FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Purchase College men's cross country raced to a 7th-place finish at the Golden Eagle Invitational Friday, hosted by Skyline rival St. Joseph's University, N.Y.-(L.I.) at Bethpage State Park.

The Panthers competed against a field of 13 teams in the 8k event, including six league opponents: U.S. Merchant Marine, SJU (L.I.), SJU (Brooklyn), Farmingdale, Old Westbury and the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Purchase tallied a team score of 188, placing fourth in line among its Skyline peers.

Panther rookie Robert Royston (FR/Nyack, NY) led the way with a team-best time of 27:05.9. He placed eighth overall out of 100 runners. 

Teammates Philip Dragovich, Samuel Teich and George Reid were next to cross the finish line, clocking in at 29:51.2, 32:15.7 and 33:00.6, respectively. Purchase newcomer WIllam Cody capped the Panther scoring for the day with a time of 35:01.3.

The team looks to build on Friday's successes as they get set to host Skyline opponent Sarah Lawrence College for a dual race on Oct. 4 at 7 a.m.

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