Off to a running start.
This past Friday, Penn men's and women’s cross country teams opened their 2025 season at the New Jersey Jam just across the river. Hosted by the rival Princeton Tigers, this event took place on Princeton’s Meadows campus. The Jam featured two events: women’s 4.1-kilometer and men’s 5.8-kilometer races.
This season, the women had several veteran talents return, including senior Lara Cota and senior Kyra Compton, as well as sophomore L'Mio Edwards, who finished fourth overall in the New Jersey Jam last year with a personal-best 4k time.
This year, Cota led the way with a speedy time of 14:07.4, placing second overall in the event. Junior Gabrielle Jones followed just behind in fourth with a time of 14:09.1, followed by freshman Izzy Rodriguez in fifth. Notably, this was Jones' first race donning the Red and Blue, as she has been absent from competition due to injury.
"Personally, my biggest takeaway from the Jam was proving to myself that I could get back on the start line and race competitively again," Jones said. "Having the opportunity to race last week was really special. It felt great to be back doing what I love alongside my best friends and teammates.
Edwards was ninth overall in the race this year with a time of 14:13.3. Compton secured 12th overall with a time of 14:20.7, making these the top 5 finishers for the Penn women’s team. The women’s team dominantly finished in 1st place with 32 points, beating out the hosting Princeton Tigers, who respectively placed in 2nd.
“I believe [the] New Jersey Jam was a great momentum builder for our team. It was a testament to the months of summer training and hard work we put in leading up to the race,” Jones wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
For the men’s team, sophomore Esfan Daya led the way for the Quakers with the best time of 17:33.8, good for an 18th finish overall in the race. Donning the Red and Blue for the first time, freshman Shamus Larnard followed closely behind with a 5.8km time of 17:33.9, finishing 19th overall.
Veteran talent followed in seniors Sahil Dodda and Liam Going. Junior Kofi Fordjour placed 22nd with a time of 17:34.0. Overall, the team notched a fourth place in the competition with a total of 80 points.
Next up, the Quakers will compete in the Main Line Invitational in Haverford, Pa., on Sept. 19. After, the Quakers will return to Princeton for the Fall Classic on Oct. 17.
“We have big goals for this season, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish. New Jersey Jam was only the beginning for us, and we’re ready to get back to work,” Jones wrote.
