LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Navy men's cross country team won its second consecutive Patriot League Cross Country Championship on Saturday at the Bucknell West Fields on the campus of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. The Midshipmen had four runners in the finish in the top six to lead the way to the victory.
 
"Our runners continued being excellent today," head coach Aaron Lanzel said after the race. "We knew other individuals and teams would get out hard and hope some inspiration would carry the day for them, so being tested, being in third place as a team after a mile gave Sam, Alex, Brett, Garrison, and Mitch a challenge to overcome, and they were true to Navy form. I'm joyful to see the fulfillment all of our guys get from overcoming a challenge. It's an elusive thing to get everyone having their best day every weekend, but where one falls our core keeps launching another up to lift the team. Murphy is taking some good strides to be a contender in the future, along with Luke and Alexander."
 
Navy tallied 32 total points on the day to finish ahead of rival Army, who came in second with 50 points. Boston University was third with 68 points. Meet host Bucknell (127) was fourth with American (133) rounding out the top five in the conference standings.
 
Individually, Sam Keeny (Annapolis, Md.) led the way for the Midshipmen. The junior battled back and forth for the top spot, ultimately finishing in second place with a time of 24:35.1. He was immediately followed by teammates Alex Rizzo (Bronxville, N.Y.) and Brett Brady (Phoenix, Ariz.) who claimed third and fourth, respectively. Rizzo clocked a time of 24:44.2 to finish just ahead of Brady's time of 24:46.0. Garrison Clark (Severna Park, Md.) posted a time of 24:58.3 to finish sixth overall.
 
Mitchell Rome (Dallas, Pa.) rounded out the top five for the Midshipmen with a 17th-place finish with a time of 25:18.3. Murphy Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) followed with a time of 25:21.7 to take 19th, while Luke Nester (Powell, Ohio) completed the Mids' top 7, taking 23rd with a time of 25:28.7.
 
Alexander Kirkland (Bel Air, Md.), Justin Mumford (New Baden, Ill.), Jackson Nguyen (Huntsville, Ala.), Jack Rooney (Raleigh, N.C.), and Ben Countiss (Houston, Texas) also competed for the Midshipmen, posting times of 25:35.9, 25:55.9, 26:00.7, 26:24.7, and 26:35.7, individually.
 
Navy was in second place through the first checkpoint with Keeny and Brady in first and third, respectively. The Midshipmen dropped to third as a team through 1.8K with Keeny and Brady falling to fourth and fifth overall. Through 3K, the Mids moved back into second place. Rizzo overtook the individual lead, followed by Keeny (second) and Brady (fourth).
 
At the halfway point, Navy moved into first place as a team. Rizzo and Keeny stood strong at 1-2 with Brady remaining in fourth individually. Keeny moved into first place with Brady ascending two spots into second place through 5.1K, helping the team increase its overall lead. At the 6K checkpoint, Navy increased its team lead to 13 points (29-42) with Keeny, Brady, and Rizzo holding the first, third, and fifth individually. Clark moved into the top 10, passing the marker in eighth.
 
At the final checkpoint before the finish line, the Mids increased its advantage to 15 (29-44). Keeny held the overall lead with Rizzo in third. Brady and Clark were in the top 10 in fifth and sixth, respectively.
 
For their efforts, Keeny (second place), Rizzo (third), Brady (fourth), and Clark (sixth) were named First Team All-Patriot League, while head coach Aaron Lanzel was tabbed the Patriot League Men's Coach of the Year.
 
Both Navy teams will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, hosted at Penn State on Friday, Nov. 11.
 
Team Results
1. Navy – 32
2. Army – 50
3. Boston – 68
4. Bucknell – 127
5. American – 133
6. Lehigh – 145
7. Lafayette – 214
8. Loyola – 229
9. Holy Cross – 266
10. Colgate – 299
 
Navy Top 7
2. Sam Keeny – 24:35.1
3. Alex Rizzo – 24:44.1
4. Brett Brady – 24:46.0
6. Garrison Clark – 24:58.3
17. Mitchell Rome – 25:18.3
19. Murphy Smith – 25:21.7
23. Luke Nester – 25:28.7