BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Led by a top-10 finish by senior Dan Cheung, the Gator men finished ninth overall, and fourth among NCAA Division III squads, at the annual Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University.

Cheung was one of four Gators to place in the top quartile of the 401-runner event, while the Gators placed ninth among 45 teams, including 13 NCAA Division I foes.

Cheung covered the 8-kilometer course in 24:54, topping his previous personal record of 24:58 that was set at the 2015 NCAA Division III National Championships, at which he earned All-America honors with a 33rd-place finish.  The Chicagoan placed third among D-III runners at the Paul Short.

Junior Carter Smith was Allegheny's second finisher, placing 38th overall with a time of 25:24, the second-best time of his career, and 22 seconds better than his performance at last year's Lehigh event.

Senior Randy Violette was the Gators' third man, posting a time of 25:47 to place 88th, three seconds ahead of junior teammate John Hughes (25:50) who took 95th.

Allegheny's fifth and sixth spots were occupied by a pair of veterans.  Emmett Barr topped his previous personal best by three seconds to finish in 26:16, while Justin Koch turned in the second-fastest effort of his career with a time of 26:34.  

A year after running 27:54 at the Lehigh event, junior Ben Evans toppled the PR by nearly 90 seconds with a time of 26:38 to round out the Gator seven.

Princeton University won the team title, boasting five runners in the top-20, while Bryce England of Saint Francis (Pa.) claimed the individual championship with a time of 24:38.

After a 13-day layoff, the Gators will travel back east when they return to action on Oct. 15 at the Rowan Inter-Regional Rumble in Glassboro, N.J.