Navy Cross Country Makes Statement at Paul Short Run as Eike Leads Men to Fourth, Women Place 13th
Navy cross country came away from one of the largest and most competitive meets of the season with plenty of reasons for optimism Friday, as both the men’s and women’s teams delivered strong performances at the 52nd Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Junior Dane Eike led the Navy men to an impressive fourth-place finish in the College Gold 8K, while sophomore Juliet Frum paced the women to 13th place in the College Gold 6K. The results gave the Midshipmen an encouraging measuring stick with the Army-Navy Star Meet and championship portion of the season approaching.
Hosted by Lehigh University at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course, the Paul Short Run has developed into one of the premier events on the collegiate cross-country calendar. More than 7,000 athletes from over 600 high schools and colleges were scheduled to compete across the two-day event, with the Gold races serving as the premier collegiate divisions. The event began in 1969 with just seven teams and has grown into one of the largest collegiate cross-country meets in the country.
Conditions also added another challenge Friday as temperatures climbed rapidly throughout the competition. The men’s and women’s Open and College Gold races were completed, but Lehigh ultimately canceled the remaining six college races because of elevated heat conditions following consultation with medical personnel. That made Navy’s ability to perform well in the completed Gold races even more noteworthy as runners dealt with large fields, rising temperatures and a demanding course.
Eike Establishes Himself Near the Front
Eike continued what has become an impressive junior season by finishing 10th overall in the men’s Gold race, covering the 8K course in 24:15.8. He finished among the top 10 in a race featuring 302 finishers and helped Navy score 193 points to place fourth among 35 scoring programs. Penn State’s Nick Sloff captured the individual title in 23:59.8, while Wingate won the team championship with 58 points.
The result represented another strong outing for Eike after he led Navy at the John McNichols Invitational in September. Eike ran 24:14.3 at that meet and placed 25th among 263 competitors as Navy finished 19th against a loaded field that included numerous nationally ranked programs. His time at Paul Short was almost identical despite Friday’s increasingly difficult weather conditions, while his finishing position jumped from 25th to 10th.
Navy needed more than Eike to climb into the top four, and the Midshipmen received major contributions from James Partlow and Luke Bowlsby. Partlow finished 26th in 24:37.9, while Bowlsby crossed immediately behind him in 27th at 24:39.0. Having three Navy runners among the first 27 finishers provided the foundation for a team performance that put the Midshipmen among the best programs in the field.
Senior Owen Ahten provided Navy’s fourth scoring performance, finishing 58th with a time of 25:07.1. Trevor Hayes completed the scoring five by placing 72nd in 25:20.1, giving Navy an average time of 24:48.0 among its five scoring runners. The spread from Eike to Hayes was 1:04.4, an important indication of the depth Navy possesses behind its lead runner.
Navy Overcomes a Difficult Start
Interestingly, head coach Aaron Lanzel did not come away completely satisfied despite the fourth-place finish. Lanzel said Navy put itself in a difficult position during the opening quarter-mile, leaving several Midshipmen trapped behind a massive field of runners. That forced Navy to expend additional energy moving through traffic while some of the early leaders were able to establish position before temperatures became more challenging.
The response after the slow start might ultimately be one of the most encouraging parts of the performance. Navy’s runners steadily worked their way through the field and still managed to finish behind only Wingate, Penn State and Pittsburgh in the team standings. Wingate entered as the No. 1 Division II team and defending national champion, eventually winning with 58 points, while Penn State finished second with 129 and Pittsburgh third ahead of Navy.
Lanzel specifically praised Eike’s consistency while also pointing toward the development of Partlow and Bowlsby. Partlow has taken a noticeable step forward this season, and Bowlsby’s 27th-place finish gives Navy another runner capable of competing near the front of large fields. If Navy can combine that improvement with better positioning early in races, Friday’s fourth-place result suggests the Midshipmen could have another level available during championship season.
Billy Driscoll finished just behind Navy’s scoring group at 25:21.5, followed by Shane Conroy at 25:51.8 and Patrick Gandini at 25:55.3. Jonathan Skemp finished in 26:21.2, while Zackery Poekert started the race but did not finish. The depth behind Navy’s scoring five becomes particularly important later in the season because one difficult race from a top runner can dramatically alter the team standings.
Navy’s Future Shows in Open Race
The Navy men also received an encouraging look at the program’s future during the Open 8K. Freshman Dom Pappagallo led the Midshipmen with a 14th-place finish in 25:22.0 in a massive race that included 587 finishers. Fellow freshman Liam Beighley was not far behind, placing 23rd in 25:34.6.
Sophomore Ben Marks finished 36th in 25:43.8, freshman Jace Deledonne placed 40th in 25:51.9 and freshman Sam Wood finished 46th in 25:59.5. Navy therefore had five runners among the first 46 finishers, including four freshmen. That is a particularly encouraging development for a program looking beyond this year’s championship run.
Justin Hom, Will Ditre, Carson Fischer and Jacob Crouch also finished among the top 70, meaning nine of Navy’s 13 Open competitors earned top-70 finishes. Wes Anderson, Davis Garrett, Jack Hefty and Gavin Zais completed Navy’s contingent. The performance demonstrated that Navy’s depth extends considerably beyond the athletes currently occupying the primary scoring positions.
Frum Continues to Lead Navy Women
While the Navy men battled near the top of their race, the women put together another encouraging performance in the College Gold 6K. Navy finished 13th among 37 scoring teams with 370 points, placing the Midshipmen inside the top half of a field containing 315 finishers. Liberty won the women’s team championship with 115 points, while Pittsburgh’s Maureen Cheruiyot captured the individual title in 19:47.7.
For the third consecutive race, Frum was Navy’s top finisher. The sophomore placed 53rd overall with a time of 21:41.5, improving her season-best 6K time by nearly eight seconds. Frum has quickly emerged as the runner setting the pace for Navy’s scoring lineup, and her continued development gives the Midshipmen a dependable presence at the front of their pack.
The biggest strength of Navy’s women’s performance, however, was not one individual finish. The Midshipmen’s five scoring runners finished within only 18.3 seconds of each other, producing an average time of 21:53.4. In cross country, where team scoring is determined by finishing positions rather than cumulative time, keeping the scoring five together can be extremely valuable when dozens of runners are separated by relatively small margins.
Madeline Palmisciano followed Frum and finished 72nd in 21:51.7. Team captain Susie Heinz came across in 78th at 21:56.8, while freshman Brianne Duynstee finished 80th in 21:57.1. Catalina Simon completed Navy’s scoring group in 87th with a time of 21:59.7, meaning Navy’s third through fifth runners crossed the finish line less than three seconds apart.
Navy Women Execute Their Race Plan
Women’s head coach Kim Lewnes entered the race knowing the rising temperatures would require patience. Rather than pushing aggressively during the opening portion of the race, Navy attempted to conserve energy and move through the field as the race progressed. According to Lewnes, most of Navy’s runners improved their position by more than 40 places after the opening mile.
That strategy became increasingly important as temperatures climbed late in the morning. The heat eventually became significant enough for organizers to cancel the races scheduled after the Gold divisions, underscoring the conditions Navy faced. The Midshipmen were able to remain composed and execute their strategy rather than getting drawn into an unsustainable early pace.
Paige Sheiffele finished in 22:13.5 and Lucy Myers crossed in 22:18.6 as Navy’s two displacers. Sam Vanderhave followed at 22:39.6, Lexi Ensor finished in 22:53.9 and Emily Downing recorded a time of 25:33.5. The results gave Navy a deep group behind its scoring five and additional options as the coaching staff evaluates the lineup ahead of the season’s biggest races.
Duynstee’s performance also deserves attention because of the freshman’s recovery during the race. Lewnes noted that Duynstee became caught in traffic early but remained patient and eventually fought her way back into Navy’s top five. Learning how to handle large fields and changing race conditions is an important part of a young runner’s development, and Paul Short offered plenty of both.
Women’s Depth Shines in Open 6K
Much like the men’s team, Navy’s women showed considerable depth in the Open race. All 14 Navy runners finished among the top 115 in a field of 408 finishers, with 13 placing inside the top 100. Senior Ava Ostrowski led that group with an excellent 10th-place finish and a time of 22:02.3.
Eleanor Whisler finished 18th in 22:13.3, while Susanna Henderson gave Navy a third top-25 runner by finishing 25th in 22:20.8. Lillee Tang placed 33rd in 22:28.5 and Amelie Loomis followed immediately behind in 34th at 22:30.2. Navy’s first five runners in the Open race were separated by only 27.9 seconds, continuing the pack-running theme displayed by the Midshipmen throughout Friday’s competition.
Kenzie Phillips, Julia Blake, Caroline Carter and Lorraine Goldenberg then crossed in a concentrated group between 22:47.6 and 22:54.9. Regan Schultz, Audrey Dunn, Hannah O’Neill and Marianna Pizem also finished inside the top 100, while Jane Phillips completed Navy’s Open lineup in 23:37.9. The ability to place 13 runners inside the top 100 of a 408-runner race speaks to the overall depth Lewnes has available.
Paul Short Provides an Important Test
The Paul Short Run has become a valuable midseason test because teams encounter circumstances similar to what they may see at conference and postseason meets. Massive fields create traffic, runners have to make tactical decisions almost immediately, and small mistakes in positioning can become difficult to overcome. Friday’s unusual heat added another variable and ultimately forced organizers to halt the remainder of the competition after Navy’s races had been completed.
For the Navy men, the lesson was clear. The Midshipmen have the talent and depth to compete near the front of a strong field, but their fourth-place finish could have potentially been even better with improved early positioning. Lanzel’s reaction afterward reflected a coach who saw both an excellent result and an opportunity that his team did not completely capitalize on.
For the women, the takeaway was slightly different. Navy executed a conservative plan designed specifically for the weather and steadily moved through the field, with an extremely tight scoring pack producing the 13th-place finish. With Frum continuing to establish herself as Navy’s leader and several runners separated by only seconds behind her, the Midshipmen have a formula capable of producing strong team results.
Both teams also showed that their programs extend well beyond the runners currently scoring in the Gold races. The men’s Open group put nine runners in the top 70, while the women’s Open team placed 13 runners inside the top 100. That kind of internal competition should make lineup decisions difficult for the coaching staffs, but it also provides valuable insurance entering the most important portion of the season.
Army-Navy Comes Next
Navy will now turn its attention toward one of the most important dates on its schedule. The Midshipmen will host Army on Saturday, Oct. 17, in the annual Star Meet as part of the Army-Navy Star Series. The women’s race is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men’s competition at noon.
The two-week break between Paul Short and the Star Meet gives both Navy teams an opportunity to recover from a demanding race and address the lessons learned in Bethlehem. For Lanzel’s men’s team, that means combining the front-running ability of Eike with better positioning and another strong effort from Partlow, Bowlsby and the remainder of the scoring pack. For Lewnes’ women, maintaining the compact pack behind Frum while continuing to move efficiently through the field will be critical.
Army-Navy rarely needs additional motivation, but both Midshipmen teams should enter the rivalry meet with increased confidence after Paul Short. Navy’s men finished fourth in one of the premier divisions of one of the country’s largest meets, while the women finished 13th and showed exceptional pack discipline in difficult conditions. Those results provide an encouraging foundation, but the Star Meet will offer an entirely different test where placement against one opponent matters far more than navigating hundreds of runners.
MSB Take
This was an excellent overall day for Navy cross country, and the men’s fourth-place finish stands out as one of the strongest indicators yet of what this team could accomplish later this fall. Eike has established himself as a legitimate front-of-the-pack runner, but Partlow and Bowlsby finishing 26th and 27th may be just as important for Navy’s championship potential. If the Midshipmen can eliminate the early positioning problems Lanzel identified, there is enough depth here to make Navy extremely dangerous over the next several weeks.
The women’s result should not get lost behind the men’s top-five finish either. An 18.3-second gap separating five scoring runners is exactly the kind of pack Navy can build around, particularly when Frum continues to improve at the front. Navy also showed tremendous depth in both Open races, suggesting these programs are positioned well not only for the upcoming Army meet and postseason but for future seasons as younger runners continue developing.
Now everything points toward Oct. 17 in Annapolis. Paul Short tested Navy against huge fields, talented programs, traffic and unusually hot conditions, but Army-Navy will test something entirely different: the ability to beat the rival standing directly across the starting line. After what both Navy teams showed in Bethlehem, the Midshipmen should have plenty of confidence when the Black Knights come to town.
