Several underclassmen on the Violets' men's cross country squad competed at the Shore A.C. Invitational in Thompson Park in Lincroft, NJ, on Saturday.

The first Violet to cross the finish line was freshman James Patterson, who placed second in the 5k race with a time of 16:26.

"James ran a solid race in not-so-solid conditions," said NYU head coach Nick McDonough.

Overall, eight NYU runners participated. Five finished within the top 10, while all placed within the top 21 of the 120-person race. 

Freshman Kyle DeLeon (16:52), freshman David Knowles (16:53) and sophomore Steven Au-Yeung (17:01), finished fifth through seventh, respectively.

Also in the top 10 for NYU was freshman Brian Broderick, who took 10th in a time of 17:14.

The other NYU participants were freshman Dylan Karten (12th place, 17:18), sophomore Steven Delianitis (13th, 17:34), and freshman Conor Murphy (21st, 18:18). 

"This competition was used as a good experience for some of our underclassmen who may not be competing in our conference and regional championships," McDonough added

The bulk of the NYU squad returns to action for the University Athletic Association Championship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Saturday.