PRINCETON, N.J. – Rutgers cross country raced for the first time in 2024 and Scarlet Knights turned in a solid showing at the New Jersey Jam on the Princeton campus. It was the first race for the cross country program under the direction of interim associate Nicol Starkes.
 
"The men and women had solid openers today," said Starkes. "Freshman Stephen Kyvelos led the charge for the men, bringing eight ahead of where our first was last year. On the women's side, sophomore Lorena David took almost a minute off her time from last year to lead three women ahead of our first from a year ago. Overall, both squads are feeling strong and confident heading into the Big Ten Preview next weekend in Illinois."
 
 The men's team finished third in the team standings, led by Stephen Kyvelos who ran 17:15.8. Also recording a top-20 time were Hisham Ettayebi, who placed 17th in 17:19.1 and Chris Shay in 19th with a time of 17:29.0. Rounding out the scoring for the Scarlet Knights were Sean Matthews (23rd, 17:33.1) and Liam Tilton (24th, 17:33.3).
 
Lorena David placed third overall, running a time of 14:10.3 to lead the women's squad to a fourth-place finish. She was part of a trio that finished in the top-20, which included Casey Walter in 13th place with a time of 14:25.7 and Kelseigh O'Neil, who finished 17th in 14:31.3. Sofia Condron finished in 29th with a time of 14:56.0, followed by Madison Brown (32nd, 14:59.9)
 
"It was a solid opener for us," said Bobby Farrell, director of track & field and cross country. "Overall, I felt we looked confident and under control. The majority of the squad executed their race plan well. It's a step in the right direction and we're looking forward to getting into Illinois next week."
 
The Scarlet Knights return to action Friday, September 13 for the Big Ten Preview which will be held at the Orange and Blue Golf Course on the Illinois campus, the site of the 2024 Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
 
Team Scores
Men's Results – 5.6K
3. Rutgers (69)
15. Stephen Kyvelos – 17:15.8
17. Hisham Ettayebi – 17:19.1
19. Chris Shay – 17:29.0
23. Sean Matthews – 17:33.1
24. Liam Tilton – 17:33.3
(25) Jack Tavaglione – 17:33.3
(26) Brian Pedretti – 17:33.4
 
Women's Results – 4K
4. Rutgers (83)
3. Lorena David – 14:10.3
13. Casey Walter – 14:25.7
17. Kelseigh O'Neil – 14:31.3
29. Sofia Condron – 14:56.0
32. Madison Brown – 14:59.9
(36) Paige Boyce – 15:09.7
(40) Ava Flaherty – 15:17.8