Our Team

About Our Team

Baja SAE Racing at Cornell is an engineering project team that annually designs, builds, and races an All-Terrain Vehicle to compete in the SAE Collegiate Baja Design Series every year. Founded in 2003 by a group of mechanical engineers who wanted to bring their acquired engineering skills to the race track, Baja SAE Racing at Cornell has grown to encourage and support hands-on engineering and project-based learning for over 50 students from a diverse collection of majors. Comprising six subteams, students from all majors and schools of Cornell work together to ensure that team operations run smoothly, whether constructing the car, reaching out to sponsors, or racing during competition. Competing across the country, we value each one of our team members, as none of our success would be possible without each member’s hard work as a cohesive unit.

6

subteams

13

different majors

50

percent women

60

members

6

subteams

13

different majors

50

percent women

60

members

Team Leads

Horatio Cordero

Mechanical Engineering '26

Joey Nadol

Mechanical Engineering '26

Raj Singh

Mechanical Engineering '26

Logistics Lead

Charlie Cohen

Mechanical Engineering '26

Onboarding Lead

Zoe Szymanski

Mechanical Engineering '26

Drivetrain Subteam

The drivetrain subteam designs and manufactures the vehicle's custom continuously variable transmission (CVT), gearboxes, driveshafts, and wheel hubs. Component design is driven by extensive structural and thermal analysis that is validated with an engine dynamometer and on-car telemetry systems. With all vehicles in the competition limited to a 10 HP engine, a focus is placed on designing for reliability and power efficiency.

Maya Chakraborty

Mechanical Engineering '27

Drivetrain Lead

Rachel Ortiz

Mechanical Engineering '27

Transmission Lead

Ella Yellin

Mechanical Engineering '26

Jake Dick

Mechanical Engineering '27

Sean Dempsey

Mechanical Engineering '27

Greg Svensson

Mechanical Engineering '27

Trevor Boshnack

Mechanical Engineering '28

Cole Finnan

Mechanical Engineering '28

Eva Gottesfeld

Mechanical Engineering '28

Elias Herrera Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering '28

Mallory Moore

Mechanical Engineering '28

Alex Rokkos

Mechanical Engineering '28

Adam Sayah

Mechanical Engineering '28

Suspension Subteam

The suspension subteam is responsible for defining and achieving the desired handling characteristics of the car. The suspension constraints in a Baja car are unique to off-roading in that it must be able to tackle uneven rocks, logs, jumps, and hairpin turns. Through the design and manufacturing of custom linkages, ball joints and steering racks, as well as custom tuning of the springs and dampers, the suspension subteam is able to ensure that the vehicle maneuvers as needed with minimal driver effort.

Bella Pensabene

Mechanical Engineering '27

Suspension Lead

Owen LaPierre

Environmental Engineering '27

Hugo Mazzali

Mechanical Engineering '27

Susanna Aufrichtig

Mechanical Engineering '28

Arda Griffin

Mechanical Engineering '28

Sava Iliev

Engineering Physics '28

Frame Subteam

The frame subteam is tasked with designing and manufacturing the roll cage and main structure of the Baja car, creating a safe, protective barrier between our driver and the harsh obstacles of the course. The frame must attach all of the other components of the car through a solid foundation.

Ava Rosenow

Mechanical Engineering '27

Frame Lead

Sara Pagliuco

Mechanical Engineering '26

Camille Eckert

Mechanical Engineering '28

Ashlyn Roeder

Mechanical Engineering '28

Brakes Subteam

The brakes subteam designs and manufactures custom master cylinders, rotors, and calipers. Design constraints are determined through on-car testing and a custom dynamometer, which are used to create a reliable, effective, and easy to maintain system.

Dan O'Malley

Mechanical Engineering '27

Brakes Lead

Lukas Minutello

Mechanical Engineering '26

Magnus Carson

Mechanical Engineering '28

Business Subteam

The business subteam is responsible for the team's logistics and many of its operational facets. These include sourcing and maintaining sponsor relationships, designing and distributing public relations materials, coordinating team travel, designing apparel, fundraising, and recruitment of new members. The business subteam also competes in the Business Presentation event each season.

Christina Boehm

Chemical Engineering '27

Business Lead

Margaret Gates

Mechanical Engineering '26

Aaron Chin

Mechanical Engineering '27

Rex Popick

Computer Science '28

R&D

Carlota Champalimaud

Mechanical Engineering '26

Ben Choe

ECE '26

New Members

We couldn't be more excited to welcome our newest members after the fall recruiting cycle! In your first semester, you won’t be assigned to a specific subteam right away. Instead, you’ll work on a hands-on project that teaches core technical and collaboration skills — and directly contributes to the team’s success. These projects are not busy work; they prepare you to join a subteam in your second year with confidence and experience. Will you join us as we race to the top?