UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Powered by an 11th-place finish by junior
Emily Boutin (Chicopee, Mass.), the Navy women's cross country team registered a seventh-place team finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday morning at the Penn State Cross Country Course in University Park, Pa., tying for the best finish for the Midshipmen over the past 15 years (2008, '11, '12, '21).
"Although we are a better team than how we performed today, I am proud of our squad," head coach
Kim Lewnes said. "Overall, it's been a great season and we have a lot to be proud of even if we came up short of our goals today."
Boutin clocked a time of 20:38.0 in the 6K event to finish 11th overall. The time was the junior's second-fastest 6K time of the season coming in 1.2 second back of her Patriot League Championship winning time of 20:36.8. Boutin's performance was 56 seconds faster than her time in the Spiked Shoe Invitational on the same course earlier in the year.
Through the first marker, Boutin was in 12th place, however, she slipped to 16th through the second check point. The junior was able to move up three spots into 13th through the next marker before crossing the finish line in 11th-place.
"Emily left it all out there and we will have to wait to see if she gets an at large bid," said Lewnes. "She raced well today, but lost contact with the lead pack in the middle of the race. Although she closed well over the final mile, she was too far behind the automatic qualifiers."
Elizabeth Sullivan (Portsmouth, R.I.) crossed the finish line next for the Midshipmen. The senior posted a time of 21:21.2 to finish 32nd overall. The time was Sullivan's fastest 6K performance of the season.
"Beth competed tough today and moved up the second half of the race," Lewnes stated. "She's not 100-percent right now, but has maintained a positive attitude and is a poised leader. She'll get some well-deserved rest and be back to crush this final track and field season."
Competing in their first NCAA Regional, freshmen
Mia-Claire Kezal (Saco, Maine) and Sophia Compton (San Diego, Calif.) registered times of 21:38.7 and 21:43.3 to finish 46th and 51st overall, respectively.
"Mia-Claire and Sophie continue to impress in their rookie championship season," Lewnes said of her freshmen. "Both race with such maturity, it's hard to believe Mia-Claire never ran cross country before this fall."
Alanna Julius (Minnetonka, Minn.) capped Navy's top five with a time of 21:47.6 to come in 55th while
Carolyn Thurlby (Overland Park, Kan.) and
Ellie Abraham (Brookings, S.D.) rounded out the top seven finishers for the Midshipmen. Thurlby posed a time of 22:33.2 to finish 93rd, while Abraham notched a time of 22:46.2 to come in 102nd.
"Alanna stepped up today," Lewnes continued. "Every race she has improved a little more and is gaining the confidence she needs to meet her potential. I'm excited to see how it translates to the track.
"Carolyn and Ellie were off today. It happens, but they'll be all the hungrier next cross country season. Ellie has been challenged this fall as she works towards her professional goals and she had to make some sacrifices along the way. She's mentally and physically as tough as they come and will be better prepared for the indoor season!"
"We have a lot of talented runners on the sidelines today, Winter being one of them," added Lewnes. She has been a great captain while managing an injury this fall, so along with her 1/C classmates, they have some unfinished business to get after on the track."
On the strength of Navy's 11-31-45-49-53 finish by its scoring five, the Mids totaled 189 team points to finish seventh overall and tie for the program's top finish in the last 15 years – 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2021. Navy's top five was separate by just one minute and nine seconds (1:09).
Georgetown won the overall event, placing all five of its scoring runners in the top 15 to finish with a team-best 37 points. West Virginia, who had the overall individual winner – Ceili McCabe, was second with 75 points. Penn (106) and Princeton (114) followed with meet-host Penn State (143) rounding out the top five. Villanova finished ahead of Navy with 152 points, while Rutgers, La Salle, and Pittsburgh closed out the top 10.
