Nov. 12. Although the Light Blue is unlikely to make the NCAA National Championships as a team, Anderson hopes to individually qualify for Nationals with a strong performance next week. Staff writer Robert Gao can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @robertgao01. Staff writer Henry Oltman can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @henry_olt. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.