MANCHESTER, Conn. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy cross country teams started their 2026 seasons on Saturday at Trinity College's (Conn.) George Suitor Invite, hosted at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut. The Bears men placed 5th in an eight-team field, while the women were 4th out of 11 teams with both races contested on a 5 km course.

"Our teams had a solid showing today at the Suitor Invite," says Coast Guard head coach Greg Ahnrud. "We took a very measured approach to the first race of the season, and this was primarily a chance to preview our NCAA regionals course and shake off some rust before our bigger meets." Wickham Park will play host to the NCAA Division III Mideast Regionals later this fall on November 14th.

The men's race saw a 10:30 start time, and senior captain Brendan Fant (East Lyme, Conn.) led the way for the Bears by running 15:38.9 to place 4th. The time is a new personal best on a 5k course for the returning All-Region runner and 2026 NEWMAC Runner to Watch. Sophomore Dylan Reed (Tampa, Fla.) was Coast Guard's #2 finisher on the day, clocking in at a personal record time 16:12.4 to place 31st.

Coast Guard's 3rd and 4th finishers were both freshmen, with Jake Hansen (Lexington, Ky.) running 16:14.3 for 35th and Brandon Fischer (Ventura, Calif.) running 16:30.9 for 45th. Junior London Layton (Crofton, Md.) was 47th overall at 16:31.5, sophomore Evan Rimmele (Red Bank, N.J.) was 53rd at 16:39.5, and freshmen Cornelius Cummings (Annville Township, Pa.) and Morgan Samuel (Westport, Conn.) rounded out the Bears' scorers with respective times of 16:42.6 for 59th and 16:45.7 for 62nd in their debuts.

"Both teams did very well in executing our intended race plans," says Ahnrud, "and they showed that they can race smartly when it's time to get after it and demonstrated the ability to make significant passes.

The Bears women were led by All-Region sophomore Kevyn Fish (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who ran a personal best 18:41.3 for 6th overall. Coast Guard's third-through-fifth runners all crossed in succession, with senior captains Annabel Molner (Bremen, Germany) and Mia Mastrogiovanni (Manahawkin, N.J.) respectively going 19:36.3 for 18th and 19:36.7 for 19th, while junior Brooke Hunter (Phillipsburg, N.J.) was just a step behind them at 19:36.8 for 20th.

Sophomore Amanda Delevan (Boiling Springs, Pa.) crossed 5th for the Bears at 19:42.3 for 26th, and she was trailed by freshman Quin Kelly (North Reading, Mass.), who crossed the finish at 19:43.1 for 27th in her debut. Fellow freshman Izzie Copeland (Kirtland, Ohio) rounded out the scorers for Coast Guard, crossing in 19:50.9 for 33rd.

"We're trending in a good direction right now," says Ahnrud, "and I'm really excited for what everyone will do in the meets when we really get after it."

Full results for the men's race can be viewed here, while results for the women can be viewed here. The Coast Guard cross country programs will get their first looks at an 8k course this season in their next meet on September 19th, which sees them visit Wesleyan University (Conn.) for the Cardinal Invitational at the Fuhrman Trails Cross Course at Long Lane Farm.