After an absence of progress in tournament play last year, the Ithaca College men’s cross-country team looks to strive for greatness after finishing sixth in two consecutive Liberty League Championship Tournaments. Following the 2024 season, five members of the cross-country team walked the stage at graduation, leaving room for both fresh opportunities and a new group of leaders inside the Bombers’ training grounds.
Last season was the first in 38 years where a new coach oversaw the South Hill squad. In 2024, the Bombers turned to head coach Erin Dinan Frahm as their new locker room leader, who now coaches both the women’s and men’s cross-country teams.
Change is not always easy, but Dinan Frahm was able to figure out how to grow connections with her new set of athletes.
“One of the things that I like to do is really get to know my athletes on an individual basis,” Dinan Frahm said. “I spent a lot of time last year really connecting with them on that place. … Some guys thrive in higher mileage doing doubles, and some can’t handle that. They’re injury-prone. And so, the transition last year was a big shift.”
Senior Ben Buffone, who is stepping up as one of the leaders on this team in his final year, was diagnosed with bronchitis in Fall 2024 and now hopes to write a fairy-tale ending in his last season as an IC Bomber.
“I would like to make nationals as an individual, which is getting top seven in the region,” Buffone said. “I tried to make it last year, but wasn’t able to finish because of the bronchitis. That goes along with the main goal of staying healthy and getting back to where I was last year.”
Although Buffone has personal ambitions, he could not stop talking about the team around him. This season, the team has seven first-years, the largest number since 2018. From the high number of first-year talent to the returning runners, Buffone said he is excited for the future of the cross-country team.
“We have seven incoming freshmen, which is the biggest class we’ve had in a while,” Buffone said. “But it is my senior season, so the guys that I’ve come in with … I’m also really excited to run with them for one last time.”
Junior Connor McGeehan faced challenges of his own in his cross-country career on South Hill. In his first season in Fall 2023, he suffered a set of injuries that held him back in his sophomore year in Fall 2024. McGeehan said he did not perform as well as he would have liked in his second run with the Bombers.
“It was a long road back to getting healthy,” McGeehan said. “In cross-country, I didn’t race much. I didn’t run super fast. I had a personal record at Liberty Leagues, our conference meet, but that was really my one decent race of the year.”
Although McGeehan did not perform as well as he wanted in cross-country, he got to connect with his new head coach on the track and field side. He was able to learn her coaching style, and that helped him improve.
“In track, I really started to hit my stride with [Dinan Frahm],” McGeehan said. “I was responding well to her workouts… I think [Dinan Frahm] definitely appreciates the benefit of having a good base, but also wants us to be able to run fast now. I was able to respond well to that, and I was running my fastest times in the mile and 1500 that I’ve ever ran, so that was exciting.”
McGeehan does not want to stop at track and field. He said he wants to translate his success over to cross-country in 2025.
“I really want to improve in cross-country,” McGeehan said. “I want to say I was somewhere in the 80th to 100th spot at Liberty Leagues last year. I think this year, I definitely want to be in the top 50.”
As the 2025 season approaches, Dinan Frahm said she wants fans to see the passion that her team has and how well they represent what IC is all about.
“It’s a group of really passionate young men who are really dedicated to their team and their sport and to the college,” Dinan Frahm said. “They wear Ithaca on their chest with pride, and you know, our sport is different. … People can’t come see you. … With cross-country, it’s like, how do you know what they’re doing? I think it would be cool to follow our social media page and just see what they’re up to. … They’re smart, they’re dedicated and I’m just excited. They’re really passionate about doing well, and I’m excited to see where they can go.”
