SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Navy men's cross country team recorded a solid performance at the Joe Piane Invitational at the Burke Golf Course on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Junior Sam Keeny (Annapolis, Md.) was the Midshipmen's top finisher, posting time of 24:06.5 in the five-mile race.
 
"We had a good day today," head coach Aaron Lanzel said. "As flat as the course was, and as nice as the weather was, the difficulty was made up with a highly competitive field that was a melee of shoving, bloody shins, and hurdling other falling runners.
 
"Sam got out well along with Brett and they ran tough when things started to break up. Murphy, and especially Garrison, moved up through the last half of the race to put four in a tight grouping. Jack made some big moves the final chunks of the race to help push down a few more teams, finishing ahead of ranking expectations. There were 12 or so teams that have been ranked nationally or received votes this season and we competed well against them. We didn't have everyone satisfied. There were a few misfires, but a great experience to be in the mix with some great teams and a step towards improvement for the end of the season."
 
Led by Keeny, the Midshipmen had four runners finish in the top 75. Keeny's time of 24:06.5 placed him in 38th overall, while Garrison Clark (Severna Park, Md.) finished 10 spots back with a time of 24:10.8. Team captain Brett Brady (Phoenix, Ariz.) finished in 68th with a time of 24:23.7, while Murphy Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) crossed the finish line in 24:25.0 to take 72nd.
 
Jack Rooney (Raleigh, N.C.) notched a time of 24:43.9 to close out Navy's top five competitors. Mitchell Rome (Dallas, Pa.) and Ryan O'Dea (Louisville, Ky.) rounded out the Mids' top seven with times of 24:53.3 and 25:10.4, respectively.
 
Alexander Kirkland (Bel Air, Md.) and Alex Rizzo (Bronxville, N.Y.) also took part in the five-mile competition. Kirkland clocked a 25:17.0, while Rizzo finished with a 25:43.2.
 
As a team, Navy finished 12th overall with 332 points. Meet host Notre Dame won the event with a combined low-score of 81, while Tennessee and Alabama were second and third with 104 and 126 points, respectively. Montana State tallied 144 points, while Charlotte rounded out the top 5 with 180 points.
 
In addition to the team competition, Navy also had a trio runners compete in the open five-mile event. Luke Nester (Powell, Ohio) was the Mids' top finisher in the open five-miler with a time of 25:03.1 to finish 21st overall. Ben Countiss (Houston, Texas) and Justin Mumford (New Baden, Ill.) also competed in the open, posting times of 25:16.2 and 25:34.2, respectively.
 
Navy returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 15 as the Midshipmen take on rival Army in the annual Army-Navy Star Meet, which is part of the overall Star Series presented by USAA. The meet will be held at the USNA Cross Country Course.
 
 
Team Results
1. Notre Dame – 81 points
2. Tennessee – 104
3. Alabama – 126
4. Montana State – 144
5. Charlotte – 180
6. Butler – 180
7. Cal Poly – 192
8. Michigan – 217
9. NC State – 218
10. Boise State – 265
11. Florida State – 267
12. Navy – 332
13. Pittsburgh – 339
14. Eastern Kentucky – 340
15. Southern Utah – 384
16. Liberty – 411
17. New Mexico – 412
18. Purdue – 426
19. Bradley – 448
20. UC Santa Barbara – 583
21. Penn State – 642
 
Navy Top 7
38. Sam Keeny – 24:06.5
48. Garrison Clark – 24:10.7
68. Brett Brady – 24:23.7
72. Murphy Smith – 24:25.0
109. Jack Rooney – 24:43.9
124. Mitchell Rome – 24:53.3
145. Ryan O'Dea – 25:10.4