BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy earned two Patriot League cross country weekly awards, while Army West Point and Bucknell split the other two when the honors were announced on Wednesday.
Navy senior Murphy Smith earned Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors after logging a 5.2-mile time of 24:56.0. Smith finished as the runner-up in his first race of the 2024 season at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, hosted by Penn State. Army West Point junior Louisa Diamond was named Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after a 5K time of 18:10.8. Diamond was the individual champion at the Iona Meet of Champions, the first individual victory of her cross country career.
Navy freshman James Partlow was named Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week after a strong showing in the 5.2-mile race at the Harry Groves Spikes Shoes Invitational. His time of 26:17.5 was good for 77th overall and helped the Mids to a seventh-place team finish. Bucknell’s Kerry O’Day earned Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week honors after her mark of 21:59.8 in the 6K. She was the top Patriot League freshman finisher in the event.
Army West Point junior Nathan Davis and Bucknell junior Caryn Rippey each earned honorable mention nods for their performances last week.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Murphy Smith, Navy, Sr., Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell
*Smith logged a runner-up finish at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.
*Last season's Patriot League Cross Country Championship winner earned a 5.2-mile time of 24:56.0.
PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Louisa Diamond, Army West Point, So., Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy
*Diamond won the Iona Meet of Champions on Friday in her season debut with a 5K mark of 18:10.8.
*She defeated the second-place finisher by two seconds.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
James Partlow, Navy, Fr., Mount Airy, Md./Governor Thomas Johnson
*Partlow finished his 5.2-mile race at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in 26:17.5.
*He was the first freshman finisher for the Mids.
*He scored in the fifth spot for the Navy squad that finished seventh as a team.
PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Kerry O’Day, Bucknell, Fr., Marlton, N.J./Cherokee
*O'Day logged a time of 21:59.8 in the 6K race at the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational.
*The rookie finished 83rd overall and was the highest-finishing Patriot League freshman in the event.
HONORABLE MENTION
Caryn Rippey, Bucknell, Jr., West Lawn, Pa./Wilson
*Rippey placed 23rd at the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 6K mark of 21:03.0.
Nathan Davis, Army West Point, Jr., East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia
*Davis logged an 8K time of 25:24.9 at the Iona Meet of Champions to finish as the runner-up.
Men’s Runner of the Week
9.3 - Dan Hruska, Boston University
9.10 - Kaden Kluth, American
9.18 - Murphy Smith, Navy
Women’s Runner of the Week
9.3 - Savanah Beavers, Lehigh
9.10 - Caryn Rippey, Bucknell
9.18 - Louisa Diamond, Army West Point
Men’s Rookie of the Week
9.3 - Ben Connell, Lehigh
9.10 - Patrick Gandini, Navy
9.18 - James Partlow, Navy
Women’s Rookie of the Week
9.3 - Daisy Dastrup, Navy
9.10 - Anna Carruthers, Bucknell
9.18 - Kerry O’Day, Bucknell
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The
2024 Patriot League Cross Country Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 2 in Easton, Pa. on the campus of Lafayette College.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.