Whipple Named Patriot League Runner of the Week

The senior won the Harry Lang Invitational on Friday

	Navy senior Justine Whipple

Sept. 5, 2006

Patriot League Weekly Release

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy senior women's cross country runner Justine Whipple (Duxbury, Mass.) has been selected as the Patriot League Female Runner of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Whipple won the 6,000-meter race Harry Lang Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y., with an invitational record time of 22:57. Her showing smashed the previous Harry Invitational record by nearly a full minute and ranks as the fifth-fastest time in course history. Friday's performance represented her second-career meet victory, with her first coming at Army in the Star Meet last season. The product of Duxbury, Mass., has registered Navy's fastest time in each of the last-seven races she has competed in.

Only six days prior to the race, the senior placed seventh at the World University Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) Championship in Switzerland.

This marks the second time in Whipple's career that she has earned the league's weekly recognition. The senior first earned Patriot League Runner-of-the-Week honors after placing 14th out of 210 runners at the Fordham Invitational on Sept. 10, 2005. Last season, she went on to earn First-Team All-Patriot League honors and placed 10th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship.

The Midshipmen return to action on Saturday, Sept. 16, with the Salty Seadog Open on the USNA Cross Country Course. The meet is slated to begin at 10 a.m.