BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Navy women's cross country team capped off its 2025 season with a 12th-place finish in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday afternoon at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pa. Senior team captain
Sophie Compton was the Midshipmen's top finisher with a time of 21:19.3 in the 6K race, which was hosted by Lehigh University.
Led by a 1-2 finish by Joy Naukot (19:11.8) and Mercy Kinyanjui (19:22.5), #7 West Virginia placed first as a team with a combined low of 56 to claim the first automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. #12 Georgetown was four points back with a team tally of 62 to claim the second automatic berth. #10 Penn State (76 points), #19 Villanova (78), and Princeton (99) rounded out the top five teams in the 30-team regional.
"Sophie, Jane, and Lexi did a great job working together as a pack today and really set the tone for our group," head coach
Kim Lewnes said after the race. "Unfortunately, injuries and illness have challenged us throughout the season and contributed to some underwhelming team results. Even so, we've seen a lot of individual growth, and the athletes have continued to make progress in the right direction. Moving forward, we know we need to raise the performance bar to meet our team goals at the conference and region levels."
Compton led the way for the Midshipmen in the race. The senior clocked a time of 21:19.3 to finish 56th overall among the 210 competitors that finished the race. Junior
Lexi Ensor was two spots back with a time of 21:22.8.
Sophomore
Jane Phillips posted a time of 21:28.5 to finish third among the Navy competitors. Senior
Kate Leddy and junior
Susannah Heinz rounded out the Midshipmen's top five runners. Leddy crossed the finish line with a time of 21:59.1, while Heinz posted a time of 22:08.0. Sophomore
Madeline Palmisciano closed out the counters for the Mids with a time of 22:41.9. Freshman
Catalina Simon started the race, but was unable to finish her first NCAA Regional competition.
The Midshipmen will now turn their attention to the track and field season with the first indoor meet of the 2025-26 season – the Navy Indoor Invitational – taking place at Wesley A. Brown Field House on Saturday, Dec. 6.
