ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday morning as the Midshipmen host the Cantello Invitational at the USNA Cross Country Course in Annapolis. The women's 6K begins at 9:45 a.m. with the men's 4.9-mile run at 10:30 a.m. In addition, there will be an open 5K at 9:00 a.m. with an alumni "Bertha" mile following at 11:00 a.m.
 
Live results will be available from Leone Timing.
 
Meet Participants
Navy, Anne Arundel CC (women only), Catholic, Georgetown (women only), Loyola, McDaniel, Mount St. Mary's, Southern Virginia, Stevenson, and UMBC
 
Cantello Invitational
The Cantello Invitational – formerly the Navy Invitational – was named in honor of legendary Navy coach Al Cantello who passed away on January 17, 2024. (VIDEO: Al Cantello: Enduring Legacy)
 
"Al went to great lengths to develop and establish this meet and the Navy Cross Country program," current Navy men's cross country head coach Aaron Lanzel said of his former coach. "The course is memorable for any competitor who has run on it. There are over half a century of recorded records and top performances to compare to on this tough terrain. The Invitational is memorable for Navy runners from all generations who tested their early season preparation to figure out who was ready to be a true varsity athlete under the keen eye of Coach Cantello. But, the most memorable aspect is Al Cantello himself, and the many stories, enduring legacy, and lasting effects he had on the sport and Navy Athletics. The event can now inspire the sharing of endless stories in honor of Coach Cantello, something that is extraordinarily deserved."
 
Cantello was a standout member of the La Salle track & field team from 1951-55, where was a two-time All-American in the javelin. Cantello, who served in the Marine Corps for 10 years, was a world-class competitor in the javelin throw who once held every national and international record in the event.
 
Cantello later accepted a coaching position at the Naval Academy in 1968, marking the beginning of his coaching legacy. Cantello, who retired from coaching on August 30, 2018, served as Navy's head cross country coach for 50 years. During his time working with Midshipmen athletes, Cantello collected a combined 49 N-Star victories over Army as the head coach of cross country and track & field programs.
 
Competing at the Heptagonal Championships through 2002, Navy finished in the top three on 21 occasions, including every year from 1978-86 with outright titles in 1974, 1992, and 1996. After joining the Patriot League in 2003, Cantello and the Mids asserted their dominance on their new conference mates with four second-place finishes over the first-five years before running off eight Patriot League Championships in nine years from 2008 through 2016.
 
The program's success at the conference level carried over to the national scene with 12 total appearances at the NCAA Championships. Following the program's first NCAA appearance in 1972, the Mids competed in 11 more championships (1974, '75, '76, '84, '85, '88, '89, '92, '97, '16, '17). The 1985 and 1992 teams recorded the highest finish for a Midshipmen squad, as they both placed seventh overall.
 
Aside from Navy's postseason accolades, Cantello made sure the Mids were nearly always in line to check the Army-Navy Star box. Victorious at a 76.5 percent clip, Cantello led the Mids to 37 wins over the Black Knights in his 50 years in charge. The program's most successful run came between 1973 and 1986 when the team won 13 straight head-to-head contests versus its service academy rival.
 
Navy runners found a host of success with Cantello's guidance as 10 student-athletes earned All-America status in cross country and/or distance track events. Five of those Mids were multi-time All-Americans: Ronnie Harris (1985 – XC, 1987 – 3K and 5K); Greg Keller (1992 – Mile & Steeplechase, 1992 – XC, 1993- Mile & Steeplechase); Todd Washburn (1993 - Indoor 5K, 1993 - Outdoor 5K), Jon Clemens (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 3K & Steeplechase) and John Mentzer (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 10K, 1998 – Outdoor 10).
 
Additionally, Harris (1988, '92, '96) and Mentzer (2008) were two of the six Midshipmen to have competed at the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials under the direction of Cantello. James Dare (1968, '72), Mark Newman (1996, '00, '04), Aaron Lanzel (2004) and Erik Schmidt (2004) make up the complete list of Cantello's Midshipmen distance athletes to have competed for the right to wear the Red, White and Blue in Olympic competition. Dare qualified for Team USA as an alternate in 1972, while Harris qualified for the team in 1996.
 
As a result of his teams' success, Cantello was recognized as the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year four times (1984, '85, '92, '16), NCAA Mid-Atlantic Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and Patriot League Coach of the Year eight times (2008, '09, '10, '11, '13, '14, '15, '16). In December of 2013, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
 
Navy Sports Magazine
Seniors Kate Leddy and Matt Newell joined Tim Nolan on the Navy Sports Magazine to preview the Cantello Invitational and share about how the Naval Academy has shaped their college careers. Watch Here: Leddy Video | Newell Video
 
Patriot League Athletes of the Week
WOMEN: On Monday, Sept. 8, the Patriot League announced its weekly awards and Navy student-athletes Jane Phillips and Lorraine Goldenberg were named Runner and Rookie of the Week, respectively. The duo helped lead Navy to a first-place finish as a team at the LVC Dutchmen Cross Country Invitational. The Midshipmen combined for a team-low score of 23 to win the team competition by 25 points.
 
Phillips clocked a time of 18:06.3 to claim individual medalist honors in the 5K race. The sophomore won the race by nearly nine seconds (8.7) over fellow Midshipmen Susannah Heinz (18:15.0). Goldenberg clocked a time of 18:36.0 to finish fifth overall, third among Navy runners, and as the top freshman for the Midshipmen in the race.
 
MEN: The Patriot League announced its first Cross Country Athletes of the Week for the 2025 season and Navy's Jack Hefty was tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Week for his performance at the Salisbury Fall Classic. Hefty clocked a time of 25:33.2 in his first collegiate 8K event, helping Navy to a second-place team finish. The freshman finished sixth overall and first among Midshipmen competitors. Hefty was less than 20 seconds (18.5) back of the individual medalist (25:14.7).
 
Salisbury Fall Classic Recap (WOMEN):
Junior Susanna Henderson posted a time of 21:45.0 to finish second overall at the Salisbury Fall Classic at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, Md. as the Navy women's cross country team placed all 10 runners in the top 20 to finish first among the five teams competing with a team low 24 points.
 
Henderson clocked a time of 21:45.0 to finish second overall in the 6K race. The junior trimmed a minute and 23 second off her time from the Salisbury Fall Classic from a year ago, improving from 40th to second from 2024 to 2025.
 
Freshman Eleanor Whisler was fourth overall with a time of 21:53.6 in her first collegiate race. Sophomore Marianna Pizem, freshman Caroline Montemaro, and freshman Constance Goldenberg finished in order, fifth, sixth, and seventh to round out the top five for the Midshipmen. Pizem crossed the finish line with a time of 22:01.4 with Montemaro following with a time of 22:07.1. One second later, Goldenberg crossed the line with a time of 22:08.4.
 
Juniors Sarah Colebrooke and Ava Ostrowski closed out Navy's top seven counters. Colebrooke clocked a time of 22:13.5 for 10th, while Ostrowski was one spot back with a 22:17.7.
 
Freshmen Lorraine Goldenberg (22:36.7) and Cadence Keese (22:44.8) finished 13th and 14th, respectively, while junior Milana Breuninger (23:09.3) finished the day for the Navy runners with an 18th-place finish among the 57 competitors who completed the race.
 
Salisbury Fall Classic Recap (MEN):
The Navy men's cross country team posted a second-place finish at the Salisbury Fall Classic 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Up Next
Following the Cantello Invitational, Navy will head to Columbia, Missouri for the Gans Creek Classic hosted by the University of Missouri on Friday, Sept. 26.