Yale Athletics

On Saturday, the Yale men’s and women’s cross country teams shipped up to Boston to race in the Codfish Bowl Invitational, hosted by USA Track & Field.

The teams had strong showings, both finishing second out of 11 in their respective packs. Each team featured a plethora of new faces and claimed the overall individual winner in its respective competition. The Bulldogs will return to race on the same course later this fall for the Ivy League Championships.

“The young guys ran really well in their first 8K on a really tough course in challenging conditions,” men’s team captain Sean Kay ’24 wrote to the News. “It was inspiring to see them step up to the plate and deliver. We go back to the same course for Ivy League Championships and hopefully we can bring some new faces back to the course in a couple of weeks.”

In the men’s 8K, the Bulldogs had many baby Bulldogs step up to the plate. The team was led by first year Daegan Cutter ’27, who took home first overall with a time of 25:14. Behind Cutter were Brian Gamble ’27, who took fourth with a time of 25:22; Alex Mader ’26, who took eighth with a time of 25:52; Will Sheehy ’26, who placed 11th with a time of 25:58; and Caden Montini ’27, who placed 13th  with a time of 26:31.

Cutter, notching his first collegiate win in only his second race, was also the Bulldog’s fifth runner in the first meet of the season, which featured all of the Bulldogs’ upperclassmen. Hailing from San Anselmo, California, Cutter said he received initial interest from Yale when he ran a 14:18 3-mile, a 4:46 mile, and a 15:16 5K — a 4:55 mile pace — on a hilly course during his senior year. Cutter said he was attracted to the team’s culture and obvious camaraderie.

“I got into running because I wanted to do a fall sport my freshman year of high school,” Cutter wrote to the News when asked what has sustained his interest in running over his career. “The sports that didn’t require any experience were football and cross country, and I was 5-foot-4 and 100 pounds, so cross country it was. I became increasingly close with my teammates and motivated to get better. Running became a place to escape from the real world and just be with my friends, either coasting along or pushing ourselves to our limits depending on the day.”

On the women’s side of events, the Bulldogs also lay claim to the overall champion, Linde Fonville ’26, who ran the 5K in 18:03. This gave her a 31-second win over the second-place runner, teammate Hebe Chadwick ’27, who finished the 5K in 18:34. The first non-Bulldog came in at 18:57, nearly one minute slower than the first-place Fonville. Rounding out the top five for the Bulldogs were Daniella Henderson ’27 in 11th with a time of 19:23, Anna Chamberlin ’26 in 14th with a time of 19:30, and Priya Gangadharan ’27 in 25th with a time of 20:12.

Women’s head coach Sheehan praised her first and second finishers.

“Linde Fonville did a fantastic job of setting the pace and it was great seeing Hebe Chadwick follow suit in her opening race for the team,” Sheehan wrote to the News. “We also had a number of personal bests which is encouraging this early in the season.”

The Bulldogs race next at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this Saturday, Sept. 30.