MIDDLETOWN, NY - The Iona University men's cross country team extended its conference championship streak to 36th straight with a first-place finish at the 2026 Metro Conference Championship at the Blue Sky Sports Complex.
Duncan Robinson captured the individual title in the 8k race, leading a dominant Iona performance that produced a perfect team score of 15 points and added another notch to the program's record streak.
The Gaels' perfect score marked the 17th time in program history they have swept the team scoring at a conference championship. Fifteen of those performances have come during the current 36-title streak, with 14 occurring in the 21st century.
IONA PERFORMERS
Robinson led the way, crossing the finish line in 24:55.3 to claim the individual championship and earn the event's Most Outstanding Runner distinction. Senior
Baptiste Cartieaux followed in second at 24:56.4, while junior
Ollie Boltz matched that time to finish third. Junior
Billy Coogan placed fourth in 24:56.8, giving Iona the top four individual finishers.
Freshman
Rhett Baker completed the top five in 25:05.2, followed by senior
Patrick Cantlon in sixth at 25:07.1 and freshman
Daniel Cova in seventh at 25:08.7. Senior
Flynn Jennings finished ninth in 25:23.1, while sophomore
Reiss Marshall rounded out Iona's top 10 in 14th place at 25:38.5.
Junior
Jackson Jamison placed 17th in 25:46.3, and junior
Sean Lawton finished 21st in 25:49.8. Freshmen Baker and Cova led a strong rookie contingent, with the five Iona freshmen earning places on the Metro Conference Championship All-Rookie Team. Baker was additionally named Rookie of the Event.
TOP INDIVIDUALS
Robinson's victory continued one of the most remarkable traditions in collegiate distance running, as he became Iona's 26th consecutive individual conference champion. The streak dates back to 2002, and Robinson's performance earned him Most Outstanding Runner honors.
Cartieaux finished second, followed by Boltz in third and Coogan in fourth, completing Iona's sweep of the top four individual positions. Baker finished fifth, Cantlon sixth, and Cova seventh to give the Gaels seven of the top seven spots.
Siena's Colin Brunelle was eighth in 25:10.5, ahead of Jennings in ninth. Marist's Jackson Borge and Isaac Gross finished 10th and 11th, respectively. Quinnipiac's Alex Saldana placed 12th, followed by Merrimack's Aidan Dupill in 13th. Marshall finished 14th, with Rider's Matt McCarron completing the top 15.
Marist's Miles Chamberlain placed 16th, followed by Jamison in 17th. Fairfield's Harrison Caprara was 18th, Siena's Jackson Cayward finished 19th, and Marist's Logan Schaeffler placed 20th. Lawton took 21st, followed by Rider's Santino D'Amelio in 22nd, Merrimack's Sean Moore in 23rd, Marist's Raffi Buchakjian in 24th, and Siena's Evan Wattie in 25th.
The top 15 finishers earned All-Metro Conference Championship Team recognition.
TEAM SCORES
Iona posted a perfect score of 15 points to claim the championship, finishing well ahead of runner-up Marist with 70 points. Siena placed third with 93 points, followed by Rider in fourth with 129.
Canisius finished fifth with 175 points, narrowly ahead of Quinnipiac (176) and Merrimack (177). Fairfield placed eighth with 195 points, followed by Sacred Heart with 217. Manhattan finished 10th with 278 points, while Mount St. Mary's (335), Niagara (388), and Saint Peter's (402) completed the team standings.
Iona Performers
Top 25 Performers
| Pl. |
Runner |
School |
Time |
| 1.) |
Duncan Robinson |
Iona |
24:55.3 |
| 2.) |
Baptiste Cartieaux |
Iona |
24:56.4 |
| 3.) |
Ollie Boltz |
Iona |
24:56.4 |
| 4.) |
Billy Coogan |
Iona |
24:56.8 |
| 5.) |
Rhett Baker |
Iona |
25:05.2 |
| 6.) |
Patrick Cantlon |
Iona |
25:07.1 |
| 7.) |
Daniel Cova |
Iona |
25:08.7 |
| 8.) |
Colin Brunelle |
Siena |
25:10.5 |
| 9.) |
Flynn Jennings |
Iona |
25:23.1 |
| 10.) |
Jackson Borge |
Marist |
25:28.1 |
| 11.) |
Isaac Gross |
Marist |
25:30.2 |
| 12.) |
Alex Saldana |
Quinnipiac |
25:34.4 |
| 13.) |
Aidan Dupill |
Merrimack |
25:37.9 |
| 14.) |
Reiss Marshall |
Iona |
25:38.5 |
| 15.) |
Matt McCarron |
Rider |
25:43.5 |
| 16.) |
Miles Chamberlain |
Marist |
25:45.8 |
| 17.) |
Jackson Jamison |
Iona |
25:46.3 |
| 18.) |
Harrison Caprara |
Fairfield |
25:46.8 |
| 19.) |
Jackson Cayward |
Siena |
25:48.5 |
| 20.) |
Logan Schaeffler |
Marist |
25:49.4 |
| 21.) |
Sean Lawton |
Iona |
25:49.8 |
| 22.) |
Santino D'amelio |
Rider |
25:49.9 |
| 23.) |
Sean Moore |
Merrimack |
25:50.9 |
| 24.) |
Raffi Buchakjian |
Marist |
25:52.7 |
| 25.) |
Evan Wattie |
Siena |
25:53.4 |
Team Scores
| Pl. |
Team |
Score |
| 1.) |
Iona |
15 |
| 2.) |
Marist |
70 |
| 3.) |
Siena |
93 |
| 4.) |
Rider |
129 |
| 5.) |
Canisius |
175 |
| 6.) |
Quinnipiac |
176 |
| 7.) |
Merrimack |
177 |
| 8.) |
Fairfield |
195 |
| 9.) |
Sacred Heart |
217 |
| 10.) |
Manhattan |
278 |
| 11.) |
Mount St. Mary's |
335 |
| 12.) |
Niagara |
388 |
| 13.) |
Saint Peter's |
402 |
UP NEXT
With another Metro Conference championship secured, the Gaels now turn their attention to the NCAA postseason. Iona returns to competition on Friday, November 13, at the 2026 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, hosted at Bethpage Polo at the Park in Farmingdale, NY. The regional championship will provide the next opportunity for the Gaels to build on their conference performance and pursue qualification for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
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