BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Navy women's cross country team placed 13th overall out of 37 scoring programs at the Paul Short Run's College Gold 6K at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Friday, Oct. 2. Sophomore Juliet Frum paced Navy's effort, crossing the finish line in 21:41.5 to take 53rd place individually among the 315 competitors that finished the race.
 
"I was proud of how the group executed the race plan overall," head coach Kim Lewnes said after the race. "With the temperatures rising significantly by late morning, we knew we had to start conservatively and focus on moving up throughout the race. The team executed that well – most of our runners moved up 40-plus places after the first mile."
 
The Midshipmen compiled 370 total points and utilized a tight pack to secure their position, posting an 18.3-second spread among their top five runners with an average finish time of 21:53.4.
 
Liberty captured the overall team title with 115 points, while Pitts' Maureen Cheruiyot won the individual race with a time of 19:47.7.
 
For the third consecutive race, Frum led the charge for the Midshipmen. The sophomore's time of 21:41.5 was her top 6K performance of the season, trimming nearly eight seconds off of her previous best time of the season.
 
Junior Madeline Palmisciano followed as the second Midshipman to finish, earning 72nd place with a time of 21:51.7. Navy's scoring lineup was rounded out by a trio of runners finishing within three seconds of one another. Senior team captain Susie Heinz placed 78th with a time of 21:56.8, while freshman Brianne Duynstee secured 80th in 21:57.1 and sophomore Catalina Simon finished 87th in 21:59.7.
 
Junior Paige Sheiffele (22:13.5) and freshman Lucy Myers (22:18.6) competed as the team's displacers to cap off Navy's top seven. Remaining competitors for the Midshipmen included freshman Sam Vanderhave (22:39.6), senior Lexi Ensor (22:53.9), and freshman Emily Downing (25:33.5).
 
"Juliet Frum delivered another outstanding, front-running effort to lead us again, and it was great to see Maddie, Susie, and Catalina working so well together today," added Lewnes. "Bri found herself stuck behind the crowds early on, but she stayed patient and fought her way back into our top-five pack. Cross country is a sport full of variables – temperature spikes, massive field sizes, and course nuances – and you have to learn to embrace that unpredictability."
 
In the Open 6K race, which featured a field of 408 competitors that finished the race, Navy showcased significant depth by placing all 14 of its runners in the top 115, including 13 within the top 100.
 
Senior Ava Ostrowski led the Midshipmen with a 10th-place finish, crossing the line in 22:02.3. Sophomore Eleanor Whisler (18th, 22:13.3) and senior Susanna Henderson (25th, 22:20.8) followed closely to give Navy three runners in the top 25. Senior Lillee Tang (33rd, 22:28.5) and junior Amelie Loomis (34th, 22:30.2) rounded out Navy's top five, establishing a tight 27.9-second spread among the team's lead pack.
 
Further demonstrating the team's pack-running strategy, freshman Kenzie Phillips (22:47.6), junior Julia Blake (22:49.2), senior Caroline Carter (22:50.6), and sophomore Lorraine Goldenberg (22:54.9) finished in a tight wave from 53rd to 58th place. Freshman Regan Schultz (23:11.5), freshman Audrey Dunn (23:13.4), freshman Hannah O'Neill (23:20.0), and junior Marianna Pizem (23:26.4) completed the team's top-100 finishers, while junior Jane Phillips capped the roster at 23:37.9.
 
Up next, the Midshipmen return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17 as the Mids host the Black Knights in the annual Star Meet, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The women are set for 11:00 a.m., while the men are slated for 12:00 p.m. Live results will be available.
 
"Every race this season is a building block. We're learning from each opportunity, building confidence, and refining our strategy as we move forward. We're excited to return to our home course – a terrain we know intimately – and execute our plan on our home turf."