BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Navy women's cross country team concluded its 2023 season with a solid performance at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Friday afternoon. Racing on the 6K Goodman Campus Cross Country Course at Lehigh University, the Mids posted a 10th-place overall finish among the 27 teams that competed.
Ellie Abraham led the Mids' effort as she crossed the finish line with a time of 21:12.7, which was her second-best 6K time of the season.
"Everyone ran one of their best times on this course today," head coach
Kim Lewnes said after the race. "They competed hard, but so did everyone else. We've had some hardships and injuries this season. We came up short on many of our goals. We'll reset now and prepare for the track season."
No. 4 Georgetown was the top finisher in the meet, leading the way with a team-low 48 points. Penn State grabbed the other automatic qualifying spot, finishing second overall with a score of 79. Penn (104), West Virginia (120), and Villanova (128) rounded out the top five, while Princeton (140), Pitt (145), Maryland (273), Bucknell (324), and Navy (328) finished in order.
Through the first mile, the Midshipmen were in 12th place, but moved up two spots to 10th through the two-mile checkpoint. At the 4K marker, the Midshipmen remained in 10th, which they held as a team across the finish line.
As a team, the Midshipmen's top five averaged a time of 21:24.6 with just 22.5 seconds separating their top five finishers.
Abraham was the top finisher for the Midshipmen, crossing the finish line with a time of 21:12.7 to finish 53rd overall among the 196 competitors. Fellow senior
Caroline Harding completed the 6K two spots back of Abraham with a time of 21:14.3 – her second-fastest 6K time of the season. Sophomore
Sophie Compton was third among the Mids' runners with a time of 21:29.9, which marked her second-best performance of the season. Senior
McKenna Brophy saved her best for last, clocking a season-best 6K performance of 21:30.8 to finish just behind Compton in 76th. Junior
Olivia Lutkevich also turned in her best performance of the season with a time of 21:35.2 to round out the top five for the Midshipmen.
Competing in their first ever NCAA Regional, freshmen
Lillee Tang and
Sarah Colebrooke crossed the finish line with times of 21:49.8 and 22:13.0, respectively. It was the best performance of the season for Tang, while marking the second-best 6K time of the year for Colebrooke.
The Midshipmen will now turn their attention to the track and field season with the first indoor meet of the 2023-24 season – the Navy Invitational I – taking place at Wesley A. Brown Field House on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Navy Top 7
53.
Ellie Abraham – 21:12.7
55.
Caroline Harding – 21:14.3
73.
Sophie Compton – 21:29.9
76.
McKenna Brophy – 21:30.8
79.
Olivia Lutkevich – 21:35.2
100.
Lillee Tang – 21:49.8
127.
Sarah Colebrooke – 22:13.0
