HOPKINTON, N.H. — The Cornell men's cross country team secured a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Championships on Friday at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds. The performance was highlighted by a top 20 All-Region finish from sophomore Griffin Mandirola in his collegiate 10k debut.
Mandirola charged through the field to place 17th overall in 29:44.4, earning All-Region honors and leading Cornell for the third straight meet. Junior Matthew O'Brien added a top 40 finish, placing 37th in 30:23.2.
Senior Tyler Canaday finished 49th in 30:31.9, sophomore Peyton Shute placed 55th in 30:35.5, and sophomore Colin Martens rounded out the scoring in 118th with a time of 31:26.4.
Head Coach Mike Henderson, the Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Head Coach of Cross Country, noted that the team handled significant adversity early in the race.
"It was not the day we had hoped for, but I am proud of the way they fought through the adversity of the day," Henderson said, citing one athlete who became ill mid-race and another who went down in a pileup before the mile mark. "Losing two guys during the race took a lot of punch out of the group. It would have been easy for them to lose focus, but the five finishers showed real grit and battled hard to keep the team in the top 10 overall."
Henderson praised the resilience and race strategy from the top runners.
"Griffin, Matt and Peyton all did a nice job moving forward throughout the race, and they showed great competitive spirit and grit on the day."
Mandirola's poised breakthrough in the longer distance also stood out.
"Griffin ran with a ton of poise and composure. It was his first 10k, but we felt that this was a distance that would serve him well and he showed that today. He positioned himself well and stayed engaged every step of the way to earn All-Region honors. It was an excellent way for him to cap off a great season."
Cornell's ninth-place performance concludes a season defined by progress, resilience, and several strong individual breakthroughs.
