FARMINGDALE, NY - The Iona University men's cross country team finished second overall at the Adelphi Panthers Invite Friday at Bethpage Polo at the Park. Freshman
Elliot Belanger led the Gaels in his collegiate debut, placing 13th overall in 26:05.4, as the Gaels opened their 2026 season at the site of the 2026 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.
IONA PERFORMERS
Following Belanger, sophomore
Sean Lawton finished closely behind, placing 14th overall in 26:05.7. Junior
Baptiste Cartieaux was 15th in 26:05.9, while sophomore
Jackson Jamison and freshman
Daniel Cova rounded out Iona's five scoring runners. Jamison finished 16th and Cova were 16th and 17th, both recording a time of 26:06.0.
Freshman
Rhett Baker placed 18th in 26:06.2, followed by classmate
Reiss Marshall in 19th at 26:06.7 and junior Oliver Boltz in 20th at 26:06.8.
THE RUN DOWN
Iona's top seven runners all finished between 13th and 19th overall. Belanger, Lawton, Cartieaux, Jamison and Cova combined for Iona's team score of 60 points, placing the Gaels second overall.
TOP INDIVIDUAL FINISHES
Cornell runners swept the top three individual positions. Pierre Attiogbe won the race in 24:31.0, followed by teammates Aryan Abbaraju and Griffin Mandirola, who each finished in 24:45.3. LIU's Brian Masai was fourth in 25:05.2, while Cornell's Alex Mazzeo rounded out the top five in 25:07.3.
TEAM SCORES
Cornell claimed the team championship with 18 points, while Iona finished second with 60 points. Central Connecticut placed third with 102 points, followed by Monmouth with 115 and host Adelphi with 150.
The race featured 18 schools overall.
Iona Performers
Top 20 Performers
| Pl. |
Runner |
School |
Time |
| 1.) |
Pierre Attiogbe |
Cornell |
24:31.0 |
| 2.) |
Aryan Abbaraju |
Cornell |
24:45.3 |
| 3.) |
Griffin Mandirola |
Cornell |
24:45.3 |
| 4.) |
Brian Masai |
LIU |
25:05.2 |
| 5.) |
Alex Mazzeo |
Cornell |
25:07.3 |
| 6.) |
Aidan Budge |
Central Connecticut |
25:20.8 |
| 7.) |
Colin Martens |
Cornell |
25:31.3 |
| 8.) |
Krish Desai |
Cornell |
25:42.7 |
| 9.) |
Andy Ordway |
Cornell |
25:43.0 |
| 10.) |
Brandon Gent |
Cornell |
25:48.4 |
| 11.) |
Anthony Anatol |
Cornell |
25:56.5 |
| 12.) |
Will Hauser |
Cornell |
25:57.4 |
| 13.) |
Elliot Belanger |
Iona |
26:05.4 |
| 14.) |
Sean Lawton |
Iona |
26:05.7 |
| 15.) |
Baptiste Cartieaux |
Iona |
26:05.9 |
| 16.) |
Jackson Jamison |
Iona |
26:06.0 |
| 17.) |
Daniel Cova |
Iona |
26:06.0 |
| 18.) |
Rhett Baker |
Iona |
26:06.2 |
| 19.) |
Reiss Marshall |
Iona |
26:06.7 |
| 20.) |
Ollie Boltz |
Iona |
26:06.8 |
Team Scores
| Pl. |
Team |
Score |
| 1.) |
Cornell |
18 |
| 2.) |
Iona |
60 |
| 3.) |
Central Connecticut |
102 |
| 4.) |
Monmouth |
115 |
| 5.) |
Adelphi |
150 |
| 6.) |
USMMA |
215 |
| 7.) |
LIU |
219 |
| 8.) |
Hofstra |
267 |
| 9.) |
Molloy |
270 |
| 10.) |
SUNY Maritime |
311 |
| 11.) |
Farmingdale St. |
318 |
| 12.) |
Queens (N.Y.) |
331 |
| 13.) |
American Int'l |
404 |
| 14.) |
Caldwell |
407 |
| 15.) |
St. Joseph's (L.I.) |
413 |
| 16.) |
Yeshiva |
437 |
| 17.) |
Old Westbury |
508 |
| 18.) |
Sarah Lawrence |
526 |
UP NEXT
Iona hosts the 31st Annual Br. John "Paddy" Doyle / Iona University Meet of Champions next Friday, September 11 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The Mick Byrne Men's Championship 5 Mile is set for 10 a.m., followed by the Joe Dula Women's Championship 5K at 10:45 a.m.
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Iona Gaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (
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