Meet the 2025 Team

Ben Rosa – Harvard (2025)

A Harvard graduate from the class of 2025, Ben Rosa has posted PBs of 28:35 in the 10k and 13:35 in the 5k. Ben recently joined an elite club of Ivy Leaguers in pulling off the double victory in the 10k and 5k at the 2025 outdoor Heptagonal Championship. He capped his time at Harvard with a 10th place finish in the 10k at 2025 NCAA championship. After graduating with a degree in economics, Ben is now pursuing an accounting masters at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.   

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Talha Syed – Columbia (2025)

A Columbia graduate from the class of 2025, Talha Syed has PBs of 28:42 in the 10k and 13:44 in the 5k. Talha finished 2nd in 10k at the 2024 outdoor Ivy Heps, 3rd at 2024 cross country Heps in an 8k time of 22:57, and 5th in the 5k at the 2025 indoor Ivy Heps. A biology major at Columbia, Talha will be competing as a graduate student at Duke.

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James Lawrence – Dartmouth (2024)

A Dartmouth graduate from the class of 2024, James Lawrence has recent PBs of 27:54 in the 10k and 13:34 in the 5k. Some may call James a Dark Horse, whose Ivy League career was mostly under the radar. Post-Dartmouth, James is competing as a graduate student at Loyola University in Chicago. In his short time there, James now holds the school record in the 10k and has won three Atlantic-10 Conference Championships in indoor 3k, indoor 5k, and outdoor 5k.

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Will Laird – Yale (2022)

A Yale graduate from the class of 2022, Will Laird has a road PB of 28:58 for the 6-mile from Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz and 1500m PB of 3:44. After graduating from Yale with a degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, Will moved back to his hometown of Seattle to rep the Huskies as a graduate student at the University of Washington. Will now works as a researcher for the Allen Institute in Seattle and trains and competes for Club Northwest.  

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Graham Blanks – Harvard (2025)

A Harvard graduate from the class of 2025, Graham Blanks joins the 2025 Ivy Ekiden Team after a recent 11th place finish in the 10k at the World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo. As a professional runner for New Balance, Graham has PBs of 26:57 in the 10k and 12:47 in the 5k. Graham’s achievements include a 9th place finish in the 5k at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 2x NCAA Cross Country Champion, and 7x Ivy League Heptagonal Champion. As one of the most accomplished Ivy League distance athletes of this era, Graham is a huge additional the 2025 Ivy League Ekiden roster.

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Derek Amicon – Cornell (2025)

A Cornell graduate from the class of 2025, Derek Amicon joins the 2025 Ivy Ekiden team with PBs of 13:45 in the 5k and 8:44 in the 3k Steeplechase. Following his 48th place finish at the 2024 NCAA XC championships with a time of 29:31 for the 10k, Derek went on to win the 3k Steeplechase at the 2025 Heps championship. A computer science major at Cornell, Derek trains and works remotely from Arlington, Virginia where he lives in a house with some of his old Cornell teammates.  

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Acer Iverson – Harvard (2024)

A Harvard graduate from the class of 2024, Acer Iverson is one of two returners on this year's Ivy Ekiden team. A 5x Heps Champion across the grass and track, Acer has PBs of 28:23 in the 10k and 13:25 in the 5k. At the 2024 Izumo Ekiden, Acer ran an excellent fourth leg, completing the 6.2-kilometer segment in 17:46, the second fastest by any runner that day. After graduating from Harvard with a degree in computer science, Acer competed as a graduate student at University of Washington, dropping his PB in the 3k and mile to 7:41 and 3:56, respectively. Acer now lives, works, and trains in Denver, Colorado.

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Tyler Berg - Columbia (2023)

A Columbia graduate from the class of 2023, Tyler Berg is the other veteran on the 2025 Ivy Ekiden team. In addition to his PBs of 28:23 in the 10k and 13:41 in the 5k and a 4th place finish in the 5k at 2022 indoor Heps, Tyler brings his experience of running the third 8.5-kilometer leg of the 2024 Izumo Ekiden in a time of 24:59. While running for Notre Dame as a graduate student, Tyler finished 13th in the 10k at the 2024 NCAA outdoor championships. Having completed his masters in computer science and engineering from Notre Dame, Tyler now lives, works, and trains in Denver, Colorado. 

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