The #22 Middlebury men's cross country team earned fifth place at the NESCAC Championships. Fourth-ranked Tufts snapped Williams' streak of five straight conference crowns, earning the team title with 30 points. The seventh-ranked Ephs finished second (57 points), while #15 Amherst rounded out the top three with 80 points.
 
COURSE INFORMATION

• Location: New London, Conn.
• Host School: Connecticut College
• Distance: 8 kilometers (8K)
• Weather: 52 and mostly sunny
• Finish: 5th of 11

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sitting 19th going into the final split, Benjamin Hughes climbed seven spots to claim 12th with a time of 24:46.2.
• Owen Johnson crossed the finish line second for the Panthers. The senior, who sat 48th after 1.65 kilometers, surged past 27 runners over the rest of the race to stop the clock in 21st place (25:04.3).
• Middlebury's third runner was Ethan Sholk in 32nd at 25:23.2. Teammate Cameron Miles picked off 12 runners in the final sprint with a clocking of 25:24.3 for 33rd.
• Zach Utz rounded out the Panther scorers, posting a time of 25:35.5 to earn 40th.
• Nathan Szubin (25:54.9) and Harry Griff (26:10.9) claimed 57th and 74th, respectively.

NOTES

• Eli Welch of Williams crossed the finish line first, stopping the clock at 24:20.2.
• The field consisted of five teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Poll:  #4 Tufts, #7 Williams, #15 Amherst, #20 Wesleyan and #22 Middlebury.

The Panthers return to competition in two weeks when they travel to St. Lawrence for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday, November 15 at 12:15 p.m.