VERONA, Wis. – Army West Point Men's Cross Country junior Nathan Davis wrapped up the season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 24.Davis placed 199th in the 10K race with a time of 30:46.20 from the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Championship Course. Harvard's Graham Blanks won the individual title with a mark of 28:37.2 as BYU claimed the team title.It concludes a breakout season from Davis for the Black Knights, who was the first male runner in four seasons to qualify for the NCAA meet after a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regionals.Davis will shift his focus to the indoor season which saw him place fifth in the Patriot League in 2023-24 in the 3000M."It took me some time to find Nathan after his race today at the NCAA championship … when I first saw him, he was walking slowly toward me headed toward the team area,” Army West Point Director of Track & Field Mike Smith. “His head was down, and his body language spoke of his disappointment. He had just finished 199th in the best cross-country race in the world. It was a humbling experience.
“Today was the first time Nathan had ever been in this type of environment. I thought he handled himself well,” Smith added. “He wasn't intimidated, and he had realistic expectations, but he just wasn't good enough. Standing out there on the course, after a few minutes of discussion and reflection, Nathan's disappointment shifted toward the future, ‘I've got a lot of work to do. I need to get better.’ That comment told me all that I need to know. Sometimes you need to experience a painful defeat to fully understand what it takes to get to the top. He will be just fine."