STANFORD, CA- Eight performers from the Iona University men's and women's outdoor track and field teams competed at the 2023 Payton Jordan Invitational at the Cobb Track and Angel Field Track at Stanford University.

MEN'S 5,000-METER RUN

On Friday night in California, the spotlights shined, and two Gaels were waiting on the start line to open with the 5,000-meter run.
 
Sophomore Matt Rankin ran 13:48.40 over the 5k, a near four second improvement on his first 5000-meters of the season at Raleigh Relays on March 23 and the No. 7 fastest time in school history. He was 16th overall in the 34-runner race field. Junior Jonathan DeSouza ranked 33rd overall running a time of 14:21.14 in his 5k appearance this season.

MEN'S 10,000-METER RUN

Three Gaels ran the 10,000-meter event. Senior Jamie Dee was Iona's top performer, running a personal best time of 28:51.68 and ranked seventh overall in the event. The time ranks No. 6 on the Maroon & Gold's all-time performance list. In the same heat, sophomore Lachlan Wellington ran 29:35.48 and ranked 14th overall. Senior Graham Baird came in 15th, running 30:09.95.

MEN'S 1,500-METER RUN

One-Two Gaels!!!
 
Iona was back on the track on Saturday afternoon as both juniors Damien Dilcher and Mael Gouyette finished first (3:41.67) and second (3:42.01) in the 1,500 meter event.  Dilcher missed Gael Hall of Famer Tim Bayley's school record mark of 3:41.66 by just 0.01. Gouyette's time is fourth fastest in Iona history, .01 behind another Hall of Famer, Brian Roche. Unofficially at Iona, former Gael standout, and current assistant coach, Liam Dee, holds the 1500-meter record running, posting a 3:40 while red shirting and Gouyette following close behind with a 3:40.49 last summer in international competition.
 
Dee, Rankin, Dilcher and Gouyette have likely punched their ticket in their respective events for the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Jacksonville, Florida next month. The top 48 runners in each event qualify. Dilcher and Gouyette rank No. 42 and No. 46 in the 1,500 while Rankin is No. 32 in the 5k, and Dee is 22nd in the 10k.

WOMEN'S 10,000-METER RUN

On the women side, senior Sophie Murphy earned first place honors, running a personal best time of 34:28.06. It was her first collegiate outdoor 10,000 event and the fourth fastest time in Iona history.

UP NEXT

The Gaels continue action this week on the track during the prestigious Penn Relays 2023 as they will compete on individual events and in the US Championships 4xMile at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

IONA PERFORMERS

Men's 1500: Damien Dilcher, 1st, 34:28.06; Mael Gouyette, 2nd, 34:28.06. Men's 5k: Matt Rankin, 15th, 13:48.40; Jonathan DeSouza, 11th, 14:21.14. Men's 10k: Jamie Dee, 7th, 28:51.68; Lachlan Wellington, 14th, 29:35.48; Graham Baird, 15th, 30:09.95; Women's 10k: Sophie Murphy, 1st, 34:28.06.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona University athletics on all social media platforms:
Iona Gaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates).
Iona Cross Country/Track: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.