BETHPAGE, N.Y. — The Cornell men's cross country team opened its season Saturday by running patiently early and steadily moving through the field, using its depth to capture the team title at the Adelphi Panthers XC Invite.
Competing on the course that will host the NCAA Northeast Regional later this fall, the Big Red won the 8-kilometer race with 18 points, placing 10 runners among the top 15 and getting a course-record performance from Pierre Attiogbe.
Race leaders Pierre Attiogbe, Aryan Abbaraju and Griffin Mandirola took a strategy of settinling in behind the race leaders early to size up the field before beginning to their strike forward. Attiogbe separated from the group over the final 800 meters and closed the gap to take first in 24:31.0, establishing a new course record.
As Attiogbe surged before, Abbaraju and Mandirola stayed together and close behind their teammate, both finishing in 24:45.3, taking second and third.
First-year runner Alex Mazzeo produced a strong collegiate debut, running a controlled opening before closing hard to finish fifth in 25:07.3. Colin Martens followed in seventh at 25:31.3.
First-year Krish Desai and junior Andy Ordway rounded out Cornell's top seven, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Desai clocked 25:42.7, while Ordway finished in 25:43.0.
"First year Alex Mazzeo ran very controlled early, and had a strong finish to really close the gap on the lead pack and get a top 5 finish in his first 8k effort," Henderson said.
Cornell's depth continued behind its top seven, with the Big Red placing 10 runners in the top 15.
The closely packed finishes were a reflection of Cornell's emphasis on racing together and building throughout the 8K.
"The Big Red rolled in with a strong and steady group to take 7th through 12th and put 10 in the top 15 of the race to take the team title," Henderson said.
Desai provided another strong showing in his collegiate debut, while Ordway reached a career milestone by cracking Cornell's top seven for the first time.
"A few other notable finishes in the group included another first year, Krish Desai, and junior Andy Ordway both helping to round out the top 7 for the team," Henderson said. "For Ordway, it was his first time being in the team's top 7 in his career."
Cornell Results:
Team score: Cornell 18 points
"Both teams executed really well today in terms of finding each other and supporting each other through the race, but also with managing the heat and humidity and not over extending themselves early in the season," Henderson said.
Saturday's race also served as the Big Red's first opportunity to compete on the NCAA Northeast Regional course.
"We were excited to get the season started and get a preview of the NCAA NE Regional course we will race on later in the year," Henderson said.
The early-season victory gave Cornell both a strong result and a starting point from which to continue developing.
"It is always nice to see the hard work they put in over the summer pay off, and it is nice to not only walk away with wins, but having a lot more information on where we are at this time of year and what we have to keep working on to become our best selves the next time we are back at this course," Henderson said.
UP NEXT
The Big Red returns to action next weekend for its home meet at Moakley Course, against Ithaca College and Cortland, beginning at 6 p.m. EST.
The Big Red will look to carry the momentum into its home meet next weekend.
"It was a fun start to the season and we look forward to keeping that going with our home meet next weekend," Henderson said.
