Stags Cross Country Finishes Second at Season-Opening Meet

REDLANDS, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's cross country team earned a second-place finish (behind only Division II Cal Poly Pomona) in its first meet of the 2022 season at the Redlands Invitational on Saturday morning.

Nick Taubenheim was the top individual finisher for the Stags, finishing the 6K race in 18:42, just seven seconds off the winning pace set by Ricardo Vargas of Cal Poly Pomona. Adam Sage was also in the top 10 for the Stags in seventh. 

Oliver Pick was the 13th place finisher in 19:21, followed five seconds later by Charles Albach. Daniel Fajardo was 17th, Henry Pick 18th, and Kai Gundlach 20th to give CMS seven runners in the top 20. 

A wave of Stags then began to cross the line with 10 CMS jerseys crossing in a span of 13 runners. Noah Battaglia was 21st, followed by Hayden Beauchemin in 21st in his college debut. Agustin Gomez de la Vega was 23rd and Miles Christensen was 24th to complete a stretch of five straight CMS finishers. 

Declan O'Neil was close behind that pack in 26th, before four more Stags crossed in a row, led by Daniel Krasemann in 29th, Hale Behan in 30th, and Xoaquin Baca and Vibhu Krishnan tied for 31st. Also in the top 50 were Adam Cohan (37th), Kai Dettman (38th), Mihira Sogal (41st), and Noah Nevens (47th). 

CMS will be back in action in two weeks when it travels to the UC Riverside Invitational.