Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Patriot League Championships
Women's Cross Country Secures Back to Back Patriot League Championship; Men Place Second
November 02, 2024 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
WOMEN'S RESULTS | MEN'S RESULTS
Director of Track & Field Mike Smith was named Patriot League Coach of the Meet for the team's performance.
The races were hosted by Lafayette College with the women running a 6K course and the men running an 8K.
The win for the women marked the program's first back-to-back championship run since 1996-97.
Charlotte Richman and Louisa Diamond let the way for the Black Knights, with Richman finishing second with a time of 20:16.5 with Diamond coming in at 20:42.6.
Mikayla Cheney (6th, 20:55.7), Laurynn Sisneros (8th, 21:01.5) and Ava Bushaw (15th, 21:18.0) secured the Championship for the Black Knights with their top-15 finishes.
The Black Knights edged runner-up Boston University, 34-36.
On the men's side, Nathan Davis led the way for Army with a second-place finish, coming in with a 23:24.5 mark. Marc Baroncini also landed in the top-ten, placing seventh with a 23:43.3 finish.
Anthony Diaz (11th, 24:02.4), Adam Furman (15th, 24:17.5) and Gavin Hansen (19th, 24:25.8) also contributed points to Army's leaderboard position to help propel the team to the top-two finish.
2024 Patriot League Cross Country Women's Major Awards
Women's Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, Jr.
Women's Outstanding Rookie of the Meet: Caroline Collins, Boston University, Fr.
Women's Coach of the Meet: Mike Smith, Army West Point
2024 Patriot League Cross Country Women's Championship Team Results
1. Army West Point, 34
2. Boston University, 36
3. Navy, 69
4. Bucknell, 87
5. Lehigh, 143
6. Holy Cross, 220
7. American, 223
8. Colgate, 229
9. Loyola, 254
10. Lafayette, 2
First-Team All-Patriot League (Women): 1. Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, Jr.; 2. Charlotte Richman, Army West Point, Jr.; 3. Louisa Diamond, Army West Point, So.; 4. Alexandra Wercinski, Navy, Sr.; 5. Aleksandra Szulska, Boston University, So.; 6. Mikayla Cheney, Army West Point, So.; 7. Daisy Liljegren, Boston University, Jr.
Second-Team All-Patriot League (Women): 8. Laurynn Sisneros, Army West Point, Sr.; 9. Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Boston University, So.; 10. Caryn Rippey, Bucknell, Jr.; 11. Sophie Compton, Navy, Jr.; 12. Kailey Granger, Bucknell, So.; 13. Olivia Lutkevich, Navy, Sr.; 14. Caroline Collins, Boston University, Fr.
2024 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Major Awards
Men's Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Murphy Smith, Navy, Jr.
Men's Outstanding Rookie of the Meet: Patrick Gandini, Navy, Fr.
Men's Coach of the Meet: Aaron Lanzel, Navy
2024 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Championship Team Results
1. Navy, 19
2. Army West Point, 49
3. Boston University, 97
4. Colgate, 128
5. Lehigh, 137
6. Bucknell, 140
7. American, 193
8. Lafayette, 256
9. Holy Cross, 259
10. Loyola, 288
First-Team All-Patriot League (Men): 1. Murphy Smith, Navy, Sr.; 2. Nathan Davis, Army West Point, Jr.; 3. Luke Nester, Navy, Sr.; 4. Jackson Nguyen, Navy, Jr.; 5. Justin Mumford, Navy, Jr.; 6. Alexander Kirkland, Navy, Sr.; 7. Marc Baroncini, Army West Point, Jr.
Second-Team All-Patriot League (Men): 8. Matthew Newell, Navy, Jr.; 9. Patrick Gandini, Navy, Fr.; 10. Dane Eike, Navy, Fr.; 11. Anthony Diaz, Army West Point, Jr.; 12. Kevin Harvey, Lehigh, Sr.; 13. James Partlow, Navy, Fr.; 14. Ethan Pratt-Perez, Bucknell, Fr.
HEAR FROM COACH SMITH
"The live results were spotty at the Lafayette cross country course today so when our top five women had crossed the finish line and the trail of other finishing runners had started to wane, there was a tempered atmosphere around the finish line. No one knew who had won the meet. The last score that had flashed on the live results had Boston and Army tied at 34 with a half mile to go. We knew we had picked up a few places in the final sprint to the line, but we didn't know how much Boston had gained or lost. Uncertainty reigned as everyone kept refreshing phones hoping to see a final tally. For many of our women, I think the first thought was that we had lost. As I sorted through the crush of people, I found Mikayla Cheney '27 distraught, in the arms of her father, with tears streaming down her face. When our eyes connected, she lost it. She was a wreck. The emotion of the moment too much to bear. She apologized for coming up short in trying but failing to catch the BU number 2 runner. She had run the best race of her young career in finishing 6th in the meet and number 3 on our team. She had followed our race plan exactly and had moved up over the last half of the race catching and passing BU's number three runner in the final sprint to the line. But for Mikayla, the inability to shave one more point for the team was a colossal mistake and the thought of losing the meet as a result was a disappointment too raw and overwhelming to keep within. All told, it was probably 3 or 4 minutes of milling about waiting for the final results to flash, but it seemed like an eternity. Then, when the scores finally flashed Army 34 and BU 36, it was like we won the lottery. The women erupted in a frenzy of hugs, screams, tears and sheer joy. The realization of the accomplishment was so euphoric that everyone was running at each other to embrace as many teammates as possible…. all at once. The moment was one that I will never forget. And it carried on for more than just a moment.
We won back-to-back Patriot League cross country titles today, a feat last accomplished by the Army women in 1996-1997. Winning a championship never gets old and winning is never easy. A year ago, we thought we had a chance to win this meet and then when we did win it, we celebrated royally. Today you might think that we would have acted like we had been here before, because we have, but we could not contain our excitement in having won it. It's not that it was miraculous or that we achieved the impossible, it is more that we achieved what is possible, and it took everything we had to do it. It took Laurynn Sisneros '25 running the best race of her life. She finished 8th as our 4th runner. Lolo has been a fixture on our varsity team since arriving here 4 years ago. She has at times been a scoring member of our top 5 but never at a conference championship meet. At times, she has struggled with self-confidence. Not today. When we arrived at the course today, she was brimming with confidence. When asked how she was feeling she remarked, "They're gonna hate to see me coming today". She was true to her words. Lolo got up to 13th early in the race. At the halfway point as she entered the 2nd loop on the course, and as she passed a throng of cheering Army fans, she cracked a smile as she ran by, "I knew that the gradual uphill on the 2nd loop was going to make or break the race, and coach Moore was right there at the turn as the first familiar person that I saw and I just wanted her to know everything was OK and that I was going to continue to do my job." It was that kind of day for her. She worked her way up to the top 10 over the course of the hilly second loop of the race finally settling into 9th with a half mile to go. Then, in a move that ended up being a 2-point swing in our favor, Lolo passed the BU number 4 runner in the last 400 meters and then held her off in the final sprint to the line. In the mixed zone beyond the finish area, Lolo walked away toward our team tent, uncertain about the team outcome and fearful that her finishing kick to catch the BU number 4 had not made a difference in the team outcome. "I didn't want to try and do the math on the team score fearing that my kick didn't matter. So, I walked away from the finish line until I heard cheering, hoping that it was my women. When I turned to see who was cheering, I saw a bunch of red, white, and blue ribbons in ponytails, bouncing up and down, I couldn't believe it. I was just so relieved that my kick at the end to get one more BU girl was worth something. I knew that if I didn't catch her, I would regret it forever. So, I am sure glad I did!" There were multiple changes from various runners over the course of the last 400 meters. Some of the moves helped us and some hurt us. Ava Bushaw '27 held off a late charge from several runners and ended up having the best race of her young career in finishing 15th today. She crossed the line as our 5th runner. She finished as our 6th runner at the Star meet two weeks ago and although we won the meet easily, she was disappointed in her performance. She texted me shortly after we left the course, "That won't happen again". She was true to her word today and if I needed an assurance that she was ready to get the job done, it came just prior to the warm-up as I was talking to her about the meet, she cut me off mid-sentence, "We're going to win today". It wasn't a prediction as much as it was her letting me know that she was locked in. She ran with great determination and effort today and battled all the way to the line. It was the best competitive race she has run in the Army singlet. Louisa Diamond '27 finished 3rd in the meet today and was our number 2 runner. It was one of the best races she has ever run and although she was not satisfied with the outcome, she has demonstrated that she can run with the best people in the conference. Louisa takes great pride in executing a race plan. We had expected her to run with Charlotte stride for stride today so when Charlotte got away from Louisa early in the race, she had to pivot and run by herself for the last 3 miles. That is difficult for any runner but more so for a young runner. "As I got to the 2nd loop I was feeling strong. I could feel the runners behind me truing to close the gap, but I knew that our training was on target, so I decided to push the pace a bit and it worked to create some separation. After that I knew they were back there, but I was trying to focus on Charlotte." Louisa has been our number 1 or 2 in every race she has run this year but rarely has she had to run alone. She showed great maturity today in hammering the pace and matching the expectation to finish in the top 3. She got the job done. Our leader today was Charlotte Richman '26. Charlotte led us 2 weeks ago at the Star meet and was dominant in that race. She is always determined and always competitive. Her consistency in mindset and willingness to run to her limits sets her apart from normal people. She can reach deep into the well in competition and today she ran the best race of her life. "I felt really strong today. The conditions were perfect, and I knew that it was going to take a fast time to be where I needed to be. I was really just focused on the BU number 1 runner the whole race and trying to keep her in my sights as much as possible. I could feel Louisa with me during the first mile, but I wasn't sure when she really fell back. I was encouraged when some fans were yelling as I came up to the last 400 meters that the only runner in sight behind me was my teammate, and I was so happy we were able to execute the 2-3 finish just as we had talked about. I was really nervous waiting for the score to show up and I could tell that it was really close between us and Boston. I was huddled up with some of my teammates and we were trying to keep each other positive as we waited to see if we had pulled it off. Then when Coach Moore ran over and said we won I was overcome with joy because I know how hard our team works every day and I am so proud of and happy for every single one of us. I was especially happy for our four firsties who have dedicated so much time and energy to this program and I could not be more excited that we got this win for them!" We came into this weekend with a lot of confidence and Boston put us on our heels with their talented team. I am proud of how our women responded. I told our team after the meet that now we will be measured by how we handle success. We need to continue to work toward a higher level and I am confident that this group understands that and is willing to continue to commit to what it takes to reach the highest levels of our sport. We were not perfect today, but our top 5 runners had the best races of their lives and that is what it took to win."
"Our men performed well at the Paul Short meet in early October and then we were soundly defeated at the Star meet 2 weeks ago. It was a humbling experience. That kind of inconsistency in performance can lead to bad habits. So, coming into the Patriot League championship meet this weekend, we needed to return our focus to competing to the best of our ability and establishing consistency in our effort. The Lafayette course is very challenging with long gradual hills and short steep hills. All of those challenges occur in the first 5k. Our guys needed to compete well in the first 5k and then hold their spot or gain some ground over the last 3k. We did that today, and the execution was far more satisfying for the guys. We put ourselves in the hunt early and then stayed there through the 5k. Then the guys tried to move up in the race. Our 2nd place finish was not the goal but was not unexpected. In the end, we were not very close to winning the meet and we were 48 points better than 3rd place Boston University. Nathan Davis '26 led us today and his runner-up performance was a breakthrough for a young man that had never finished higher than 32nd in this meet. Nathan has emerged as a legitimate cross-country runner this year and has led us at every meet we have run. He never runs poorly. He has been remarkably consistent and has learned from each race that he has run. Today, he was running stride for stride with the leader until 6K and it was only in the last 2K that a gap formed. He was able to hold off any challenges and his 2nd place finish makes him the top returner in the Patriot League heading into the 2025 season. While we leave the meet unsatisfied in not competing for a title, the men showed resilience and are in a good spot as we look to compete at the championship distance of 10,000 meters in 2 weeks."
Players Mentioned
