Coach Mikkola was breathing easier yesterday. his cross country team had closed out a most embarrassing season Saturday by finishing eighth in the nonagonals and Jaakko could now look forward to the winter track campaign.

Favored to finish last in the nine-team nonagonals at Princeton, the Crimson surprised everybody including itself by grabbing eighth place with a point total of 162, just one thin point behind Navy.

Winner of the ninth annual five-mile championship was Army with 59 points. Penn with 70 finished second. Other scores were Columbia, 87; Yale, 104; Dartmouth, 125; Princeton, 148; Navy, 161; Harvard, 162; and Cornell, 189.

Harvard finishers: Bill Baker, 18th; John Cogan, 28th; Captain Huna Rosenfeld, 29th; Joe Leeming, 39th; George Anderson, 48th; Arden Albee, 54th, Harvard Wilbur, 58th.