ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's and women's cross country teams head into postseason competition with action at the Patriot League Championship. The 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championships will be run at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Oct., 31. The women's 6K championship race will kick off at 11:00 a.m., while the men's 8k race will follow at 12:00 p.m.
The League championships were last held at Bucknell in 2022.
All 10 Patriot League programs will compete in the championships, with team scoring determined by each squad's top-five finishers.
Live results for the 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championship will be available for both races.
11:00 AM – Women's Race
Six-time Patriot League Champions, the Navy women's cross country team will look return to the winner's circle after finishing third last season. Outright champions in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2021 and 2022, as well as co-champs in 2007, the Mids are almost always amongst the contenders with only one non-top-four finish since 2003. Over the past 10 Patriot League meets in which they competed, the Mids have placed second in 2015, fourth in 2016, third in 2017, third in 2018, fourth in 2019, first in 2021, first in 2022, third in 2023, third in 2024, and third in 2025.
Last season, Navy finished third at the 2025 Patriot League Championship at the Goodman Family Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pa.
Jane Phillips and
Lexi Ensor led the Midshipmen in the 6K event to earn Second Team All-Conference distinction.
Phillips led the way for the Midshipmen. She clocked a 6K time of 21:15.2 to finish ninth overall and earn All-Patriot League honors for the first time in her career. Ensor was three spots back in 12th place with a time of 21:20.2 to claim her all-conference honors.
Sophie Compton was third among Midshipmen, finishing 18th overall to just miss all-conference honors (top 14 earn All-Patriot League). Compton posted a time of 21:32.4 in her final Patriot League Championship.
Juliet Frum was 30th overall and fourth amongst the Midshipmen runners. She posted a time of 21:45.1, which was the second-fastest time in the race by a freshman behind Rookie of the Meet Shealyn Brochu (21:21.5) of American.
Kate Leddy rounded out Navy's top five in the race, registering a time of 21:49.1 to finish 32nd overall.
Catalina Simon and
Susie Heinz finished back-to-back in 36th and 37th, respectively, to close out the Midshipmen counters. Simon crossed the finish line with a time of 21:56.3, while Heinz clocked a time of 21:58.7.
Madeline Palmisciano (22:18.7),
Paige Sheiffele (22:21.2),
Samantha Woodworth (22:31.1),
Susanna Henderson (22:33.2), and
Mia-Claire Kezal (22:35.9) also competed for the Mids.
12:00 PM – Men's Race
Competing in their 23rd Patriot League Championship in program history, the Mids bring a winning pedigree into Saturday's race. In the 10 years between 2008 and 2017, Navy won eight league titles with a pair of runner-up results in 2012 and 2017. All-time, the Mids have 13 league titles to stand alone with the most cross country championships in Patriot League history. Additionally, Navy has seven second-place results, along with one third and one fourth-place outcome.
For the third straight year, Navy men's cross country had the individual champion as the Midshipmen claimed their fifth straight Patriot League Championship team title in 2025. Led by Justin Mumford's first-place finish, the Mids placed five runners in the top 10 to record a team-low score of 28 in the 8K race to win the event by 30 points.
Mumford won the men's race to collect Patriot League Men's Outstanding Performer of the Meet, marking the third consecutive season the Mids claimed the individual title (Murphy Smith won in 2023 and 2024). Fellow Midshipman Luke Bowlsby earned Patriot League Men's Rookie of the Meet honors as the top finishing freshman, while Navy head coach Aaron Lanzel was tabbed Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season.
Navy's top seven all finished in the top 20 to score a team-low 28 points and claim the team's 13th Patriot League championship.
Mumford took individual medalist honors with a time of 23:59.0 to lead a team of Midshipmen in the top 10. Dane Eike was fourth overall with a time of 24:25.4, while James Partlow was sixth with a finish of 24:31.9. Max Girardet and Logan Flament finished back-to-back in eighth and ninth, crossing the finish line with times of 24:35.1 and 24:38.4, respectively, to close out Navy's top five.
For their efforts, Mumford, Eike, and Partlow were named First Team All-Patriot League, while Girardet and Flament earned second-team honors.
Patrick Gandini, who was the 2024 Rookie of the Meet, just missed all-conference distinction, finishing 15th overall (top 14 earn All-Patriot League) with a time of 24:52.3, while Matt Newell closed out the Navy counters in 18th with a time of 25:03.8.
Jackson Nguyen notched a top-20 finish, claiming 19th with a time of 25:08.0. Owen Ahten was two spots back in 21st, crossing the line in 25:10.6. Bowlsby was the top freshman in the race, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 25:16.0. Additionally, Trevor Hayes (25:26.8) and Zack Poekert (25:47.3) competed in the event, finishing in 26th and 35th, correspondingly.
Up Next
Following Saturday's championship race, both Navy teams will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, hosted at Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 13.
