Navy Heads to Paul Short Invitational on Friday

The Midshipmen will be racing against four nationally-ranked programs

	Navy freshman Katie Rentz

Sept. 27, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's cross country team will compete for the first time in two weeks when it travels to the Paul Short Invitational on the Goodman Campus Course in Bethlehem, Pa., this Friday afternoon.

With 91 teams entered for Friday's action, the Paul Short Invitational has been broken up into several smaller races. The College Brown Race (Division I and ranked non-Division I teams) will take place at 1:40 p.m., followed by a junior varsity race at 4 p.m.

Among the field of teams in the College Brown Race, four are ranked among the top-30 squads in the nation and two others are receiving votes.

This Friday's race will also serve as preparation for the postseason, as the Goodman Campus Course will serve as the host of this year's NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Championship on Nov. 10.

The Midshipmen have opened the year in strong fashion, posting three dual-scoring victories and a pair of third-place performances. For their efforts, the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association recognized the Mids as the ninth-ranked team in the region on Monday.

Guiding the Midshipmen to their early-season success is Arwyn Becker (Sr./Vail, Colo.), who has posted Navy's best time in each of the last-two meets. Becker has also finished among the field's top-10 competitors in each of the past two races.

Accompanying Becker with strong performances this season are team captain Kyleigh Millhouse (Sr./Boiling Springs, Pa.), Katie Rentz (Fr./San Diego, Calif.) and Erica Ziel (So./Saginaw, Mich.), as all three have scored points during each of the team's three races on the campaign.

Following this Friday's meet, Navy (3-0) will head to West Point, N.Y., to take on Army in the annual Star Meet. Last season, the Midshipmen cruised to a 21-38 victory over the Black Knights in Annapolis.