UConn places 6th at New England Champ.

The UConn men's cross country team leaped 24 places from the 2008 season into a 6th-place finish in the New England Championships.

Last year, the team brought six runners to the competition, five of whom were freshmen and one a sophomore. With a new elite team that consists of seven runners, four freshmen, one junior and two seniors, the Huskies continue to gain momentum throughout the season.

Finishing first for the Huskies and second place overall was senior Will Sanders with a time of 24:33. After leading the team last year in the New England Championships, junior Scott Johnson finished second for the Huskies with a time of 25:20, but improved his time and place this year.

Next to cross the finish line in 53rd place was senior Brian Gagnon with a time of 25:46, following him was sophomore Nick Aguilla in 96th place, finishing in 26:11. Capping off the top 100 in a close finish, Myles Udland was four runners behind Aguilla, but finished one second behind him with a time of 25:12.

Rounding out the pack were freshmen Ryan King and Artem Skobrev who finished in 102nd and 198th place respectively, finishing with times of 26:25 and 27:03.

"The last two weeks of practice were designed to be hard, working on hills and longer intervals," Sanders said. "I was prepared for the meet, but was unable to stay with the leader as long as I would have liked to. If I could have hung on for at least one more mile I would have been in better shape to make a go at it the last mile. I am more or less where I need to be. There has been a constant progression and as long as that continues, I'll be ready for the Big East championship and beyond."

"In terms of my long-term goals I am exactly where I need to be," Gagnon said. "I was as prepared as I could be. The fall is all about building a solid base for my outdoor season. Everything I do now is geared towards that. Overall the race went well. I finished strong passing a handful of guys in the last 400 meters and came 4 seconds off my personal best and improved by 4 seconds on my 8k time this year."

Looking ahead, the Huskies hope to continue running well in next week's Leopard Invitational. They will compete in this event in preparation for the Big East and NCAA Championships.