Harvard Men's Cross Country Qualifies for NCAA Championships after Weathering Northeast Regional

On Friday, the Harvard cross-country team traveled to Bethpage, N.Y., to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. After running through cold, rainy conditions in the 10-kilometer race, the 11th-ranked men’s team punched its ticket to the NCAA National Championship with an automatic bid by securing second place, while the women’s team will have to wait to see if it qualifies for an at-large bid with its sixth-place finish.

This meet marked the men’s team’s second top-two finish this postseason. Two weeks ago, the men dominated at the Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championships and scored the lowest point total at the meet since 1994, winning the event for the first time since 1972.

The women’s team, meanwhile, battled hard at the regional championships but finished sixth, putting its chances of an at-large bid to nationals in serious jeopardy.

In its first 10,000-meter race of the season, the men’s team excelled, scoring two of the top four finishers en route to its second-place finish. After securing an automatic bid by placing in the top two of the region, the Crimson will return to the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind., where it competed earlier this season in the Indiana State Invite.

Sophomore Tam Gavenas spearheaded the effort for Harvard in a gutsy race. The Massachusetts native, who secured first at the Ivy League Championships, nabbed second at the meet, only bested by Hofstra’s sophomore Frederick Kipkosgei, and closed out the race in 30:14.8.

Also among the top five finishers was co-captain Sam Burgess, who fought the elements to cross the line fourth, with a time of 30:25.4.

Behind Burgess in eighth place was fellow co-captain Charlie Ortmans. The Arlington, Va., native got off to a much stronger start than he did at the Ivy League Championships and was leading the race at 2.3 kilometers. Ortmans dropped places across the next several kilometers, ultimately finishing in 30:30.5.

Sophomore Ben Bouie was the next Crimson scorer. Despite the abysmal weather, Bouie had a very strong race, placing 13th and running a time of 30:45.2. Freshman Nathan Lee worked up from 85th after 2.3 kilometers to 45th at the finish, becoming the final Harvard scorer. Lee wrapped up his steady race in 31:48.6.

The first displacer for the Crimson was senior Ethan Aidam, who ran a time of 31:53.0 to finish in 51st place. Sophomore Brady Mullen closed out the action for Harvard in 59th place. The New Orleans, La., native endured the tough conditions and logged a 32:04.9.

Senior Sophia Gorriaran was the first Crimson racer across the finish line for the women’s side. The Providence, R.I., native placed 23rd overall. Her time of 20:27.8 in the 6,000-meter race topped the personal best she established just two weeks ago at the Ivy League Championships.

For the second time in this postseason, Gorriaran was followed by four freshmen. Greta Hammer was the first of those fantastic four, finishing in 32nd place and also earning a personal record with a time of 20:43.0.

Aelo Curtis was the next to cross the tape for the Crimson. The Ventura, Calif., native placed 37th and sped through the course as she found the finish line in 20:49.4. Coming in 47th, Siena Mackley was the fourth Harvard finisher, taking home a new personal record after completing her race in 21:02.3.

Abby Downin, the fourth freshman, rounded out the Crimson scorers with her 74th-place finish. Downin also set a new personal record of 21:21.9, which shaved a massive 31 seconds off her previous best.

Junior Abby Sadler placed 113th at the meet and completed her race in 21:44.2. Sophomore Ella Cohen wrapped up the action for the women’s team in 182nd. The New York native logged a time of 22:31.7.

The men’s team will compete next at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship on Nov. 21st in Terre Haute, and the women’s team will have to wait until the NCAA’s selection show at 5 p.m. EST tomorrow, when at-large bids are announced.

The NCAA National Championship meet will be hosted by Indiana State University and will be the 14th NCAA National Championship run on the historic LaVern Gibson Championship Course.

With this national championship berth, Harvard’s men’s team has now made it to six consecutive national championship meets. The team will return every scorer from last year as it looks to improve on its 29th-place finish in 2025.

—Staff writer Samuel A. Freeman can be reached at [email protected].