After serving six seasons as the head men's track & field coach at the Naval Academy, Al Cantello has remained active with the team by serving as its top assistant with head coach Stephen Cooksey.

Cantello has also been the guiding force for the Academy's men's cross country program since becoming the head coach 40 years ago. He has helped mold the cross country team into one of the most consistent in the country -- both regionally and nationally.

With a 238-68-1 (.777) career record, Cantello has coached several standout runners during his years in Annapolis. Jon Clemens received All-America honors during the 1996 cross country season, while John Mentzer was named a 1997 All-American in both indoor (5,000 meters) and outdoor (10,000 meters) track. Michael Ryan earned similar honors during the 1999 indoor track season for his time of 4:01.57 in the mile.

In the fall of 2007, Cantello directed the Midshipmen to a 23-35 N-Star win at Army. Since the 1999 season, he has led Navy to an impressive 19-2 (.905) record.

In November 2007, one of Cantello's former standouts, John Mentzer, competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon at New York City. Mentzer was trained for the marathon by one of his former teammates and another distance All-American at Navy, Jon Clemens.

During the 2004 summer months, Cantello was honored to have two former runners, Aaron Lanzel and Erik Schmidt, compete in the finals of the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. Navy was one of just three schools -- the others being Arkansas and Stanford -- to have two runners competing in the trials of the event.

As a result of his teams' success, Cantello has also been amply recognized, including being named the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year three times (1984, '85 and '92). In 1997, the Naval Academy Alumni Association awarded Cantello the Distinguished Athletic Leadership Award for a coach or faculty member who did the most for the physical development of the Midshipmen in physical education. He also earned the inaugural Tom Hamilton Teaching/Coaching Award, as voted by his peers in 1997.

From 1981-88, Cantello held a dual coaching role, guiding Navy's men's indoor and outdoor track squads while maintaining his cross country duties. As Navy's head track coach, Cantello led the Mids to a 67-9-1 dual-meet record. During the 1986-87 academic year, his combined record in cross country, indoor and outdoor track was a remarkable 23-1.

Cantello's all-time head coaching record in cross country, indoor and outdoor track is 295-67-4, a winning percentage of better than 80 percent. Among his victories are 40 N-Stars, including 29 as the cross country head coach -- the most for a coach at Navy in one sport.

A 1955 graduate of La Salle, Cantello was a two-time All-American in the javelin throw. He was enshrined as a charter member of La Salle's Hall of Athletes in 1961.

Cantello, a former world-class competitor in the javelin, once held every national and international record in the event. In 1959, he set a world record in the javelin and competed for the U.S. Olympic Team the following year in the 1960 Games in Rome. In 1964, Sport magazine named Cantello to its all-time track & field team and voted him the world's greatest competitor in the javelin.

Cantello and his wife, Jackie, are the parents of three adult children - Karla McMahon (45), Albert Jr. (43) and Karen O'Kane (40) -- and seven grandchildren.