BRONX, N.Y./TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Columbia Cross Country had a solid day at the IC4A/ECAC Championships as both the men and women finished first, as six Lion men and women posted top 10 finishes on the way to taking the title at historic Van Cortlandt Park on Sat., Nov. 20.
 
Both Phoebe Anderson and Tyler Berg also represented Columbia Cross Country at the NCAA National Championships, where Anderson finished 124th with a 6K time of 20:38.3.  While on the men's side, Tyler Berg finished 182nd with a time of 30:59.5.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (MEN): Four out of Columbia's top five finishers finished inside the top 5, with Julian Baeza posting a time of 25:25 and Ben Kuhn crossing the line fifth with a time of 25:29 leading the way for the Lions.  Jack Bennett clocked a time of 25:37 to finish seventh and Anish Nanjappa posted the same time of 25:37, finishing only a hair behind his Columbia teammate in eighth.
 
Owen Lockyer, who finished 15th, rounded out Columbia's top finishers.  Lockyer posted a time of 26:00, and with the top five finishers coming across inside the top 15, the Lions had the points and finishes they needed to take home the title.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (WOMEN): For the women, they had a pair of top five finishers that set the tone for the Lions, as Sofia Camacho and Nikki Vanasse finished third and fourth respectively.  Camacho posted a time of 18:03, while Vanasse crossed in 18:07 as the Lions built off those two top finishes.
 
The top performances continued for the Lions as Emily Virtue finished 13th with a time of 18:42 and Kaitlynn Wolfe crossed in 18:54 to finish 17th, giving Columbia four finishers inside the top 20.  Rounding out Columbia's top five finishers was Isabel Schmidt, who finished 22nd with a time of 19:04.
 
COLUMBIA RESULTS
IC4A/ECAC Cross Country Championships (Nov. 20, 2021)
Bronx, N.Y. (Van Cortlandt Park)
 
Women (5K)
(1. Angelia Rafter, Central Connecticut, 17:54); 3. Sofia Camacho, 18:03; 4. Nikki Vanasse, 18:07; 13. Emily Virtue, 18:42; 17. Kaitlynn Wolfe, 18:54; 22. Isabel Schmidt, 19:04; 23. Mary Caroline Heinen, 19:06; 28. Grace Connolly, 19:14; 39. Angela Saidman, 19:28; 41. Kate Kuwahara, 19:32; 107. Brigid McCabe, 21:21
 
Men (8K)
(1. Brandon Olden, Siena, 25:22) 4. Julian Baeza, 26:26; 5. Ben Kuhn, 25:29; 7. Jack Bennett, 25:37; 8. Anish Nanjappa, 25:37; 15. Owen Lockyer, 26:00; 19. David Vorbach, 26:05; 21. Jacob Ireland, 26:07; 35. Stephen Connelly, 26:34; 37. Ryan Borden, 26:34; 43. Talha Syed, 26:46

NCAA Cross Country Championships (Nov. 20, 2021)
Tallahassee, Fla. (Apalachee Regional Park)
 
Women (6K)
(1. Whittni Orton, BYU, 19:25.4); 124. Phoebe Anderson, 20:38.3

Men (10K)
(1. Conner Mantz, BYU, 28:33.1); 182. Tyler Berg, 30:59.5

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Cross Country by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsXCTF), Instagram (@culionsxctf) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).