Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Patriot League Championships
Garrett Gough Wins Men’s Cross Country Patriot League Individual Crown; Black Knights Place Second as Team
October 29, 2022 | Men's Cross Country
| MEET 5 | |
| MEET | Patriot League Championship |
| RESULTS | RESULTS |
| RACE DISTANCE | 8K |
| TEAMS | Army, American, Boston, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, Navy |
| LOCATION | Lewisburg, Pa - Bucknell University Cross Country Course |
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Army West Point men's cross country senior Garrett Gough won the Patriot League individual championship while the Black Knights placed second as a team. In the 8K hosted by Bucknell University, Matthew Porter placed fifth to land on the First-Team All-Patriot League Team while Luke Lusskin also landed in the top ten.
Gough has run strong throughout his career at the conference meet, previously taking home Rookie of the Meet during his plebe season of 2019. This marks the third straight season that a West Point cadet has been crowned individual champion, with Marshall Beatty achieving the feat in the past two seasons. Gough never led throughout the various splits, holding second place at the 6K and 7.2K mark and making his charge for the lead late. Gough posted a time of 24:27.1, leaving eight second between him and second.
Army held the lead through the first 3 kilometers and maintained its position in the top-two throughout the entirety fo the meet. Captain Matthew Porter, surrounded by Navy runners, tabbed a 24:46.1 time to crack the top-five while Luke Lusskin (10th, 25:06.2) and Isaac Morris (12th, 25:07.5) had strong showings for the Cadets. Anthony Diaz (18th, 18:39.3) tabbed top plebe honors for Army and rounded out the scorig group, while Nathan Davis (27th, 18:48.3) and Erick Lara (29th, 18:48.7) landed in the top 7 for Army runners.
2022 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Championship Team Results
1. Navy, 32
2. Army West Point, 50
3. Boston University, 68
4. Bucknell, 127
5. American, 133
6. Lehigh, 145
7. Lafayette, 214
8. Loyola Maryland, 229
9. Holy Cross, 266
10. Colgate, 299
2022 Patriot League Cross Country Major Awards
Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Garrett Gough, Army West Point, Sr.
Rookie of the Meet: Freddy Collins, Boston University, Fr.
Coach of the Meet: Aaron Lanzel, Navy
First-Team All-Patriot League: 1. Garrett Gough, Army West Point, Sr.; 2. Samuel Keeny, Navy, Jr.; 3. Alexander Rizzo, Navy, Sr.; 4. Brett Brady, Navy, Sr.; 5. Matthew Porter, Army West Point, Sr.; 6. Garrison Clark, Navy, Sr.; 7. Matt Mason, Boston University, Jr.
Second-Team All-Patriot League: 8. Russell Sullivan, American, Jr.; 9. Foster Malleck, Boston University, Sr.; 10. Luke Lusskin, Army West Point, Jr.; 11. Robert Oehrlein, Lafayette, Sr.; 12. Isaac Morris, Army West Point, So.; 13. Freddy Collins, Boston University, Fr.; 14. Tyler French, Lehigh, Sr.
Coach's Corner
"Our mens team had the best race of the year today but it wasn't enough to win the meet. Our runner up finish was not what we wanted but it was a good team effort. We showed great determination. We executed the race plan and we competed with great effort, but it wasn't enough to win and that was the goal and it remains the goal going forward. We defeated a Boston University team that is much improved. They handled us easily a month ago but today we handled them. This course was very challenging. There was a very steep 60 meter hill that had to be ascended 4 times. And it reduced people to almost a crawl by the final loop. That was the one variable out there that we had to consider in setting up the race plan and we knew we needed to measure the race early in order to be strong late. The guys did a good job of setting up the last lap and that got us the individual win and four guys in the top 12. For all four of those guys it was the best full field conference finish they have ever had. We ran pretty well, but it takes five to score and our 5th man was a plebe who ran great today he was just too far back to help us win. That has been the story of our season. We have good depth, we just have not been consistent through the top 5. Anthony Diaz was the 5th man today as he was at the dual two weeks ago. He is a steady performer and I thought he did a great job of getting out into the race and then holding onto his spot. It is not easy to have an impact as a freshman because of the amount of adaptation that comes with plebe year and the increase in race distance, training intensity and volume. But he has figured out how to manage all of that and he ran hard for the team today. Isaac Morris was our number four today and he ran with the kind of commitment that we have come to expect. He was lost at the dual meet but today he found himself and got out into the front of the race and stayed there for much of the race. He did not make an impact a year ago so his impact today was a big breakthrough. Now we need to have that same consistency from him each time he gets on the line. Luke Lusskin also had a strong performance for the team today. He has not had a bad race yet this year. Last year he was 64th in this race but that version of Luke Lusskin no longer exists. He has completely transformed himself into a fierce competitor and a reliable teammate. He has developed a great mindset and that was on full display out there. He put himself right in the hunt early and at one point he was pushing with the lead pack. He is a great example of how West Point kids can respond to adversity. I am proud of his transformation. Matt Porter is our team captain and ran as our number two today. He told the team he would definitely be in the top 5 today and there was a time in the middle of the race where he was in the lead pushing st the front. He told me afterwards that he was not content with letting the Navy guys control the tempo so he got on the pace to make sure it stayed honest. He is the type of kid that responds to pressure really well. He knew we were in the lead in the race. He wasn't about to let the team down and he wasn't going to let anyone hang around that wasn't willing to hurt, so he pushed it. Shortly after he started applying pressure after 3K, the race broke open and it got down to a pack of five and we had two guys in that pack. Matt kept pressing and got up to 4th with less than a half mile to go and only got passed at the very end. He has made himself into our most reliable performer and he is a great example of doing what you say you are going to do. I was proud of the race that he ran today but even more proud of how he has captained this team. He is a great leader. The other great leader on our team is Garrett Gough. He is our biggest threat in any race because he has the best fitness level. He is also able to run until he can't feel his legs anymore. That was problematic 2 weeks ago when he was lucky to make it to the finish line but today we saw what Garrett is capable of when he matches his brain to his brawn. He knew he just needed to measure the race and let the other guys do all the work. He just maintained contact and hung around the front until there was a break with a mile to go. He was feeling good and we had talked about coming off the last hill with 700 meters to go and making a move for the win. He crept up to the leader with a kilometer to go, pulled even on the hill and then made a statement move on the downhill. The Navy runner covered the move and they were both flying on the steep downhill and then Garrett put on another surge and there was no response. He ran hard to the line uncontested. We have had the individual winner in this race three years in a row now. It was a commanding win and a great confidence builder for Garrett heading into the regional meet in two weeks. We came up short of our goal of winning the meet today but we did a nice job of execution and the guys should be proud of their effort." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith
Up Next
Army will prepare for the Northeast Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 11, hosted by Iona University.
