The men’s cross country team narrowly defeated Roberts Wesleyan College by two points Saturday to win the Highlander Invitational at Houghton College.

The Bombers’ depth and senior leadership were keys for the team in winning the invitational. After being led by two freshmen last week, it was two seniors that finished first and second for the Blue and Gold.

Seniors Steve Mulhern and Morty Caster finished 5th and 6th with times of 26:52 and 26:55, respectively. Both Mulhern and Caster were held out of last week’s race to keep them fresh for later in the year.

Not too far behind the two seniors were two sophomores, who also didn’t run last weekend. Sophomore Tim Shea placed behind Caster in 7th place with a time of 27:04. Classmate Drew Hodge finished 11th overall with a time of 27:27.

Rounding out Ithaca’s top five was freshman Scott Walker, the team’s top finisher last week. Walker was one place behind Hodge in 12th with a time of 27:29.

The top five runners score in cross country, but if it wasn’t for their sixth and seventh runners, Ithaca would not have beaten Roberts Wesleyan.

Roberts Wesleyan’s runners finished in first, second and third overall. Their top runner, Julius Rono, finished in a time of 25:04, more than 1:25 faster than the No. 2 runner. Despite dominating the top of the leaderboard, their four and five runners placed 22nd and 23rd overall.

Ithaca’s number six and seven runners, sophomore Ben Roque and senior Jeff Abbott, finished in front of the No. 4 runner for Roberts Wesleyan. This displaced points and gave Ithaca the edge it needed to narrowly beat Roberts Wesleyan.