The Iona College men’s and women’s cross country teams have been very busy throughout October. They recently competed in their fourth and fifth races of the month.

Both teams participated in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational and the Lafayette Leopard Invitational Oct. 16 and 17, respectively.

The Iona men are ranked No. 5 in the nation. They placed fifth in a field of 36 at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational. The Gaels finished behind No. 2 Syracuse, No. 9 BYU, No. 8 Michigan and No. 7 Virginia.

Junior Chartt Miller was the top performer for the men, finishing eighth in the 8,000-meter event. Senior Kieran Clements finished 21st, and classmate Mike O’Dowd claimed 32nd place for the Maroon & Gold.

Miller was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference male cross country Runner of the Week for the second time this season.

The women did not perform as well, finishing in 35th place in the field of 36 competitors.

The top two performers on the women’s side were seniors Tara Jameson and Melissa Hawtin. Jameson crossed the finish line in 116th place, and Hawtin followed in 148th.

The following day, both teams sent runners to the 2015 Lafayette Leopard Invitational.

Junior Brandon Clark was the top performer for the men donning the Maroon & Gold. He finished in fourth place (25:43.44) in the 8,000-meter event.

Sophomore Alex Carter followed behind Clark, rounding out the top 10 after crossing the finish line in 26:04.97. Junior Kalen Sullivan and senior Ross Wightman placed 33rd and 52nd, respectively, for the men.

As for the women, they finished fourth in a field of five teams, earning a grand total of 95 points at the event.

Sophomore Annabel Gummow was the top performer for the women, completing the 6,000-meter event in third place.

Sophomore Kara McKenna finished 20th, with at time of 23:55.13, and classmate Danika Jensen followed in 25th, with a time of 24:45.60.

Freshman Jillian Baldassarre finished 50th, and fellow rookie Shea Foley rounded out the Gael runners in 60th place.

The Maroon & Gold are scheduled to conclude its six-race month when they compete at the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Oct. 31 at Rosedale Park in New Jersey.

Last year, the men breezed through the competition en route to their 24th consecutive MAAC Championship. The men currently hold the longest active NCAA Division I conference championship streak.

The women took home the MAAC Championship for the 10th straight season last year, and senior Kate Avery claimed her second straight individual title. The women also hold the longest active NCAA Division I conference championship streak.