Army West Point Athletics
Friday, September 1
Orono, ME
TBA
Army West Point
at
University of Maine Dual
Women's XC Wins Maine Invitational
September 01, 2023 | Women's Cross Country
ORONO, Maine – The Army West Point women's cross country team opened its 2023 season with a win in the Maine Black Bear Cross Country Invitational on Friday night in Orono, Maine.
"We won the meet today because we did a lot of things really well," said Head Coach Mike Smith "We competed at a high level, we were aggressive at the front of the race but patient with how hard we were pushing and we were confident. Some of those things you can coach and teach but it wasn't coaching that got the job done today because our plebes drove our success and we have only been working with them for a few weeks. They showed remarkable poise for having just come out of Beast barracks. Some ran at the front like they belonged there and others measured their effort and drove hard at the end. Lena Kieffer ran strong throughout the race and did a nice job of carrying some speed to the finish line. Louisa diamond looked pretty controlled throughout and Mikayla Cheney showed the kind of competitive fire that will pay dividends at the championship meets down the road. And then there was Claire Lewis. She picked up right where she left off last spring in the steeplechase. She is fearless and she was in command from the gun. This was her first collegiate win and I can't say I was surprised given what I have seen from her in our early season training. There is a lot more there in her but today was a great start and a big confidence boost for her. Today's meet comes at the earliest opportunity for a team to compete so we really had very little understanding of the fitness level of our team going to the starting line. Now, looking at the results and the way we competed, I can't help but be impressed with the outcome."
Claire Lewis won the race with a time of 17:43.0. Army placed five more in the top-10 to claim six spots. Lena Kieffer (18:01.9), Louisa Diamond (18:05.5), Mikayla Cheney (18:14.5), Lindsay Cook (18:14.5), and Cora Nephew (18:40.0) rounded out the top-10 finishers for Army.
I was just so excited to be out there," Lewis said. "It was an awesome race for us as a team, and I'm so proud of our plebes who got out there and absolutely crushed their first college race ever. This was the best way to start the season, and I'm so excited to keep pushing our limits and seeing how far we can go."
Army won with a score of 23, with Maine in second at 51, New Hampshire came in third with a score of 64, and Bryant rounded out the event with 106.
"We won the meet today because we did a lot of things really well," said Head Coach Mike Smith "We competed at a high level, we were aggressive at the front of the race but patient with how hard we were pushing and we were confident. Some of those things you can coach and teach but it wasn't coaching that got the job done today because our plebes drove our success and we have only been working with them for a few weeks. They showed remarkable poise for having just come out of Beast barracks. Some ran at the front like they belonged there and others measured their effort and drove hard at the end. Lena Kieffer ran strong throughout the race and did a nice job of carrying some speed to the finish line. Louisa diamond looked pretty controlled throughout and Mikayla Cheney showed the kind of competitive fire that will pay dividends at the championship meets down the road. And then there was Claire Lewis. She picked up right where she left off last spring in the steeplechase. She is fearless and she was in command from the gun. This was her first collegiate win and I can't say I was surprised given what I have seen from her in our early season training. There is a lot more there in her but today was a great start and a big confidence boost for her. Today's meet comes at the earliest opportunity for a team to compete so we really had very little understanding of the fitness level of our team going to the starting line. Now, looking at the results and the way we competed, I can't help but be impressed with the outcome."
Claire Lewis won the race with a time of 17:43.0. Army placed five more in the top-10 to claim six spots. Lena Kieffer (18:01.9), Louisa Diamond (18:05.5), Mikayla Cheney (18:14.5), Lindsay Cook (18:14.5), and Cora Nephew (18:40.0) rounded out the top-10 finishers for Army.
I was just so excited to be out there," Lewis said. "It was an awesome race for us as a team, and I'm so proud of our plebes who got out there and absolutely crushed their first college race ever. This was the best way to start the season, and I'm so excited to keep pushing our limits and seeing how far we can go."
Army won with a score of 23, with Maine in second at 51, New Hampshire came in third with a score of 64, and Bryant rounded out the event with 106.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
Women's Army Rugby vs. Long Island University (6-SEP-25)
Sunday, September 07
Summit Hospitality Tournament Recap
Friday, September 05
Army West Point Rugby vs Penn State University (7-NOV-25)
Wednesday, September 03
Army West Point Rugby vs Walsh University (12-SEP-25)
Wednesday, September 03