Sophomore Gina DiPiero took 11th place at the Salty Sea Dog Invitational.

Annapolis, Md. -- The Navy women's cross country team (3-1) played host to American and UMBC today for the 2nd Annual Salty Sea Dog Invitational at the USNA Cross Country Course. American came out on top after sweeping the top-three spots, but Navy's packed finish gave the Mids an 18-37 victory over UMBC. The American Eagles posted a 21-34 win over Navy and an 17-38 mark over the Retrievers.

Freshmen Erin Demchko (Nanuet, N.Y./Pearl River) and Emily Castro (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) captured the top-two Navy finishes for the second time this season. Demchko posted a time of 19:39.9 for fourth place overall, while Castro came in right behind her at 19:41.43 to take fifth place. The Mids had eight girls in their front pack, who all finished within a 32-second span taking fourth through 14th place.

“It was great to have the whole team out here running,” commented Demchko on her first and only home meet of the 2003 season. “It's the only meet all season where we get to have everyone run. It was a great atmosphere.”

American's Keira Carlstrom snagged first place with a time of 19:05.94, while her teammates Jen Baclawski and Kelley Taylor took second and third places, respectively.

“We were the underdogs coming in, but our efforts to pack up are really working,” noted Navy head coach Karen Boyle. “We need to continue to gain strength, but a lot of our core runners are plebes and they just keep getting stronger.”

The Mids are back in action next week, as they travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i for the Big Wave Invitational on Sat., Sept. 20. Navy will challenge American again on Sat., Nov. 1 at the Patriot League Championship.