deLaubenfels finished 54th at the NCAA Championships. (Photo courtesy of Nancy Foley.)
Gustavus senior Chris deLaubenfels completed his career with a 54th place finish at the 2007 NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship which was run at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. on Saturday. deLaubenfels recorded a time of 25:28 over the 8,000 meter course which was 1:04 behind overall champion Tyler Sigl of University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
The Mount Vernon native, who was the first male Gustavus runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1999, came up just short of placing in the top 50 as five runners finished three seconds ahead of him. The race was run in cold conditions as wind chill brought the temperatures below the freezing point.
The 54th place finish by deLaubenfels was the best finish at the NCAA Championships for a male Gustavus runner since Steffan Freeman finished 54th at the 1998 championships. deLaubenfels’ time of 25:28 was his fastest time of the season, besting his season best of 25:35 at the NCAA Regional Championships last weekend.
New York University won the team title at the NCAA Championships as the Violets finished 22 points ahead of Haverford.