The 25th-ranked Middlebury men's cross country team earned 10th place out of 26 teams at the Connecticut College Invitational. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which slots 10th in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, scored 57 points to secure the team title. Williams (120 points) and Wesleyan (173), who are ranked 16th and 21st, earned second and third, respectively. 

COURSE INFORMATION

• Location: New London, Conn. (Harkness Memorial State Park)
• Host School: Connecticut College
• Distance: 8 kilometers (8K)
• Weather: 56 and cloudy
• Finish In Blue Race: 10th/26

HIGHLIGHTS

• Benjamin Hughes excelled, crossing the finish line in sixth place with a time of 24:14.9. 
• Finishing 44th and 45th, respectively, were Benjamin Prestes (24:54.1) and Ethan Sholk (24:55.0). Prestes bested his teammate by just nine-tenths of a second to claim the higher placement.
• Nate Johnson was the next Panther scorer, stopping his clock at 25:21.9 to finish 78th.
• Solomon McDow finalized the point total, finishing 96th with a time of 25:35.0.

NOTES

• Hughes shaved nearly 15 seconds off his previous 8K time of 24:42.8 set at the Connecticut College Invite a season ago.
• Prestes cut over a minute from his best time in a Panther uniform. Sholk also sliced 3.9 ticks from his career best.
• The blue race featured nine teams ranked in the top 25 nationally by the USTFCCCA.
• Nathan Szubin paced the Panther contingent to a sixth-place finish in the White Race, crossing the line in 16th with a clocking of 25:44.4. Ben Klingle also shaved nearly a minute off his previous best (25:58.7) to snag 31st place.
• Before the race, the Panthers recognized seniors Frederick Alfonso-Frank, Liam Edson, Benjamin Hughes, Charlie Kessler and George Madison.

Middlebury is idle next weekend before hosting the NESCAC Championship on Saturday, October 31. The Panthers will look for their second conference title in school history.