ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The University of Pennsylvania men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season with strong showings at the Friar Invitational on Friday, as the men took first place with 27 points and the women finished third with 80 points. Freshman Nick Mazzeo won the men's 6k in his collegiate debut, while Allison Lee led the women with a fifth-place finish in the 4k.

"It was a valuable experience to get out here and run on the course that will host the Ivy League Championships in two months. We were really focused on developing the team effort and trying to run connected as a group, and I thought our guys did a great job of that," said James P. Tuppeny head coach Steve Dolan. "To have five guys finish in the top nine and within 25 seconds of each other was really exciting for us, especially because they ran together for the majority of the race. And then to have Nick win his first collegiate race in his debut was very impressive. It was a great start for him and a great day for the team."

The Penn men scored 27 points to take first in team points, led by Mazzeo, who won the event in his collegiate debut with a time of 18:01.2. The Quakers placed five runners among the top nine finishers, with all five separated by less than 25 seconds.

Chris Larnard finished fourth in 18:15.0, followed by Kofi Fordjour in sixth at 18:16.7 and Shane Murphy in seventh at 18:18.4. Vinay Raman rounded out the Red and Blue's scoring five with a ninth-place finish in 18:25.8. The tightly packed group was a key part of the team's first-place finish, as the five Quakers remained together for much of the race before separating toward the finish.

On the women's side, Lee crossed first for the Quakers in her collegiate debut, placing fifth out of 85 competitors, with a time of 14:21.6. Izzy Rodriguez followed in 10th at 14:37.3, giving Penn two runners inside the top 10. Quin Stovall finished with a time of 14:43.6 to finish 14th. The top five was rounded out by Kelly Murray and Camille Jordan, who placed 25^th (14:56.7) and 26^th (14:58.4), respectively. 

"We really wanted to focus on ourselves and execute the kind of races that we felt good about as individuals and as a team," said head women's coach Matt Gosselin. "You never quite know what you're going to get from other teams this early in the season, so our goal was to race our style and focus on the things that we can control. I thought the women did a really good job of competing and executing that plan. It was also really valuable to preview the course, see how the hills, footing and different sections of the course play out, and get a better idea of how we want to approach it when we come back for the Ivy League Championships.

UP NEXT
The Quakers head to Haverford, Pa. to compete at the Main Line Invitational, hosted by Haverford College, on Friday, Sept. 18.
 
Friar Invitational
Attleboro, Mass.
Sept. 4, 2025

Top 5 Results
Women's 4k
5. Allison Lee - 14:21.6
10. Izzy Rodriguez - 14:37.3
14. Quin Stovall – 14:43.6
25. Kelly Murray – 14:56.7
26. Camille Jordan – 14:58.4
 
Men's 6k
1.  Nick Mazzeo – 18:01.2
4. Chris Larnard – 18:15.0
6. Kofi Fordjour – 18:16.7
7. Shane Murphy – 18:18.4
9. Vinay Raman – 18:25.8