ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy cross country program is set to pick up its postseason schedule this Friday with action at the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. Hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., the women will be first on the 6k Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Friday as the Mids are one of 31 teams in the 11 a.m. race. One hour later at noon, the men will be competing amongst a field of 27 teams. Both programs will be focused on securing one of the top-two qualifying positions in the national NCAA Championship meet on Saturday, November 23 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Should a team not nab one of the two automatic bids, there are also a limited number of at-large team selections and at-large individual selections that are determined following meets from across the NCAA Division I landscape. The top-four individuals from each regional not on a qualifying team are automatically are selected, while any other finisher in the top-25 is placed into the at-large national pool as a potential at-large individual.

Both teams have a bit of familiarity with the course at Lehigh having competed earlier this season at the Paul Short Run. The men placed sixth of 45 teams with 270 team points. Jake Brophy and Kevin Murray highlighted the Mids' effort as the senior duo crossed the line in the 8k race with times of 23:23.0 and 23:28.0, good for second and fourth place overall. In the women's 6k race, Navy placed 26th of 43 teams with 733 points. Emily Craig and Elizabeth Sullivan were the first two Mids to finish the race as Craig clocked in 74th place at 21:03.5, while Sullivan was 127th at 21:28.2.

Mid-Atlantic Women's Regional Championship (11 AM)
Coming off of a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Patriot League Championship, this will be the 15th straight year that the Mids have competed at the NCAA Regional Meet. The team's best finish during that span is a seventh in 2012. Racing as part of a 30-team field on the 6K Penn State Blue Course, the Mids saw then-senior Ali Valenti and Grace West (Sr., Pinehurst, N.C.) tally top-50 finishes to help the team to a 16th-place result at the 2018 regional competition.

Navy is currently ranked 12th in the latest USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. This year's championship field includes all 15 teams that are ranked in the poll with Patriot League foes, Bucknell (11) and Lehigh (14) amongst those in that top-15. Penn State, Villanova and Georgetown hold the top-three positions.

Last Five Mid-Atlantic Regionals
2018: 16th of 30
2017: 12th of 28
2016: 13th of 28
2015: 10th of 30
2014: 9th of 29

Mid-Atlantic Men's Regional Championship (12 PM)
Navy is in search of its 13th bid to the NCAA Championships as a team after finishing eighth at last year's Mid-Atlantic Regional. At the 2018 meet on Nov. 9 at Penn State, the Mids raced on the 10K White Cross Country Course. Kevin Murray  led the Mids as the team placed eighth overall with 261 points. Faced with challenging weather conditions, Murray navigated the 169-runner field a time of 31:27 that ranked 11th overall. Running with the lead pack for the majority of Friday's contest, the 2018 Patriot League Champion finished just two seconds out of a spot in the top-10. 

Navy is currently ranked seventh in the latest USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. This year's championship field includes all 15 teams that are ranked in the poll with Patriot League foes Lehigh (11th) and Bucknell (12th) amongst those in that top-15. Villanova, Georgetown and Temple hold the top-three positions. 

Last Five Mid-Atlantic Regionals
2018: 8th of 24
2017: 2nd of 26
2016: 2nd of 22
2015: 6th of 25
2014: 5th of 23