Oct. 11, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's cross country team (3-0) will split up its squad to close out the regular season this weekend with a pair of meets on the road. The Midshipmen will head up to West Point, N.Y., to take on Army in the annual Star Meet on Friday at 4:45 p.m. One day later, the Mids will travel to the Lafayette Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Navy heads on the road this weekend ranked as the ninth-best team in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the third-consecutive week, it was announced by the USTFCCCA on Monday. The Midshipmen were ranked second in the Patriot League Preseason Poll back in August, while Army was predicted for a fifth-place finish this season.

The Midshipmen own a 12-9 advantage in the all-time series over the Black Knights following last year's impressive 21-38, N-Star victory last season. Navy will look to snap a five-meet skid against Army on the West Point Golf Course, with the visitors last coming away victorious in 1996.

This Friday's race marks the first of at least two meetings between Navy and Army this season, as they will also race against one another and six other schools at the Patriot League Championship. Navy's meet on Saturday represents the first time in school history that it will be participating in the Lafayette Invitational at Metzgar Fields.

Looking to guide the Midshipmen across the finish line for the fourth-consecutive meet is Arwyn Becker (Sr./Vail, Colo.). Becker has emerged during her senior campaign to produce three top-25 performances and the third-fastest Navy time in USNA Cross Country Course history during the Salty Seadog Invitational, a 22:47 clocking. In each of her two 6k races this season, she has finished with a time quicker than 23 minutes.

Also providing some leadership at the front of the pack for Navy is team captain Kyleigh Millhouse (Sr./Boiling Springs, Pa.). In last year's Star Meet, Millhouse finished sixth overall, fourth among the Mids, with a 23:15.36 clocking. This year, the product of Boiling Springs, Pa., has scored in all four meets, including the team's second-fastest time on two occasions.

The Midshipmen will also count on Erica Ziel (So./Saginaw, Mich.), Maureen Dooley (Jr./Durham, Conn.), Katie Rentz (Fr./San Diego, Calif.), Amy Watson (So./Hampstead, Md.) and Lexa Gass (So./Crescent, Pa.) to provide critical scoring depth this weekend. Each runner has finished among the team's top-seven competitors at least three times in 2007.

Following this weekend's action, the Midshipmen will head back to Lafayette's home course in Easton, Pa., this time for the Patriot League Championship on Saturday, Oct. 27.