I don't know anything about this from the Naval Academy side of things...
But, I have been running cross country + distance track for the past few years, so I'll speak from that side of things. Its not so important that you get a particular brand/model of shoes. Go to a running/athletic shoe store and ask if there's someone there that might be able to point you in the right direction for a shoe. If you have old shoes you've run in, bring them, they can show what shoe you might need. Make sure to try on a few pairs before you buy any.
Besides that, you normally don't really have to break in shoes. They can be a little stiff when you first get them, but you'll get used to them/build calluses as needed pretty quickly. It's nothing like hiking boots though.
Hopefully that helps.