WATERFORD, Conn. –The Southern Connecticut State University men's cross country team ran to a ninth place finish out of 18 participating colleges at the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls were paced by junior Dieter Gutbrod (Sandy Hook, Conn.) who finished 11th overall with a time of 26:10 and earned All-Invitational Honors. Junior Sunil Kates (Hartford, Conn.) finished 19th overall with a time of 26:35 while senior Tom Saksa (Seymour, Conn.) finished 39th overall with a time of 27:03.

Junior Samuel Parton (Fairfield, Conn.) and sophomore Dean Bhatt (Hamden, Conn.) rounded out the top five finishers for the Owls, placing 53rd and 67th respectively. Senior Michael Vagnini (Woodbury, Conn.) and freshman Steven Cugini (Milford, Conn.) also ran and finished for the Owls.

The Owls return to action on Saturday, Oct. 24 as they'll participate in the CCSU Mini Meet in New Britain, Conn. The meet will begin at 4 p.m.