Top-ten finishes are hard to come by in track and field events.

The members of the Iona Outdoor Track and Field teams have accomplished this feat many times.

In the three-day Penn Relays in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania from April 25-27, five Gaels achieved this feat.

Senior Marion Joly-Testault posted a time of 34:32.40 in the Women’s 10,000 Meter Championship.

This time placed her in second, two seconds behind the winner. Graduate student Hollie Rowland finished in 11th place.

In the Men’s 5,000 Meter Championship, freshman Kieran Clements finished in 14:11.44, in fifth place.

Sophomore Andrew Kowalsky came in eighth place, seven seconds behind Clements.

Finishing in 16th place was sophomore Ethan Heywood.

In the Men’s Distance Medley, the Gaels finished in sixth place recording a time of 9:52.57. This was seven seconds behind first place.

The Maroon & Gold also finished sixth in the Women’s 4×800 Meter Race.

They posted a time of 8:58.39, ten seconds off the lead.

Senior Matt Bayley came in 11th place in the Men’s 10,000 Meter Championship. He compiled a time of 30:07.80.

“The season has been going well so far,” Head Coach Ricardo Santos said.

Prior to the Penn Relays, Iona competed in the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton University on April 20.

In the Men’s 1,500 Meter Run, graduate student Mitch Goose finished in fourth place, with a time of 3:46.81.

On the women’s side, sophomore Regina Neumeyer also finished in fourth, posting a time of 4:24.70.

Junior Kirsten Stewart came in ninth, with a time of 4:26.62. Graduate student Nicole Cochran and senior Luci McLoughlin finished in 21st place and 28th place, respectively.

In the Women’s 5,000 meter race, junior Katie Niblock ran a personal-best 17:28.31. Her time was good for 29th place.

“I was really happy with the race at Larry Ellis,” she said. “I’ve been struggling through some injuries so it was nice to get out on the track and race.”

On April 28, the Maroon & Gold competed in the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University in California. In the Men’s 5,000 Meter Run, Goose came in fifth place. In the Women’s 3,000 Meter Steeplechase, Neumeyer came in ninth place.

Iona will compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships on May 4 and 5 in Lawrenceville, N.J.

“Preparation for the championship part of the season is all about doing the little things right: recovering, maintenance and knowing your training limits,” Goose said.

“From a team perspective, we’ll be expecting to dominate the middle- and long-distance races at MAACs and to get a decent amount of guys to regionals and then hopefully nationals also.”