Waterford, CT – The Colby Men's Cross Country team competed at the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday, finishing third out of NESCAC teams, behind Williams and Middlebury, and finishing in 6^th place overall (of 23 teams) behind Haverford College and St. Olaf College of Minnesota. The Mules, currently ranked #31 in DIII, beat #23 Bates, #25 Tufts, #28 NYU, and #33 Connecticut College in a strong showing of their current fitness, just ahead of championship season.
 
Racing over 8-kilometers (4.97-miles) on a flat course by the ocean at historic Harkness Park in Waterford, the Mules negotiated a very deep race of just under 400 athletes on a warm sunny day. This race started out extremely fast, with the first 200 meters at a near-sprinting pace.
 
Finishing first for the Mules, and second overall to last year's national runner-up Elias Lindgren (Williams), was Senior Tyler Morris with a new best time of 23:50. Morris ran through the 5K mark in well under 15:00 – considered an elite time on its own in track – hitting a pace of 4:48 per mile.
 
Senior Ben Mellor  finished in 31^st place with a time of 25:04. In 57^th and 58^th place was the duo of Liam Carcich (SO, 25:32.4) and Chris Gould (FY, 25:32.7). New to the NESCAC running scene, Gould –of Cambridge, MA—had a breakout race at this meet, and his future as a runner on this team is bright, especially heading into championship season. Finishing Colby's scoring 5 was Sophomore James Boyle (25:56, 88^th).
 
 The Mules, previously ranked 5^th in the NESCAC, finished 3^rd in the NESCAC at this meet, dispelling any doubt that they will be a force to be reckoned with at the NESCAC championships, which will be held on Saturday, October 29^th(two weeks from now) at Hamilton College.
 
Beyond the NESCAC championships are the NCAA DIII East Regional Championships, where the Mules will compete for a spot at DIII Nationals. Currently, other notably competitive teams in the region are #2 MIT, #23 Bates, #25 Tufts, and #33 Connecticut College.
 
Team Results:
1 – MIT (#2 nationally) – 45 pts
2 – Williams (#9) – 78
3 – Middlebury (#30) – 154
4 – St. Olaf (#16) – 160
5 – Haverford (#13) – 168
6 – Colby (#31) – 218
 
Individual Results:
2 – Tyler Morris – 23:50
31 – Ben Mellor – 25:04
57 – Liam Carcich – 25:32.4
58 – Chris Gould – 25:32.7
88 – James Boyle – 25:56
105 – Nick Peterson – 26:09
121 – Henry Weisman – 26:20