ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's cross country team posted a combined score of 33 points in the Cantello Invitational at the USNA Golf Course on Saturday morning to finish the 4.9-mile race in second place overall. Trevor Hayes was the Mids' top finisher with a time of 25:01.1 to notch a second-place finish.
 
UMBC combined for a team-low score of 29 to win the event with the Midshipmen four points back. Loyola finished third overall with 83 points with Catholic (103 points) taking fourth. Southern Virginia (163) and Mount St. Mary's (163) tied for fifth with 163 points apiece with the Knights claiming fifth on tie breakers.
 
"We were putting some pressure on younger runners to be the team today," head coach Aaron Lanzel said after the race. "That gave them many lessons learned for their longer collegiate races ahead. The main focus today was positioning each individual in a race that will develop them best for those races in the future that will matter most."
 
The Mids' youth was on display as Navy's top seven were all underclassmen. Hayes, a sophomore, led the charge with his second-place finish. Sophomore Billy Dirscoll was second among Midshipmen and fourth overall – third-place points – with a time of 25:22.5. Fellow sophomore Jonathan Skemp and freshman Ben Marks crossed the finish line back-to-back in ninth and 10th place, respectively. Skemp posted a time of 25:47.1 with Marks clocking a time of 25:50.7.
 
Freshmen Luke Bowlsby and Shane Conroy along with sophomore James McCarron rounded out the top seven for the home team, finishing in order. Bowlsby posted a time of 25:59.0 to take 12th with Conroy half a second back (25:59.5) to come in 13th. McCarron registered a 14th-place performance with a time of 26:01.3.
 
"In the final race of the day, Trevor was wise and ran a very composed race," Lanzel remarked. "He has shown twice now this season, he is a new competitor from last year. The sophomores and freshmen were given the reins in that race, and this is the first time for all top seven to run a 5-mile race here. Our course is as difficult as any in the country, so it was a tall order, and certainly Trevor along with Billy, Jon, Ben, Luke, and Shane know what it will take to step up to a championship team in the months and years ahead."
 
Junior Zack Poekert (26:23.7), sophomore Luke Doetschman (26:30.1), freshman Owen Eldridge (26:44.2), junior Owen Ahten (26:47.9), junior Jacob Crouch (27:01.3), and freshman Jack Hefty (27:04.0) also competed in the men's collegiate 4.9-mile race.
 
In the open 5k, Navy recorded 11 of the top 12 finishers, including sweeping the top seven in the event.
 
Sophomore Justin Hom was the individual medalist with a time of 16:23.8. He was followed by junior Nick Hamby who crossed the line with a time of 16:32.8. Sophomore Leo Cole, freshman Will Ditre, and junior Aidan Eberhardt rounded out the top five in the event. Cole clocked a 16:35.7 with Ditre a couple of seconds off the pace at 16:38.9. Eberhardt was fifth with a 16:44.8. Freshman Noah Guerrero (16:47.7) and sophomore Matthew Quispe (16:49.1) closed out the op seven for the Midshipmen.
 
"In the 5K race, Justin Hom stood out again to show he is ready for big improvements in the future," stated Lanzel. "Nick, Leo, and Will finished well together to show that they will be vying for more races ahead."

Freshman Henry Lange (16:58.2), junior Tate Frost (17:09.5), sophomore Branum Lloyd (17:19.6), freshman Jacob Officer (17:21.4), freshman Caleb Price (17:37.5), freshman Greg Rubino (18:19.6), and freshman Kyaw Aung (18:32.5) also competed in the 5K race with all finishing in the top 25.
 
Up next, Navy will head to Columbia, Missouri for the Gans Creek Classic hosted by the University of Missouri on Friday, Sept. 26.