PRINCETON, N.J. – For a second straight season, senior Graham Blanks wins the Ivy League Men's Cross Country Championship, becoming just the eighth men's student-athlete in conference history to win two or more individual Heptagonal championships in their collegiate career. Both Crimson squads finished in second in the team standings at the 2024 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

Back-to-Back for Blanks! ????

Graham Blanks wins his second Ivy League Men's Cross Country title as the men finish in second place as a team ??#GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/4QbIYR6IS1
— Harvard T&F | XC (@HarvardTFXC) November 2, 2024
 

In a dominant performance, Blanks became just the second runner in men's program history to successfully defend their Ivy League title from the pervious year, joining Doug Hardin '69 who did so in the 1967 and 1968 seasons. Blanks posted a time of 22:14.6, beating Penn's Dylan Throop by 32 seconds. A native of Athens, Georgia, Blanks' time ranks first all-time in 8k races at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

Along with Blanks, senior Ben Rosa earned All-Ivy League First Team honors with a fourth place finish, as junior Shane Brosnan (Ninth) and sophomore Sam Burgess (12^th) garnered All-Ivy League Second Team recognition. On the women's side, junior Molly Malague posted the Crimson's best performance in the Garden State, finishing in fifth place, as teammate and classmate Penelope Salmon also gained All-Ivy League First Team status with a sixth place performance. Seniors Ellaney Matarese (13^th) and Ella Gilson (14^th) earned All-Ivy League Second Team honors.

Frames From Heps ??

Up Next ?? NCAA Regionals!#GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/aiE3lwPXmg
— Harvard T&F | XC (@HarvardTFXC) November 2, 2024
 

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

• Action started with the women's 6k race at the Meadows Campus Cross Country Course, as Harvard finished in second with 53 points, 13 points away from matching champions Princeton.
• All five of Harvard's scorers finished in the top-15 of the women's 6k race at the 2024 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, as Malague led the way with a fifth place showing, earning All-Ivy League First team honors for the first time with a time of 20:18.1.
• Finishing right behind Malague was Salmon, as the Aukland, New Zealand native posted a time of 20:23.1 for a sixth place finish.
• Matarese and Gilson rounded out the Crimson's All-Ivy League honorees on the women's side. A native of La Canada, California, Matarese posted a time of 20:41.6 for a 13^th place showing, while Gilson crossed the finish line in 14^th with a time of 20:43.2.
• Senior Zoe Cooper rounded out Harvard's scoring at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, taking 15^th with a time of 20:46.3. Fellow classmate and team captain Annelies Quinton finished in 16^th place with a time of 20:47.2, while first-year Abigail Sadler finished in 34th in her Heptagonals debut with a time of 21:16.1.
• From the gun, Blanks ran at his own pace in the men's 8k race, winning his second Ivy League title with a time of 22:14.6.
• As a team, the men finished in second with 62 points, 11 shy of first place Princeton.
• For the second time in his career, Rosa is an All-Ivy League honoree, finishing in a career-best fourth place with a time of 22:59.8.
• Brosnan finished in ninth with a time of 23:13.9, the Crimson third top-10 performer. After taking 14^th place last season, Burgess improved at this year's iteration of Heps, taking 12^th with a time of 23:19.6.
• In his Ivy League Heptagonal Championships debut, first-year William Brunner rounded out Harvard's scoring, finishing in 43rd with a time of 24:21.6.
• Another first-year making their Heps debut, Solomon Kwartowitz crossed the finish line with a time of 24:22.5 and a 45th place finish, as senior Noah Ward placed 47^th with a time of 24:26.9.

A Fantastic Effort ??

The women finish in second place at Heps! #GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/ZaigOnSIvm
— Harvard T&F | XC (@HarvardTFXC) November 2, 2024
 

UP NEXT:

The Crimson continue their postseason journey on Friday, Nov. 15, traveling to Hopkinton, New Hampshire for the 2024 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.

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