NEW ORLEANS, La. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recently announced its postseason academic awards for the 2024 cross country season and the Navy men's and women's programs were both acknowledged for their prowess in the classroom. Additionally, Justin Mumford, Luke Nester, and Murphy Smith were recognized as an All-Academic Athletes for their success in competition at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship and academically at the Naval Academy.
 
The USTFCCCA All-Academic team award requires programs to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater for their roster. Both the Navy men's and women's teams registered 3.17 GPAs.
 
In order to qualify for individual All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at the NCAA Regional Championships or as an All-American at the NCAA Championships.
 
Smith (8th), Mumford (15th), and Nester (21st) were among five Navy runners to finish in the top 25 at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship.
 
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.
 
Mumford continued his excellent junior campaign coming in 15th overall with a time of 29:57.6, while Nester, who served as the team captain for the 2024 campaign, came in 21st overall with a time of 30:15.5 to round out the Mids' top five.