SALISBURY, Md. – The Navy men's cross country team posted a second-place finish at the Salisbury Fall Classic on Saturday morning at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, Md. in the first competition of the 2025 season. Freshman
Jack Hefty led a group of five Midshipmen runners in the top 11 of the 8K race to finish with 37 total points.
Meet-host Salisbury finished just ahead of Navy with a team-low score of 32, while Rowan came in third with 51 points. Regent University closed out the team scoring with 120 points to finish fourth.
"It's the birth of some college experience and careers for the young group racing today," head coach
Aaron Lanzel said after the race. "It's their first measurement against a bigger distance and a longer effort."
Hefty led all Midshipmen in the race with a sixth-place finish, clocking a time of 25:33.2 in his first collegiate race. Sophomore
Luke Doetschman and freshman
Owen Eldridge were seventh and eighth, respectively. Doetschman posted a time of 25:35.5, while Eldridge crossed the finish line in 25:47.40. Freshman
Ben Marks was 10th with a time of 25:50.0, while fellow rookie
Will Ditre rounded out Navy's top five with an 11th-place finish with a time of 25:58.3.
"Jack (Hefty) handled the new distance well, and finished well over the last couple miles," Lanzel added. "Our top five today did a nice job running an honest pace through the midway point together. There are a lot of eager underclassmen who want to improve to join our seasoned champions later this season."
Freshmen
Henry Lange and
Caleb Price closed out the Mids' seven counters. Lange finished the event in 20th with a time of 26:22.8, while Price clocked a time of 28:15.9 to finish in 35th.
Freshman
Kyaw Aung (28:30.4) and freshman Gregory Rubino (28:31.9) also competed in the race, finishing 38th and 39th, respectively.
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.
"This week and next gives a few chances to show that several can be ready when the leaves start falling."
