Miles Christensen - Men's Cross Country

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Freshman Miles Christensen ran one of his best races of his rookie season to lead the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's cross country team to a share of the NCAA West Region championship on Saturday in Walla Walla. 

Christensen finished third overall in the individual competition, jumping up eight spots from his 11th place finish at the SCIAC Championships, when the Stags finished third behind Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental. His performance helped lead the way as CMS was able to match Pomona-Pitzer with 54 points to earn a share of the regional title, well ahead of third-place UC Santa Cruz. 

Christensen's efforts also helped CMS earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin as one of the top two team finishers in the West Region. The Stags will be making their 11th straight trip to nationals, a streak which appeared in jeopardy after the third-place finish in SCIACs. However, Christensen led a group of four freshmen who finished in the top six for the Stags, putting the program in great position to continue that streak over the next four years.