BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Navy women's cross country team concluded its 2021 season with a strong performance at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Friday afternoon. Racing on the 6k Goodman Campus Cross Country Course at Lehigh University, the Mids turned in the program's best finish since 2012 with a seventh place result in the team standings as all five of their counting runners placed amongst the top-53 individuals in a field of 193. Elizabeth Sullivan (Jr., Portsmouth, R.I.) led the Mids' effort as she crossed the finish line in 25th place.
 
"We have a pretty special team," remarked head coach Kim Lewnes. "Although we haven't all had our best days at the same time, when one runner falls off, they know their teammate will be there to get them back into the race. I love watching these women support one another on and off the course."
 
Sullivan was joined in the early race action by sophomore Ellie Abraham (Brookings, S.D.) as the duo were separated by 2.1 seconds at the one-mile checkpoint with Abraham clocking in at 5:39.0 ahead of Sullivan's 5:41.1. Abraham ranked 25th at the time, while Sullivan was 40th. Emily Boutin (So., Chicopee, Mass.) and Jessica Nangle (Sr., Southampton, Pa.) were right behind this leading duo as Boutin was 41st at 5:41.8 and Nangle was 48th at 5:42.3.
 
Over the next mile of the competition, Winter Boese (Jr., Clark, Colo.) made it a five-pack of Midshipmen in the top-60. Abraham paced this group as she passed by the two-mile marker at 11:18.3, still 25th overall in the field. Sullivan, Nangle and Boutin were the next three Navy runners as they closed out the second section of the race in 37th, 44th and 48th place respectively. Boese sped her way into contention during this segment as she passed 21 runners to go from 79th to 58th with a checkpoint time of 11:41.4.
 
Sullivan made her move towards the front over the second half of the race as she spent the next nine-plus minutes navigating her way into the top-25 as she closed out the 6k race with a final time of 21:15.3, that ranked 25th overall. Abraham kept her spot near the top of Navy's lineup as she was the second Mid to complete the race as she crossed the finish line in 41st place with a 21:37.2 result. In her final collegiate cross country competition, Nangle, Navy's team captain, came in 9.8 seconds back in 49th with a 21:47.0 time. Boutin was right there with her captain as she placed 51st at 21:48.3. The series of Midshipmen alternating every other position continued as Boese finished in 53rd at 21:53.4.
 
"Beth Sullivan has been a strong and consistent competitor all season," said Lewnes. "The last two races she has been able to close really well over the last mile. Today that got her to exactly where she wanted to be, finishing in the top-25 in the region. Ellie Abraham is as tough as they come. She put herself in the lead pack right from the start and I know she left in all out there today. This was her first regional championship, so I am excited for the future she has ahead! Jess, Emily, and Winter have finished as a tight pack all season. Today Jess and Emily got out well and ran very evenly paced races. Winter moved up throughout the race to get herself back in the pack and ultimately rounding out our top-five finishers all in the top-53."
 
Seniors Maddie Warrender (Mount Wolf, Pa.) and Anna Kovacs (Toledo, Ohio) capped their four-year cross country careers with top-90 performances as Warrender posted a time of 22:22.6 that was good for 74th, while Kovacs was 90th at 22:39.8. Warrender made a significant move over the second half of the race as she passed 28 competitors going from 102nd at the two-mile mark to her final position.
 
"Maddie got off to a slow start, but she moved up a lot over the second half of the race," said Lewnes. "Although she didn't finish where she wanted overall, she has grown so much this season. She had some setbacks in the middle of the season, but with more consistency as we move to the track, she is going to have a standout senior spring.
 
"Similar to Maddie, Anna has very high standards for herself and this team. Both of them had their highest place finish at the regional meet today, but both want more."
 
On the strength of Navy's 25-41-49-51-53 finish by its scoring five, the Mids totaled 219 team points. Navy nearly broke its program record for highest finish ever as the Mids were edged in the standings by George Washington as the Colonials were just eight points ahead with 211 points.

Georgetown and West Virginia were the class of the team standings at the regional championship as the Hoyas finished with 43 points and the Mountaineers were 24 points back in second place with 67 points. Those two programs will now advance to the NCAA Championship next Saturday at Florida State. The rest of the top-five consisted of Villanova (105 points), Princeton (122) and Penn State (159).
 
West Virginia's Ceili McCabe won the race by nearly nine seconds with a final time of 20:05.7.
 
"It was a close race for sixth place, but we just missed out," said Lewnes in closing. "Overall, we have a lot to be proud of this season, beating Army, winning the Patriot League, and posting the program's best finish at regionals since 2012. My firsties lead by Anna, Jess and Maddie, have been committed to pushing our team to greatness. I am so grateful for their leadership, perseverance, and courage!"