Race Results

NEWBURGH, N.Y.—Making the team's first-ever appearance in the league's championship event, Sarah Lawrence College men's cross country placed eighth at the 2014 Skyline Men's Cross Country Championship, hosted by Mount Saint Mary College at Hudson Valley Sportsdome on Sunday.

In SLC's penultimate race of 2014, Daniel Higinbotham (Alpharetta, Ga./Homeschooled) reclaimed his place as the Gryphons' top runner. Taking 11 seconds off his previous time on the 8K course, the rookie finished in 25th overall, crossing the line in 31:35, marking his seventh race as the No. 1 Gryphon.

Pat Newsom (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) reached the finish in 36th place. The sophomore took nearly a full minute off his previous time on the course on Oct. 4. He stopped the clock at 32:01, a pace of 6:26 per mile.

First year Jules Christeson (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco Waldorf) placed as the No. 3 Gryphon for the third time in as many races. Taking 52 seconds off his best time on the course, the rookie placed 65th in 37:24. Sophomore Jacob Zhu (Shanghai, China/Shanghai Jianping) was the next runner across the line, posting a time of 37:56.

Sophomore Justin Heftel (Spokane, Wash./Saint George's School) reached the finish as SLC's final point-scorer. His run of 38:08 was just enough to secure an eighth-place finish for the Gryphons, one point ahead of ninth-place Sage.

Senior Sabiel Chapnick (New York, N.Y./Excel) showed dramatic improvement in his final championship event, breaking the 40-minute mark at 39:50, more than 10 minutes faster than his collegiate debut earlier this month.

Mount Saint Mary captured the team title, just one point ahead of four-time defending champion St. Joseph's College Long Island. MSMC had been predicted to finish in fourth place in the league's coaches' preseason poll, while SJC received near-unanimous support to win its fifth-straight title.

In the team's first year as a member of the Skyline, Sarah Lawrence's eighth-place finish is one spot better than the team's predicted finish. The league's coaches slotted SLC to place ninth at the championship event. The Sage Colleges had the most significant decline, falling from fifth place in the poll to ninth at the championship.

Sarah Lawrence cross country concludes the season at the NJIT Nick Russo Halloween Classic on Sunday, Nov. 2.