Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Navy
Women's Cross Country Win Fourth Straight Star Saturday
October 18, 2026 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Mikayla Cheney won the individual title and led the Army West Point women's cross country team to a 21-35 victory over Navy in the Army-Navy Star Series meet on Saturday at the U.S. Naval Academy. It was the Black Knights' fourth straight Star. The Navy men took the men's Star, 19-42.
The win was Army's 18th in the 41-year history of the women's Star meet. It was also the fourth straight for the Class of 2027. Seniors Cheney, Leah Richardson, Louisa Diamond, Abigail Garner and Katherine Merritt became the first Army women's class to sweep four Stars since the Class of 2006.
The Black Knights dealt with a demanding course, with frequent hills (most in the final 1,000 meters), uneven footing, mud from the previous day's rain and strong winds. They put most of their runners at the front early and controlled the tempo. Cheney then broke away from the field in the 6K. By the 4-kilometer mark she was alone with more than 100 meters on the field, and she cruised home in 21:18.2. She became the 12th Army woman to win the Star meet individual title and the ninth to win in Annapolis. It was her first cross country individual Star win.
"I'm incredibly grateful to have been on a team that has been able to four-peat the Star meet," Cheney said. "The goal was to win today, and our team went in with that mindset. We planned to command it and make it as hard as we could for the Navy women. Our team is incredibly strong especially at the ends of races, and we saw that from Leah, Alma, Mia, and just tons of women continued to bring it all the way to the line."
Junior Mia Royall was Army's second finisher and second overall (21:33.6), and junior Alma Lazo Cazares was fourth overall (21:38.8) and Army's third scorer. The two ran together for much of the race and took turns pushing the pace. Royall fell just before the first mile marker and worked her way back to the front. "Before the race, I told myself I had to beat every Navy runner," Royall said. "The last 1k I was determined to not let any Navy girls out kick me, and I knew they wouldn't be able to if I gave all my effort." Lazo Cazares added, "Going into the race I knew we weren't entitled to win. I knew it was going to take a team effort."
Richardson started in eighth place and worked her way up the whole race to finish fifth overall (21:44.3) as Army's fourth scorer. Diamond (9th, 21:56.6) completed the scoring five. Garner (10th, 22:05.4) and junior Chloe Esponda (13th, 22:20.4) were the displacers. Army's top six finishers included four seniors and two juniors. "During the race I was mainly thinking that I'm best during the last 1k and I trusted in my ability to perform when it came to that point," Richardson said. "I was able to out kick the two Navy girls I'd been fighting most of the race."
In the men's race, Navy's Dane Eike won in 23:46.4 and the Midshipmen placed five runners ahead of Army's third scorer. Senior Adam Furman led Army in third place (24:01.2). He shadowed a pack of four runners for most of the race and then attacked late. It matched his third-place finish in last year's Star meet. Senior Maximus Haynia was sixth (24:23.0). Junior Parker Harris (13th, 24:43.1), freshman Issaiah McCorvey (15th, 24:51.4) and junior Ryan Rheam (16th, 24:59.9) rounded out Army's scoring five. Freshmen Lyle Llewellyn Mideiros (17th, 25:07.4) and Judah Daffron (18th, 25:20.3) were the displacers.
Army returns to action Oct. 31 at the Patriot League Championships in Lewisburg, Pa.
THE NUMBERS
Women's 6K
- Army West Point – 21
- Navy – 35
Men's 4.9 Miles
- Navy – 19
- Army West Point – 42
Women's 6K:
1. Mikayla Cheney, Sr. – 21:18.2
2. Mia Royall, Jr. – 21:33.6
4. Alma Lazo Cazares, Jr. – 21:38.8
5. Leah Richardson, Sr. – 21:44.3
9. Louisa Diamond, Sr. – 21:56.6
10. Abigail Garner, Sr. – 22:05.4
13. Chloe Esponda, Jr. – 22:20.4
16. Alexandra Volkart, Jr. – 22:27.9
17. Alexandra Himebauch, Fr. – 22:30.8
18. Sienna Boulds, Fr. – 22:38.6
19. Katherine Merritt, Sr. – 22:49.1
20. Abigail Ringwood, So. – 22:51.8
Men's 4.9 Miles:
3. Adam Furman, Sr. – 24:01.2
6. Maximus Haynia, Sr. – 24:23.0
13. Parker Harris, Jr. – 24:43.1
15. Issaiah McCorvey, Fr. – 24:51.4
16. Ryan Rheam, Jr. – 24:59.9
17. Lyle Llewellyn Mideiros, Fr. – 25:07.4
18. Judah Daffron, Fr. – 25:20.3
20. Jess Joe Augustine, Jr. – 25:30.5
21. Sawyer Lisk, Fr. – 25:48.3
22. Eli Ahten, So. – 26:36.3
23. Christian Bachmann, Jr. – 26:51.3
24. Gavin Hansen, Sr. – 27:16.1
COACH'S CORNER - HEAD COACH MIKE SMITH
Women
The women's cross country Star series started in 1986. With today's win our women have now won the Star meet 18 times in the 41 year history of the meet. It has never been easy and today (while the score reflects a dominant performance) we had to work to get the win. The work was not unexpected. I told our women last night that I thought that we were the better team but that the better team does not always win. We knew we were not entitled to a win today and we set about the business of winning this race with a strategy that has been successful before. The course is extremely demanding. The footing is at times uneven, rooted, and today with the lingering moisture from yesterday's rain, it was slick and muddy in parts. The hills are frequent and most of them are in the last 1000 meters. With the strong winds today, it made conditions even more difficult. We established control of the race early and put the majority of our women all at the front. We controlled the early tempo of the race and then Mikayla Cheney '27 made a break and separated from the field. Mikayla was far and away the class of the field today. We knew that before the race started. She has run three races so far this fall and been very good in each one. Her success on the track last spring gave her new perspective on her ability and she has run with confidence and command. Today, she was challenged briefly when she broke the race open but that threat was quickly dispatched. By the 4 kilometer mark she was all alone at the front and had put over 100 meters on all of the other racers. She cruised to the line with a dominating win. With the win, Mikayla became the 12th Army woman to win the Star meet individual title and the 9th woman to win the meet in Annapolis. It was her first cross country Star meet individual win and her fourth cross country team gold Star in as many years. She had this to say about the win today,
"I'm incredibly grateful to have been on a team that has been able to four-peat the Star meet. It just exemplifies the hard work and dedication this team has put in year after year and season after season. The goal was to win today, and our team went in with that mindset. We planned to command it and make it as hard as we could for the Navy women. Our team is incredibly strong especially at the ends of races and we saw that from Leah, Alma, Mia, and just tons of women continued to bring it all the way to the line. This is just the start of our championship season, and you can bet each member of this team will rise to meet the next challenge at each level."
It has been 20 years since a class of Army women have graduated with four cross country stars. The last class to achieve that feat was the class of 2006. Today, Leah Richardson '27, Mikayla Cheney '27, Kate Merritt '27, Louisa Diamond '27, and Abigail Garner '27, joined the class of 2006 in a career Star sweep. Behind Mikayla, there were a number of Army women working through the race and challenging for the #2 position. Mia Royall '28 and Alma Lazo Cazares '28 ran together for most of the race and took turns leading the attack to catch Mikayla. They ran the entire race in the top 6. They were never separated by very much distance and they ultimately secured the 2nd and 3rd positions in the race almost all the way to the line. Mia is a terrific talent who is now starting to show the kind of consistency that could vault her the very top of this sport. She has a great aerobic engine and is built for speed, a lethal combination for sure. We took a calculated risk this fall in putting her and Alma into the combatives class first round this semester. The class focuses on hand-to-hand combat and is similar to wrestling and/or ultimate fighting. There is a high risk of soreness (it is almost constant) and of course the risk of injury. They have to take the class so they soldier on and embrace the challenge. They endured multiple days of mid-round fights toward the end of September which disrupted training and took a toll on them in the form of extreme fatigue and soreness. They never complained. We rested when we need to rest and we trained in between. But consistency was hard to find. They finished their final bouts 10 days ago and with the end of those physical demands they have both started to regenerate and soak up training. I say all of that to provide context for what we saw on the course today. They finished 2nd and 4th in one of the biggest races of the year. As our Head Officer Representative (COL Chewar) said to me after the race, "Those two women have every reason not to get it done, every excuse not to perform, but instead they decide to attack and do it for each other, for themselves and for the team". There is tough and then there is Alma and Mia. They represent grit personified. Mia had this to say about her performance today,
"Before the race, I told myself I had to beat every navy runner. I definitely get a little nervous before I race, but I try not to entertain the possibility of failure. I know that if I am capable of doing something, I should approach it with the expectation of executing it effectively. During the race, I fell right before the first mile marker…so I had to slowly make my way back up, so I just focused on the next few people in front of me. I regained contact with my teammates and started making my way back up to the front of the race. Eventually, right before the last 2k, I caught back up with Alma, and I tapped her on the shoulder to let her know I was with her again. We both stabilized our pace and effort and finished out the race strong together. The last 1k I was determined to not let any navy girls out kick me, and I knew they wouldn't be able to if I gave all my effort. I'm super excited for the Patriot League meet and the rest of the season. Our team has so much talent. I love the feeling of knowing I carried out my role on the team and knowing that I have such a strong team that is right alongside me. I'm so glad I have the honor and privilege of running with them and having so many others on the track team, West Point families, and alumni showing up to support us"
Alma added, "going into the race I knew we weren't entitled to win. I knew it was going to take a team effort. So, i made it my goal to put in my two cents. It was definitely a gritty course but I really enjoyed running for my girls and I am excited to see how the season continues to unfold!"
Grit pervades our team. On any given starting line, our women are overflowing with it. Maybe the best example we have of this is Leah Richardson '27. I have spoken about her before. I will speak about her now and most assuredly I will speak about her again in the future, because she has earned the praise. I have known her since she was a middle schooler and I watched her run with my kids on the James I O'neill high school team in Highland Falls. She battled injuries for much of her high school career. She never gave up. She enjoyed a modicum of success at the small school level but none of it foretold of what we are seeing now. She races way above her "pay grade" and has claimed success at levels that were once thought to be out of reach. She doesn't shy away from challenges. I have recently heard her encourage her teammates to, "find the joy in racing for your teammates". We saw that joy from her today. That is a fact. There is a picture of her at the end of the grueling race today, driving toward the finish line…with a smile on her face. It is extraordinary. Whether it was recognition of the team victory or a demonstration of "racing joy" only she knows. But it was there for all to see. She started out conservatively enough in 8th place early in the race. And from there she was on the move the entire race and she brought her teammates with her. She ended up as our number four today (5th overall) but if the race were longer, I am sure she would have finished higher. She has become one of our most consistent performers and is the bedrock of our success. She had this to say about the race today, During the race I was mainly thinking that I'm best during the last 1k and i trusted in my ability to perform when it came to that point. So I worked my way up and was able to out kick the two Navy girls I'd been fighting most of the race. Most every race I rely on my faith and that I am fully equipped with the strength I need to run each race with confidence. I was so overjoyed with the team win, this one is so big and means so much. Watching each one of us work so hard each day for moments like this win makes it all so worth it!"
We commanded the race today from the first kilometer to the last. The outcome was really never in doubt. Part of that dominance was due to the experience of our team. Our top 6 finishers included 4 firsties and 2 cows. We have a veteran group. This group is as good at execution as any we have had in recent years. They have had to uphold the standard that was set in 2025 by Charlotte Richman '26 and Claire Lewis '26; and the example set by Joanna Halfhill '25 and Laurynn Sisneros '25 in 2024. They did that today. Now greater challenges lie ahead. We will rest and recover and get ready for the Patriot League championship meet in 2 weeks.
Men
It was a disappointing outcome for our men today. We have run better in the past and we will run better in the future but we didn't perform at the level we are capable of and the result today speaks to that. The course is very demanding and in particular the last 2 miles are a real challenge. We thought we could mix it up at the front of the race with our top guys and then be there to attack late in the race. Only two of our guys were in the lead pack at the halfway point. Adam Furman '27 and Max Haynia '27 were our leaders today as they have been all year. Max got out a little too strong and was unable to attack late in the race. He knows what went wrong with his race today and can correct it in the future. Adam managed his effort pretty well and spent much of the race shadowing a pack of four runners and then attacked late in the race and got all the way up to the number 3 spot at the finish. It was a repeat of his performance last year when he claimed third in the Star meet on the West Point golf course. Adam never gives less than his best and today was a good example of how he can manage a race plan. He ran really well. We had some other good efforts out there from our plebe men but they were ultimately unable to impact the outcome near the front of the race. We will learn from our mistakes today and get some things corrected as we move forward into the league championship in 2 weeks.
About Army West Point Cross Country
The Army West Point cross country programs compete in the Patriot League. For more information, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_TrackXC on Instagram and X.
Media Contact
Contact Toni Bianco, Army West Point Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, for all media inquiries.
tonibianco518@gmail.com | (516) 941-6310
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AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.
