PHILADELPHIA – Penn men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University, on Friday, Oct. 3. The men will open the day at 9:30 a.m. in the open race, followed by the women's open race at 10:15 a.m. The Quakers' College Gold races will begin with the men at 11 a.m., followed by the women at 11:45 a.m.
 
First-years Nick Mazzeo and Allison Lee return to the lineup after standout collegiate debuts at the Friar Invitational earlier this season. Mazzeo won the men's race and earned Ivy League Athlete of the Week honors, while Lee finished fourth overall to lead the women's team to a third-place finish.
 
Joining Mazzeo, Kofi Fordjour, Chris Larnard, Shane Murphy, and Vinay Raman also return to the starting field. All five athletes competed in men's 6K, finished within 25 seconds of each other, and made up the Quakers' top five scoring runners.
 
Gabrielle Jones and Sarah Fischer will begin their senior campaigns at the 2026 Mainline Invitational after putting together some of the Quakers' strongest performances throughout the 2025 season. Their experience will be key as Penn looks to build on last season's results and make an impact in 2026.
 
2025 Paul Short Invitational
On the men's side, returning runners Fordjour, George Keen, and Murphy competed in the 8K Gold race. Fordjour led the Quakers, finishing 80th overall with a time of 21:19.7. Keen followed in 129th at 24:27.0, while Murphy placed 132nd in 24:47.7.
 
The women's team finished eighth out of 40 teams at the Paul Short Run with 282 points, improving six spots from its 2024 finish. Jones placed 56th in the women's 6K Gold race, clocking in at 20:51.9, while current sophomore Izzy Rodriguez finished 99th in 21:17.1.
 
Competing on Friday for the Quakers
Men – Open (9:30 a.m.)
Nathan Blades, Brian Gent, Brody Watt
 
Women – Open (10:15 a.m.)
Sara Khiri, Lily Lyons, Adèle Martin, Alexa Matora, Emily Reid, Aoife Shovlin
 
Men – College Gold (11:00 a.m.)
Esfan Daya, Kofi Fordjour, Raghav Gopalakrishnan Liam Jordan, George Keen, Chris Larnard, Nick Mazzeo, Shane Murphy, Vinay Raman, Joseph Ruiz
 
Women – College Gold (11:45 a.m.)
L'Mio Edwards, Sarah Fischer, Kate Hos, Gabrielle Jones, Camille Jordan, Allison Lee, Kelly Murray, Izzy Rodriguez, Quin Stovall
 
Last Time Out – Main Line Invitational (Sept. 18)
L'Mio Edwards was Penn's top finisher on the women's side at the Main Line Invitational, placing fourth overall with a time of 17:56.0. Her performance helped lead the Quakers' women's team to a second-place finish with 62 points.
 
Head coach Matt Gosselin praised the team's execution of its race strategy, particularly their ability to stay disciplined early before pushing the pace in the second half.
 
Brody Watt led Penn's men's team in his first race for the Quakers, finishing 17th overall. Watt, Nathan Blades, and Joseph Soccaras, typically compete in middle-distance track events such as the 800 meters and mile, but used the race as an opportunity to test his fitness over a longer distance.
 
James P. Tuppeny head coach Steve Dolan highlighted Watt's competitive performance and noted that he moved up throughout the race, calling it a strong start to his Penn career.
 
Races in October
Oct. 16 – Pre-National Invitational
Oct. 30 – Ivy League Heps Championships  
 
 
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