Army West Point Athletics
Army Completes Iona Meet of Champions
September 12, 2025 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
BRONX, N.Y. – The Army West Point cross country team competed in its second meet of the year on Friday morning, as it recorded a sixth-place finish on the men's side and a fourth-place finish on the women's side in the Iona Meet of Champions.
The men's team, who put together a score of 122 points, were paced by Gavin Hansen and his time of 25:23.10, which was good for fourth overall and just over 20 seconds behind the winner of the event. In total, the Black Knights had two additional top 30 results in Michael Alvarez (27th) and Christian Bachmann (28th).
On the women's side, senior Claire Lewis had the best result for Army, finishing 18th with a time of 18:38.10. Alma Lazo Cazares (28th) and Lindsay Cook (29th) were the only other top 30 racers for the Black Knights.
Coaches Corner – Head coach Mike Smith
"We had good weather today for the Iona Meet of Champions. We have come to this race for a few years now and we know what to expect from the course and the competition. We entered our plebe roster and some of the developmental runners from our other classes as well as one of the guys that will be on our varsity team at the championship meets. The Van Cortlandt Park 5-mile course is extremely demanding. There are two sections of very steep hills that force competitors to manage their effort in order to finish strong. Our top finishers in the race today were the upper-class guys led by Gavin Hansen '27. Gavin ran a very smooth and controlled race through the first 5K and then tried to break his opponents going into the 4th mile. He held the lead for a short time but was unable to outrun the top 3 guys over the final 800 meters. His 4th place finish (25:23) was a strong performance on this course and puts him 27th on the Army All-time list at Van Cortlandt Park. This meet marks the end of our pre-season developmental competitions. We have had a very productive early start to the season, and the guys are looking forward to the next training block that will culminate with the Paul Short meet in three weeks. Our varsity team will start their season at that meet, and we will see how we measure up against some of the best teams in the country."
Up Next
Army is back in action on Oct. 3 for the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army cross country on X @ArmyWP_TrackXC and on Instagram @goarmytrack. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about cross country and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com
The men's team, who put together a score of 122 points, were paced by Gavin Hansen and his time of 25:23.10, which was good for fourth overall and just over 20 seconds behind the winner of the event. In total, the Black Knights had two additional top 30 results in Michael Alvarez (27th) and Christian Bachmann (28th).
On the women's side, senior Claire Lewis had the best result for Army, finishing 18th with a time of 18:38.10. Alma Lazo Cazares (28th) and Lindsay Cook (29th) were the only other top 30 racers for the Black Knights.
Coaches Corner – Head coach Mike Smith
"We had good weather today for the Iona Meet of Champions. We have come to this race for a few years now and we know what to expect from the course and the competition. We entered our plebe roster and some of the developmental runners from our other classes as well as one of the guys that will be on our varsity team at the championship meets. The Van Cortlandt Park 5-mile course is extremely demanding. There are two sections of very steep hills that force competitors to manage their effort in order to finish strong. Our top finishers in the race today were the upper-class guys led by Gavin Hansen '27. Gavin ran a very smooth and controlled race through the first 5K and then tried to break his opponents going into the 4th mile. He held the lead for a short time but was unable to outrun the top 3 guys over the final 800 meters. His 4th place finish (25:23) was a strong performance on this course and puts him 27th on the Army All-time list at Van Cortlandt Park. This meet marks the end of our pre-season developmental competitions. We have had a very productive early start to the season, and the guys are looking forward to the next training block that will culminate with the Paul Short meet in three weeks. Our varsity team will start their season at that meet, and we will see how we measure up against some of the best teams in the country."
Up Next
Army is back in action on Oct. 3 for the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army cross country on X @ArmyWP_TrackXC and on Instagram @goarmytrack. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about cross country and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
Army West Point Rugby vs Walsh University (12-SEP-25)
Friday, September 12
Army at Kansas State Recap
Thursday, September 11
Army vs. Kansas State Game Highlights
Monday, September 08
Women's Army Rugby vs. Long Island University (6-SEP-25)
Sunday, September 07