NEW ORLEANS, La. – All-Region honorees for the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country season were recognized on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following Regional Championships Friday. Among those named All-Mid-Atlantic Region were Navy runners Alexander Kirkland, Justin Mumford, Luke Nester, Jackson Nguyen, and Murphy Smith.
 
Athletes earned the distinction of All-Region by virtue of a top-25 finish at one of the nine regional sites this past weekend. Only athletes from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
 
Smith (8th), Mumford (15th), Nguyen (18th), Kirkland (19th), and Nester (21st) all finished in the top 25 at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship among the 192 individuals who completed the 10K race at the Blue and White Cross Country Course on the campus of Penn State.
 
As a team, the Midshipmen posted a fourth-place finish, which was the best for Navy under current head coach Aaron Lanzel. The Mids' top five averaged a time of 30:02.6 with just under over 30 seconds (31.5 seconds) separating their top five finishers.
 
Smith, who was Navy's top finisher in all six races he competed in this fall, once again took the top spot for the Midshipmen, notching his second consecutive top-10 finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional with a time of 29:44.0. Last season, he finished third overall to earn a spot in the NCAA Championship.
 
Mumford continued his excellent junior campaign coming in 15th overall with a time of 29:57.6. Nguyen and Kirkland finished back-to-back in 18th and 19th, respectively. Nguyen clocked a time of 30:07.8 to finish just ahead of Kirkland who crossed the finish line with a time of 30:08.1. Nester, who served as the team captain for the 2024 campaign, came in two spots back of Kirkland in 21st overall with a time of 30:15.5 to round out the Mids' top five.
 
It is the second consecutive season that Kirkland and Smith have earned All-Region, while it was a first for Mumford, Nester, and Nguyen.