"I'm impressed," Baker said. "This was the first time any of the freshmen have raced and already they are key contributors to the team, helping to account for a very strong team effort, an effort especially strong for such an early-season meet."

"The amount of improvement we could and should make by the end of the season is amazing," Baker added.

As expected, Harvard received solid performances from their two front runners, Baker (17th-25:36) and Martin (27th-26:02).

But breathing down the necks of these two exceptional upperclassmen was Shenk-Boright, who surprised in his first collegiate race, finishing in an impressive third position for Harvard and 48th overall at 26:33.

"I just felt good, though I did cramp up in the last mile and was forced to slow up a bit," Shenk-Boright said.

Not far behind, and making another strong debut on the college running scene was freshman Pat Boehm, who took fourth for Harvard in an almost equally stunning time of 27:02 over the draining five-mile course.

With these two freshmen leading the charge and a pack of nearly 10 classmates not far behind, the freshman class looks to supply the Harvard team with a much-welcomed boost, since the squad fields just seven upperclassmen.

Those upperclassmen continued to progress, as most of them markedly lowered their times relative to those at the Fordham Invitational run on the same course Sept. 11.