<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=19X5P7_0wDtUmJP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=19X5P7_0wDtUmJP00" width="800" height="450" ><h2>Story Links</h2>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Led by senior Murphy Smith, who set the USNA Cross Country Course record with a time of 23:25.8, the Navy men's cross country team (1-0) posted a dominant 18-45 victory over rival Army (0-1) in the annual Star Meet, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Meet presented by USAA. The Midshipmen placed nine runners in the top 10 to run away with the 4.9-mile event."I'm not surprised, but still elated that our men were excellent today," head coach Aaron Lanzel said after the meet. "They sharpen each other in competition and in mental toughness month after month, year after year. They know how quickly the razors edge can dull, and they haven't taken any chances with their goals for the future. Runners of Navy past, spanning over five decades were present this weekend to influence the next generations of our Navy family. The victory was enjoyed by many."Smith's time of 23:25.8 topped the previous record of 23:30.0, which was set by Louisville's Wesley Korir in 2007 and bested the previous top performance by a Navy runner of 23:39.4 by Lucas Stalnaker in 2016.Justin Mumford was in second place, clocking a time of 23:37.2, which moves the junior into second-place all-time among Navy runners at the USNA Cross Country Course behind Smith."It was perfect conditions to run fast today and Murphy is now the fastest to ever to cover our tough terrain with Justin second today and second all time," Lanzel added. "There are some impressive individuals and teams in that top 25 list which still has runners from the 70s and 80s."The lone Army runner to finish in the top 10 was Nathan Davis who finished third with a time of 23:42.5. However, senior Alexander Kirkland, junior Jackson Nguyen, freshman Patrick Gandini, freshman Dane Eike, senior team captain Luke Nester, freshman James Partlow, and junior Matt Newell shut the door on the Black Knights, finishing fourth through 10th. Kirkland was fourth with a time of 23:44.3 while Nguyen was fifth with a time of 23:54.1. Competing in their first Star Meet, Gandini (23:58.2) and Eike (23:59.0) finished back-to-back ahead of team captain Nester (24:04.5) who was taking part in his final cross country Star Meet to close out the top seven for the Midshipmen.Partlow (24:05.4) and Newell (24:23.3) closed out the top 10 in the race. Senior Ben Countiss (24:56.6) was just outside of the top 10 with a 14th-place finish. Sophomores Logan Flament (25:47.5) and Owen Ahten (25:49.90) also competed for the Mids."The team as a whole also finished with a tight grouping despite the historic pace. Alexander and Jackson continue to build through the season. Patrick was no less impressive as a freshman today with Dane, Luke, and James showing they are all contenders to be in the top pack as well any given day. Matthew and Ben worked through the challenges today and ensured if it fell to them, the team still wins."Saturday's competition marked the conclusion of Navy's regular season as both the men's and women's teams will turn their attention to action at the 2024 Patriot League Championship on Saturday, November 2.</div></body>

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Smith’s Course Record Highlights Navy Cross Country Dominant Star Meet Performance

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Led by senior Murphy Smith, who set the USNA Cross Country Course record with a time of 23:25.8, the Navy men's cross country team (1-0) posted a dominant 18-45 victory over rival Army (0-1) in the annual Star Meet, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Meet presented by USAA. The Midshipmen placed nine runners in the top 10 to run away with the 4.9-mile event.