Yale Athletics

Over the past weekend, the Eli’s team traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., for the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships. This was Cornell’s final time hosting Heps, drawing in rowdy fans and alumni to cheer on the races.

Victoria Guerrier ’27 and the men’s distance medley relay team both set facility records at the meet. These athletes’ exceptional performances help set the stage for the upcoming outdoor season. 

“I think we’re on the right track to succeed; there were a good amount of individual and relay performances that set us up well for the future,” Leo Brewer ’25 wrote to the News.

Leading into the weekend, the Bulldogs faced some unexpected injury and illness setbacks, Brewer and Brian Di Bassinga ’26 told the News. However, the athletes kept their spirits up and competed fearlessly. 

“I put this down to our team culture, all running for each other, through the highs and the lows,” Brewer wrote, explaining the team’s perseverance.

Brewer competed in the first leg of the men’s distance relay medley, running 1200 meters and kicking off the Bulldogs record-breaking race. The race concluded with Simon Jupp ’25 in the 400 meters, Max Bishop ’28 in the 800 meters and Owen Karas ’26 in the 1600 meters. 

Brewer told the News he attributes much of their success to the performances by his fellow teammates Bishop and Karas.

“[Karas’] anchor leg was one of the most amazing performances I’ve seen in a Yale jersey, going all out to hold off the Cornell runner, silencing the home crowd,” wrote Brewer. “The race was really a dream, a real team effort.”

Guerrier joined the men’s distance relay team in their facility record-breaking performances in the 800 meters, clocking in first at 2:04.57. Guerrier was seeded first going into the race and smashed expectations, smiling throughout the race and into the finish line. 

“I reminded myself that pressure is a privilege — not something to be afraid of, but something to be excited about,” Guerrier told the News. 

Her mindset and the support from her coaches and teammates played a key role in the victory, Guerrier said. 

Carmel Fitzgibbon ’27 followed Guerrier, securing second place in the 800 meters with a time of 2:07.64. Clipping the top two places in this event earned Yale 18 of the 54 total points they scored. 

Yale secured two other second-place finishes: Di Bassinga in the triple jump with a mark of 15.25 meters and Juliette Kosmont ’27, who set a new Yale record in the 60 meters with her time of 7.43 seconds. 

Di Bassinga was one of the athletes who faced injury and illness in the lead-up to Heps, but as the Bulldogs often do, he took inspiration from his teammates.

“On the day of the competition, I thought of something my teammate Orion Browne reminded me: What happened throughout the season does not dictate what happens today,” Di Bassinga wrote to the News. “So, I went in with the same mindset of jumping far that I have at every meet, and by the grace of God, things started to click.”

Other Yale athletes walked away from the weekend with bronze medals in their event, including the women’s distance medley relay team and 4×400 meter relay team, Gloria Guerrier ’27 in the 500 meters with a time of 1:12.38 and Isiah Udofia ’26 placed third in the long jump with a mark of 7.34 meters. 

Nolan Recker ’26 also placed third in the weight throw with a mark of 20.36 meters, falling short of his school record of 20.80 at the beginning of the season. Though not his best performance of the season, his previous success will surely carry into the outdoor season. 

Notably, Lucija Grd ’27 broke her own school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.43, placing fourth in the overall competition.

The following athletes additionally earned All-Ivy Honors for their first or second-place finishes at Heps: Brewer, Jupp, Bishop, Karas, Gurrier, Fitzgibbon, and Kosmont. Captain Jacob Kao ’25 and Bridget Vitu ’25 earned Academic All-Ivy honors. 

Now, the team looks towards their first outdoor meat over the Spring recess. Victoria Guerrier told the News she is sure that her mantra — “Run this race as a celebration. Run like I can’t fail. Run as if I’ve already won.” — will continue to motivate her and lead to the team’s continued success in the coming season.

The first outdoor meet will occur on March 21 and 22 at the Black and Gold Invitational in Orlando, FL.