Columbia Claims 2015 #IvyHeps Men's Cross Country Title

Columbia Claims 2015 #IvyHeps Men's Cross Country Title

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BRONX, N.Y. -- Columbia claimed its first Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country title since 2013 and Penn senior Thomas Awad became the first back-to-back individual winner since 2006, Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park.

It was the two League teams ranked nationally in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll that went 1-2 at Ivy Heps, as the 17th-ranked Lions finished with 65 points to hold off No. 29 Quakers in the closest finish since 2009, when Columbia defeated Princeton 60-61. Yale placed third with 75 points, followed by Cornell (75), Princeton (95), Dartmouth (103), Harvard (191) and Brown (230).

Awad is the first Ivy to win consecutive cross country titles since Dartmouth's Ben True in 2005 and 2006. He is the just the second Quaker to win multiple individual cross country championships, joining Dave Merrick (1971, 1973, 1975). Awad's time of 24:30.3

Columbia saw three of its runners finish among the top 10 and four place in the top 20, as senior Aubrey Myjer took third in 24:30.3, followed by junior Jack Boyle (seventh, 24:46.6), senior Tait Rutherford (ninth, 24:54.9) and senior Marc Violone (18th, 25:18.3).

Yale's third-place finish is its best since placing third in 2003, and its 75 points is its best score since tallying 72 in 1990. Two Bulldogs finished among the top five as senior Kevin Dooney was the runner-up with a time of 24:29.5 and junior James Randon took fifth in 24:36.7. Dooney is the best individual finisher for Yale since Lucas Meyer was the runner-up in 2004.

A video recap of the 2015 Ivy Heps will be posted on Monday, along with the Coach of the Year and All-Ivy announcement.

Final Team Standings Points
1. Columbia 65
2. Penn
69
3. Yale 75
4. Cornell
75
5. Princeton 95
6. Dartmouth 103
7. Harvard 191
8. Brown 230