Yale Athletics

On Friday, Nov. 15, the Bulldogs sent their top seven men and women to Hopkinton, N.H., for the NCAA Cross Country Northeast Regional Championships. 

The men’s team placed fifth out of 38 competing teams, its best finish since 2004. The women’s team placed eleventh out of 38 competing teams, a step down from their tenth-place finish last year.

To secure a trip to Nationals, the Bulldogs needed to place in the top two team spots, or individual runners needed to be one of the top four regional finishers on a not-already-advancing team. Yale did not qualify for nationals, and Friday’s race was the last for the teams this season. 

On the men’s team, Owen Karas ’26, Leo Brewer ’25 and Kenan Pala ’26 placed in the first 25 finishing spots, earning All-Region Honors. 

Karas dedicates the success of this year to the team’s seniors and their leadership. 

“Through their experience and dedication to our team, they led us with consistency and success,” Karas wrote to the News. “We executed well at the Northeast Regional Championship, and we are certainly looking to build on our performance in future seasons.”

Brewer and Pala ran as a pack, finishing in twenty fourth and twenty fifth, respectively. Throughout the season, the two worked together and pushed each other, often finishing within seconds of each other.

Alongside Karas, Brewer and Pala were Winslow Atkeson ’25, Varun Oberai ’25, Braden King ’26 and Daegan Cutter ’27. All men placed in the top 90 out of nearly 260 competitors.

Claire Archer ’26 was the only women’s runner to earn All-Region Honors, placing twelfth overall and securing a personal record of 20:15.46. 

Archer also owes her successes to the support of her teammates and coaches. Courtney Jaworski helped her plan each kilometer to best target key competitors and the challenging course, she said.

“I knew I was going to give it my all, but I also didn’t have any expectations — sometimes things click, and sometimes they don’t,” Archer wrote to the News. “I’m really proud of finishing twelfth and earning All-Region honors.” 

Marisa Poe ’26 and Linde Fonville ’26 followed behind Archer in sixty-second and sixty-third, respectively. Cara Joyce ’26 and Charlotte Whitehurst ’26 rounded out the junior class represented at regionals this year. 

Daniella Henderson ’27 competed well in her first NCAA Regional Championship, setting a personal record of 21:31.61. Iris Bergman ’25 wrapped up her last cross country race, placing as Yale’s fifth runner with a strong finish despite the hilly final 2K. 

This season, the women’s team won the ECAC title for the first time in 20 years and placed third at Heps. 

“For the athletes, coaches, and everyone involved, this result represents the culmination of years of hard work, commitment, and belief in the process,” Archer wrote. “We’re already looking ahead, eager to set new goals and continue building on this momentum.” 

Both the men’s and women’s teams now shift gears for the indoor track and field season, where they will be joined by the rest of their teammates including jumpers, throwers and sprinters. 

The Bulldogs will begin their 2024 indoor track and field season the first week of December.