The men’s cross country team took second place Saturday at the 19th Annual Oswego Invitational.

Senior Phil Abbott posted the top time for Ithaca, placing fifth with a time of 20:15 in the six kilometer run. Abbott finished only 42 seconds behind top finisher Kyle O’Brien of SUNY-Cortland. Freshman Nathan Bickell (20:21), sophomore Brian McCormick (20:22), freshman Billy Savage (20:26) and freshman David Geary (20:27) followed Abbott, taking the sixth through ninth spots, respectively. Brian Riley (20:39) and Alex McConville (20:44) placed 12th and 13th, respectively, to finish out Ithaca’s top seven spots.

Defending national champion Cortland took the crown with a total of 21 points, followed by Ithaca with 35 points. Though the Bombers had the best average finish for their top seven, Cortland took the top four spots, giving them the edge over the Bombers. SUNY-Oswego finished in a distant third with 83 points, and Alfred University rounded out the top four with 148 points. The Bombers had an average time of 20:22, just 20 seconds behind the Red Dragons.

Ithaca’s next race is Saturday when they travel to Dallas, Pa. to compete in the Cougar Classic at Miscericordia University.