March 8, 2011

New Orleans, La. - The Navy men's track and field team (8-2) wrapped up its indoor season with a No. 4 ranking in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll. The Mids were ranked in the top-5 the entire season, with the high-water mark being a No. 2 showing on Jan. 25. Penn State is ranked No. 1 in the final regional poll, followed by Princeton and Villanova.

Junior Cody Rome, the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the 3,000m. Rome ran a 7:55.12 at the Alex Wilson Invitational on March 5 to rank 21st on the national performance list, just missing the NCAA automatic standard of 7:54.50.

Prior to his scorching 3K time at the Alex Wilson Invitational, Rome set a new Patriot League Championship Meet record in winning the event with a time of 8:07.51.

Rome also ranks 10th in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the mile run, with a 4:05.85, which he ran at the Army-Navy dual to win the event. Rome also won the 1,000m and the 4x800 at the Star Meet. Rome was also a member of Navy's DMR team that is ranked ninth in the region.

Senior Andrew Hanko posted the third best 5,000m time in the region with his school record showing of 14:03.10 that he used to win the event at the Patriot League Championship. Hanko also ranks 13th in the region in the mile and 18th in the 3,000m.

The highlight of the men's indoor season was a dramatic come-from-behind performance to win the 2011 Patriot League Indoor Championship. The Mids trailed Army by 32 points with four events to go when the team turned the tide on their service academy rival. The Mids won the pole vault and the 3,000m to get within two points of Army with only two relay races to go.

Navy won the distance medley relay and Army placed second to enter the 4x400m with a tied score. The Mids then won the final relay as the Wesley A. Brown Field House erupted and Navy clinched the team championship.

Head coach Stephen Cooksey, now in his 23rd year leading Navy's program, was named the Patriot League Indoor Coach of the Year, following the team championship.

Navy will open the 2011 outdoor track and field season at the Point Loma Open on March 19. The Mids will host Army in the outdoor Star Meet on April 8 and the 2011 Patriot League Outdoor Championship will be held at Lafayette, May 6-7.