TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Navy women's cross country team participated in the 2026 John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. Sophomore
Juliet Frum paced the Midshipmen, finishing the 6K race in 95th overall among the 233 competitors with a time of 21:49.5.
"Today was the first day we really got after it from the gun," head coach
Kim Lewnes said. "The team kept good connection throughout the race, but we still have a couple holes to fill. We're still missing a couple key players who should be ready later in the season when results matter most.
"We would have liked to have been higher in the ranks against a lot of these top teams today in Terre Haute, but we won't be deflated by the team result. Right now, we're focused on the process – working on a couple things each race and learning lessons each time out. Our focus is peaking at the right time in October and November."
As a team, the Mids finished 21st among the 28 teams that featured a field of 10 top-30 teams in the Division I rankings, along with one nationally-ranked women's team in Division III.
#8 Northern Arizona won the team title with a low score of 61, while #20 Utah was second with a team tally of 107. #21 Washington State (121 points), #25 Toledo (124), and #14 Florida (156) rounded out the top five in the team event.
For the second consecutive race, Frum led the Midshipmen. The sophomore posted her top 6K time of the young season with a time of 21:49.5.
Freshman
Brianne Duynstee was the second Midshipman to cross the finish line, posting a time of 22:12.5. Fellow freshman
Emily Downing followed closely with a time of 22:15.1. Junior
Paige Sheiffele (22:17.7) and senior team captain
Susie Heinz (22:29.9) rounded out the top five scoring positions for Navy.
Finishing just behind the scoring pack, freshman
Sam Vanderhave (22:32.8) and junior
Madeline Palmisciano (22:33.0) placed consecutively for Navy's displacers. Senior
Caroline Carter finished with a time of 22:37.6, and sophomore
Catalina Simon completed the Navy lineup in the event with a time of 23:01.9.
In the open 6K event, freshman
Lucy Myers led a trio of Mids that competed with a time of 22:27.8. Senior Susannah Henderson clocked a time of 23:07.1, while freshman
Regan Schultz crossed the finish line with a time of 24;07.3.
"Juliet did a great job with her leadership again today," added Lewnes. "I'm excited for the plebes who followed. Bri and Emily are doing great coming off plebe summer. It was good to see Paige improve from last week to this week and Susie continues to make her efforts count rounding out the top five. When someone is off, they know their teammates are there to lift them up.
"A great highlight from the open race was Lucy running 22:27. I love the way she got out and went after it."
The Midshipmen returns to action on Friday, Oct. 2 at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa. Competition for the Mids begins with the men's open race at 9:30 a.m. with the women's open race starting at 10:15 a.m. The men's collegiate race is slated for 11:00 a.m. with the women to follow at 11:45 a.m.
"We're excited to train the next two weeks as we prepare for Paul Short on October 2."
