ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy cross country teams begin the 2025 season at the Salisbury Fall Classic at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, Md. Competition begins at 9:45 a.m. with the women's 6K, while the men's 8K will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Meet Participants
Navy, Anne Arundel Community College (women only), Gallaudet, Regent, Rowan, and Salisbury
Compton, Nguyen Named Cross Country Team Captains
Head coaches Kim Lewnes and
Aaron Lanzel officially announced that seniors Sophie Compton and
Jackson Nguyen have been selected as team captains for the 2025 Navy cross country season.
Compton has competed in 18 events over her first three seasons, earning Second Team All-Patriot League distinction twice (2022, '24) in her Midshipmen career. During her time at the Academy, she has solidified her position as one of Navy's top runners, finishing as one of the Mids' top three finishers in her last nine competitions dating back to her sophomore season.
Nguyen has competed in 17 competitions in his three-year Navy career, including six competitions in 2024. Last season, he finished in the top four among Midshipmen runners in all six competitions that he competed in, which included the Army-Navy Star Meet, the Patriot League Championship, and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. As a junior, Nguyen earned First Team All-Patriot League and All-Region.
Season in Review – WOMEN
Navy finished third at the 2024 Patriot League Championship at the Lafayette College Cross Country Course in Easton, Pa. Alex Wercinski led the Midshipmen with a fourth-place finish in the 6K event to earn First Team All-Conference distinction, while Sophie Compton and Olivia Lutkevich finished 11th and 13th to earn second-team honors.
The Midshipmen concluded the season with a stellar performance at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. Racing on the 6K Blue and White Cross Country Course at Penn State, the Mids posted an eighth-place overall finish among the 30 teams competing. Wercinski led the Mids' effort as she crossed the finish line with a time of 20:51.4 to finish 33rd amid the 214 competitors that finished the race. Navy's top-10 finish was the best among all Patriot League teams that participated in the race – Bucknell (11th), Lehigh (14th), Lafayette (25th), American (27th), and Loyola (28th).
In the classroom, Wercinski was selected to the seven-member Academic All-Patriot League women's squad, while eighteen (18) Mids were recognized on the 2024 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, including three student-athletes, who posted a flawless 4.0 GPA in the fall semester – Daisy Dastrup, Brianna Newell, and Samantha Woodworth. Additionally, the women's cross country team was recognized with the USTFCCCA All-Academic team award.
Season in Review – MEN
Led by
Murphy Smith, who set the USNA Cross Country Course record (23:25.8), Navy posted a dominant 18-45 victory over rival Army in the 2024 Star Meet. The Midshipmen placed nine runners in the top 10 to run away with the 4.9-mile event.
Behind a first-place finish by Smith, the Midshipmen placed nine runners in the top 14 at the 2024 Patriot League Championship to register a team-low score of 19 in the 8K race to win the event by 30 points. For the second straight season, Smith was named the Runner of the Year, while
Patrick Gandini was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Navy head coach
Aaron Lanzel was tabbed Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.
Smith was one of five Midshipmen to earn First Team All-Patriot League honors.
Luke Nester,
Jackson Nguyen,
Justin Mumford, and
Alexander Kirkland also earned first-team honors, while
Matt Newell, Gandini,
Dane Eike, and
James Partlow were named second-team all-conference.
Five Midshipmen finished in the top 25 as the Navy men's cross country team posted a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship at the Blue and White Cross Country Course on the campus of Penn State. Smith (8th), Mumford (15th), Nguyen (18th), Kirkland (19th), and Nester (21st) all finished in the top 25 in the 10K race to earn All-Region.
Academically, three Mids – Kirkland, Nester, and Mumford – were selected to the 2024 Academic All-Patriot League Team. Twenty-five (25) runners were recognized on the PL Academic Honor Roll, including nine student-athletes, who posted a 3.9 or higher GPA in the fall semester. Additionally, Mumford, Nester, and Smith were recognized as an All-Academic Athletes, while the men's cross country team was recognized with the USTFCCCA All-Academic team award.
Up Next
Following the Salisbury Fall Classic, the Midshipmen will host the Cantello Invitational at the USNA Cross Country Course on Saturday, Sept. 13. The meet opens with an open 5K at 9:00 a.m. before the women's 6K at 9:45 a.m. and the men's 4.9-mile run at 10:30 a.m. Weather permitting, there will be a Bertha mile run at 11:15 a.m.
