Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:20pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published February 17, 2008

Navy’s women’s basketball team played by far its best first half of the season last night against Lafayette.

The host Midshipmen came out with energy and intensity, jumping all over the Leopards and never letting up.

Navy was suffocating on defense in holding Lafayette to 17 points on 28 percent shooting. It was the fewest points scored in the first half against the Mids all season.

Meanwhile, the offense was flowing well with numerous players getting involved as Navy shot 47 percent from the field and scored 32 points - a season-high for a first half this season.

Navy built a 15-point halftime lead - largest of the season, of course.

“I think the key was that everyone focused on this game ever since they woke up this morning,” junior guard Emily Cordle said. “Everybody prepared all day for this game and came ready to play. In the locker room, we were pushing each other around and getting pumped up. We were fired up from the beginning.”

Head coach Tom Marryott needs to find a way to duplicate that pre-game approach. Navy’s new-found focus produced only its second victory in the Patriot League this season.

Cordle posted career-highs of 12 points and eight rebounds to help lift Navy to a 53-44 victory over Lafayette before 1,125 at Alumni Hall. Freshman center Cassie Consedine contributed 14 points and seven rebounds for the Mids, who improved to 6-19 overall and 2-8 in the league.

“Tonight we showed we are a good team. When we play to our potential, we can beat anyone in the Patriot League,” Cordle said. “We just need to learn how to leave it all out there whenever we step on the court.”

Sophomore guard K.C. Gordon turned in a strong all-around effort with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals for Navy, which harassed Lafayette into 31 percent field goal shooting for the game and 22 turnovers. The Midshipmen snatched a season-high 15 steals with junior point guard Kalen Kropa leading the way with four.

Marryott was certainly pleased to see Navy suddenly reverse a season-long trend of starting slow, but was at a loss to explain why. He agreed with Cordle’s assessment about the Mids simply not preparing properly.

“It’s been confusing to me, but at the same time very true. This is an inexperienced team that didn’t know how to get ready to play,” he said. “We will sleepwalk for 20 minutes then turn around and play a terrific second half. We need to remember what we did tonight, remember how we came out at the start of the game.”

Consedine and Gordon scored eight points apiece as Navy raced to a 16-8 lead midway through the first half then steadily built that advantage to 32-17 at intermission.

“We came out with a lot of energy, came out raring to go, came out with a sense of purpose and it showed,” Marryott said. “Hopefully, we can find a way to carry that over.”

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:21pm

For Immediate Release
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Produces Several Solid Marks at Iowa State Classic

AMES, Iowa - Navy mens track & field runner Andrew Hanko (Fr./Montville, N.J.) placed among the top three in two events as the Midshipmen performed well to close out their indoor regular season against a 90-plus team field at the Iowa State Classic on Friday and Saturday.

In the first day of the event, Hanko teamed up with Ben Kozy (Sr./Houston, Texas), Will Ricks (Sussex, Va.) and Craig Meekins (Sr./Baldwin, N.Y.) for a first-place distance medley relay time of 9:52.73. The Midshipmen quartet finished 1.54 seconds ahead of the second-place showing from South Dakota. One day later, Hanko came back to finish third in the 3,000-meter run with a career-best 8:15.58 clocking, more than five seconds faster than the teams previous season-best time. The Navy freshman finished only 3.50 seconds off the first-place effort from Daniel Strackeljahn, who surpassed the qualifying standard for the USA Track & Field Championship in the 1,500-meter run last year.

Navy came up with five other IC4A marks on the track over the two-day event. The Midshipmen came away with two of those times in the 800-meter run, where Meekins finished 14th with a time of 1:51.87, followed by Lucas Burkes (Sr./Bakersfield, Calif.) 1:53.39 showing for 33rd place. Earlier on Saturday, Kozy ran the mile in an impressive 4:11.17 for 21st place. Ron Belany (Sr./Haiku, Hawaii) placed 13th in the semifinals of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.23 seconds after finishing in 8.26 seconds during the prelims on Friday.

Two of Navys throwers also surpassed the IC4A standard this weekend for the sixth-consecutive week. Christopher Bordino (Jr./Gastonia, N.C.) landed 21st in the weight throw with a toss of 56’6-1/2" (17.23 meters) and Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) placed 10th in the shot put with a distance of 55’9" (16.99 meters).

The Midshipmen will begin the championship portion of their indoor season this Friday through Sunday, when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Patriot League Championship.

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:25pm

By Chris A. Courogen SPECIAL TO THE SUNDAY TELEGRAM

LEWISBURG, Pa.-- This has not been an easy season for the Holy Cross men’s basketball team. After starting with great promise, a rash of injuries quickly turned a 7-1 start into a struggle that dropped the preseason Patriot League favorite into the conference cellar.

As Crusaders coach Ralph Willard put it, “We haven’t been in a hole, we’ve been in the Grand Canyon.”

But after a hard-fought, 63-53 win last night at Bucknell, Holy Cross can see some light. The win was the third in a row for the Crusaders (14-10, 5-6), their fourth in five games, and pulled them within a game of .500 in conference play after an 0-4 start.

Even in a league as wide open as the Patriot seems to be this season, this was a must-win for Holy Cross, which has little margin for error down the stretch. Lose this one, and it finishes no better than .500 in the PL, and the best-case scenario becomes hoping for a tiebreaker to possibly come away with a postseason game at the Hart Center.

“If we can get even one home game, then you go on the road for one game and have a week to prepare for the final,² Willard said. ³It doesn¹t make any difference where the final is. It does make a difference if you have to play three straight on the road.”

In other words, it wouldn¹t be a big stretch to say the Crusaders’ season was on the line in Sojka Pavilion. And it was more than just symbolism to say that was where they spent much of the game, and where they won it.

Holy Cross didn’t have much luck shooting from the field. In the second half, the Crusaders made just seven field goals, only three in the final 13 minutes. But they took 33 free throws, connecting on 27, including 19 of 24 in the second half.

It was a simple matter of too much size inside for the Bison (10-15, 5-6), who spent most of the evening playing with four guards and a center. Holy Cross continually pounded the ball down low and found guys like 6-foot-10 center Tim Clifford and 6-9 power forward Alex Vander Baan in mismatch situations, guarded by defenders who were a full head shorter.

“We always try to emphasize going inside,” said Clifford, who led all scorers with 18 points. “It does great things for our offense to get people collapsing down.”

Which was true a few times when the Bucknell double teams left Holy Cross shooters with open looks on the arc. Two of the Crusaders¹ three field goals in the last 13 minutes, and three of the seven shots they made in the second half were open 3-pointers.

But where the inside attack really made a difference was at the line. On a night when Holy Cross shot just 41.7 percent (15 of 36) from the field, it shined from the line.

“They went to the line and made free throws, and we didn’t,” said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, looking over a final box score that showed his team took 17 free throws, making 11.

The entire Bucknell team made just one more foul shot than Vander Baan, who scored 10 of his 14 points from the line. Nine of Vander Baan’s free throws came in that final 13-minute stretch when the Crusaders were struggling to connect from the field.

“Their guards were switching on our big guys. It gave us opportunities to get the ball inside,² Willard said. ³That is our strength. We¹re not a great shooting team. We wanted to get the ball in to those guys every opportunity we could.”

Not that Holy Cross didn¹t hit from the perimeter. Senior Kyle Cruze knocked down three 3-pointers, finishing with a career-high 16 points. None was bigger than the one he drained with 5:16 to play with Bucknell ahead, 46-45.With a packed house of 4,162, including a full student section at either end of the floor in full body paint, any Bucknell run would have whipped the throng into a full frenzy, easily swinging the momentum to the hosts.

But every time Bucknell tied the game or went on top, Holy Cross had an answer. The Bison never led by more than two points.

“That was huge,” Willard said. “This crowd was going to go wild.”

Bucknell got 13 points off the bench from Justin Castleberry and 11 from Tyree. But John Griffin, who averaged 22.7 points over Bucknell¹s last four games, was just 1 for 8 from 3-point range and finished with six points. As a team, Bucknell was 6 for 21 from 3-point range.

"John Griffin has just been unbelievable. Our emphasis was if they were going to beat us, they had to beat us off the dribble,² Willard said. “We weren’t going to give up the 3.”

The game was tight throughout. Holy Cross opened with a 3 by Cruze and led most of the first half, but never by more than six. Bucknell scored the last five points of the half to close HC¹s lead to 27-26 at intermission.

The Bison opened the second half with a Griffin 3 to take the lead, but Colin Cunningham answered with a trey for HC. It stayed that way most of the second half, with neither team able to take control until Cunningham took advantage of an open look from the top of the arc to give the Crusaders a five-point lead with 2:15 to play.

Cunningham’s 3 came when Bucknell guard Rob Thomas tried to draw a charge on Clifford down low, leaving Cunningham all alone when the whistle didn’t come.

The final dagger came 1:27 later, when still up by five, Vander Baan came out of a scramble with the offensive rebound on a missed 3 by Cruze and was fouled. Vander Baan made both shots to stretch the lead to seven with 45 seconds left, all but sealing the win.

“Somebody was going to come out of here feeling pretty good going into the stretch run,” Flannery said.

That somebody turned out to be Holy Cross, which can finish 8-6 in the league by winning its final three regular-season league games, two of which are on the road. Mathematically, that could be good enough to win the regular-season title if league-leading American (7-3 entering today’s game at Colgate) should stumble. More realistically, an 8-6 finish could be good enough to get Holy Cross the No. 2 seed in the league tournament once all the tiebreakers are worked through.

The stretch run continues Wednesday at Navy (6-4 in the league), which is currently in second, one-half game ahead of HC after winning yesterday at Lafayette.

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:27pm

NAVY 82, LAFAYETTE 80.
Broken hand doesn’t keep Midshipman from hitting game-winning shot.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
By PAUL SOKOLOSKI
The Express-Times

EASTON | Over the past few months, Clif Colbert’s been playing with a broken hand.

Over the course of Saturday’s final second, he gave Lafayette a broken heart.

Colbert hit the winning baseline jumper with four-tenths of a second left, lifting Navy over Lafayette 82-80 in a battle for second place in the Patriot League before 3,176 energized fans at Kirby Sports Center.

“I wanted to get the kid with the broken right hand to shoot a jumper on the baseline,” Navy coach Billy Lange joked of his designs for the tie-breaking shot.

“It came down to one possession,” Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon said with a look of dejection. “Clif Colbert did a great job.”

The winning play began when Navy’s Greg Sprink, the Patriot League’s leading scorer, picked up a short pass from with under six seconds remaining and began a drive down the lane.

When three defenders converged on the dangerous Sprink, who led all scorers with 24 points, he glanced to his right and whipped a pass to a wide-open Colbert – who calmly deposited a 10-footer for the winning points with under a second remaining.

“The right side looked to be open,” Sprink said. “I saw three defenders coming at me. I saw Clif wide open.”

“We shoot the shot 10,000 times in practice,” said Colbert, who came off the bench to hit seven of his eight shots from the field to finish with 18 points. “If Greg had enough confidence to pass me the ball, I had enough confidence to make the shot.”

It made the Leopards sick.

Lafayette lost its fourth straight game, dropping to 5-5 in Patriot League play and into third place behind the 6-4 Midshipmen.

“It seems like when things are going that way, they keep sliding,” O’Hanlon groaned.

One possession earlier, Lafayette thought it had completed a game-long comeback when forward Matt Betley drilled a long 3-pointer to tie the score at 80-80 with 34 seconds left.

“Once we hit that 3, we had to get one stop,” Betley said.

Sprink and Colbert made sure that didn’t happen, taking advantage of Lafayette’s determination to defend sharp-shooting guards Sprink, Chris Harris and Kaleo Kina on the final possession.

“Everyone thought Sprink was going to shoot it, or Kaleo or Chris,” Betley said. “It was a good shot by Colbert.”

“It was tough,” Leopards guard Andrew Brown said, "but it was the guy we’ll take shooting, rather than Sprink or Harris or Kina.

“Big shot by him.”

That ruined a gallant comeback by Lafayette, which trailed for most of the game – although not by much.

Back and forth it went through the second half, as Navy threatened to pull away only to watch Lafayette stick within striking range.

“I thought we showed a lot of heart,” O’Hanlon said.

“That’s the thing about basketball, it’s a game of runs,” Sprink said. “It always felt like a tight game.”

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:31pm

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Saturday, February 16, 2008) * Navy’s ice hockey team played one of its best games of the season but came up just short, falling to Penn State, 3-2, Saturday night in the second round of the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) playoffs at the McMullen Hockey Arena.

Penn State will now meet Delaware tomorrow (Sunday) at 1 p.m. at McMullen Arena for the ESCHL championship. Delaware defeated Rhode Island Saturday afternoon by a surprisingly lopsided 8-2 margin.

All of the game¹s scoring Saturday night came in the first period. Penn State (now 30-3-4 and ranked third nationally) took a 2-0 lead thanks to power play goals from junior Lukas DeLorenzo at 4:14 and senior Michael McMullen at 7:41.

The Midshipmen (now 16-18-1) bounced back to tie the contest at 2-2 with a pair of even strength goals, the first coming from senior Nick Schwob at 13:21 and the second off the stick of junior Matt Swezey at 15:28. It was Swezey¹s team leading 24th goal of the season, one more than Schwob¹s 23 tallies.

Penn State¹s McMullen scored what proved to be the game winning goal with just 14 seconds left in the first period, again on the power play. Neither team scored during the game¹s final 40 minutes, although an apparent trying goal by the Midshipmen in the third period was disallowed by referee Jason Smith.

Navy sophomore goaltender Eric Anderson was superb between the pipes, recording 41 saves, many of them the highlight reel variety. His counterpart, Penn State¹s Nick Signet, stopped 24 of the 26 Navy shots on goal he faced.

The Midshipmen are now idle until next Saturday, February 23, when they face Seton Hall at 10 a.m. at the New Jersey Devils¹ Prudential Center arena.

SCORING SUMMARY

Penn State 3 0 0 - 3

NAVY 2 0 0 - 2

First Period

PSU * DeLorenzo 21 (Jordan, McMullen) 4:14 (pp)

PSU * McMullen 18 (O¹Brien, Jordan) 7:41 (pp)

N * Schwob 23 (Swezey) 13:21

N * Swezey 24 (Wallis, Daniel) 15:28

PSU * McMullen 19 (O¹Brien, DeLorenzo) 19:46 (pp)

Second Period

None

Third Period

None

SHOTS

Penn State 22 11 11 - 44

NAVY 13 3 10 - 26

SAVES

Signet (Penn State) 11 3 10 - 24

Anderson (NAVY) 19 11 11 - 41

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:33pm

Running back follows sibling’s route

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published February 17, 2008

Navy’s football program has a tradition of attracting brother combinations.

Four Person brothers - Andy, Chris, Dan and Joe - have played for the Midshipmen. Hoot and Tyson Stahl, Ben and Jon Fay, Irv and Marvin Dingle, Cory and James Dryden, James and Aaron Polanco, Greg and Travis Sudderth – the list goes on and on.

This legacy scenario makes sense when you think about it. An older brother comes to the Naval Academy to play football and enjoys a positive experience. His younger brother, who has attended numerous Navy games and been overwhelmed by the amazing atmosphere, dreams of one day also donning the blue and gold.

This year’s incoming recruiting class includes the younger brother of arguably the most renowned player of the Paul Johnson head coaching era. Kevin Eckel fell in love with Navy football while watching his older brother excel as the team’s starting fullback from 2002-2004.

Kyle Eckel, a bruising 235-pounder with a surprising burst of speed, ranks fourth on Navy’s all-time rushing chart with 2,906 career yards. The 2005 graduate was discharged from the Navy and now plays for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

Kevin Eckel, a resident of Haverford, Pa., recalls being in awe while attending the Army-Navy game in nearby Philadelphia. Kyle Eckel was once named the Most Valuable Player of that storied rivalry after rumbling over the Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I learned a lot about the Naval Academy and the football program while Kyle was there,” said Kevin Eckel, who was in middle school when his brother starred for the Mids. “I felt like attending a service academy was something I wanted to do. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if that opportunity was presented, I would take it.”

The younger Eckel, an outstanding running back and safety at Archbishop Carroll, was recruited by both Army and Navy. He chose Annapolis due largely to greater familiarity with that institution, that football program and that branch of the service.

Kevin Eckel admits the decision to follow in his famous brother’s footsteps was difficult. Kyle Eckel endured some struggles at the academy, graduating last in his class and failing to fulfill his five-year commitment.

“Kyle’s advice played an integral role in my decision. He told the academy isn’t for everyone, that there were tough times and great times,” Kevin said.

It’s going to be difficult for Kevin Eckel to avoid comparisons to his older brother since he was signed by Navy as a fullback. The 6-foot-1, 199-pounder rushed for 490 yards and 11 touchdowns in just six games as a senior, having a promising season cut short by a fractured leg.

“I definitely don’t want to play in Kyle’s shadow. At the same time, I’m very proud of what my brother accomplished and can only hope to have half as good a career as he did,” Kevin said. “Being the younger brother of Kyle Eckel I really don’t see it as a burden. All I can do is be myself as both a player and a person.”

Kevin Eckel will be a different type of fullback than Kyle, who ran over a lot of linebackers and defensive backs. Kevin Eckel had the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.41 seconds) at Navy’s summer camp and broke the Archbishop Carroll school record for the 200-yard dash. That mark was previously held by Maurice Stovall, a former Notre Dame wide receiver now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Kyle is bigger, but I’m faster,” said Kevin Eckel, who boasts a 3.9 cumulative grade point average.

Kevin Eckel highlights a list of 39 football recruits that will attend the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I., during the 2008-2009 school year. That group includes another outstanding fullback prospect in Austin Beaty of Friendswood High in Texas. Beaty rushed for 1,348 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons as the starter at Friendswood, which employed a spread passing offense with four wide receivers and one back.

“I love the way Navy uses the fullback and can definitely see myself excelling in that offense,” said Beaty, who cancelled a scheduled official visit to Air Force. “I’m a bruising type of runner just like (Adam) Ballard and (Eric) Kettani. I love to run over and through people.”

Collin Sturdivant of High Point, N.C., headlines an impressive list of defensive line prospects headed to the prep school. The athletic 6-foot-3, 235-pounder was a three-year starter for Carver High and was named first team All-Triad 3A and All-Forsythe County after totaling 85 tackles and 11 sacks as a senior.

“Collin has tremendous character. He anchored our defensive line and was a real team leader. If I had a team full of Collin Sturdivants, I wouldn’t ever have a problem,” Carver head coach Keith Wilkes told the Winston-Salem Journal.

Navy’s coaching staff is also high on defensive linemen Chris Ramsey (Countryside High, Oldsmar, Fla.) and Josh Fitzpatrick (St. Francis DeSales, Westerville, Ohio).

Offensive center Steve Spada is another highly-regarded recruit that will attend NAPS. Spada was a two-year starter at Bergen Catholic, a perennial power in New Jersey that has produced a slew of Division I prospects. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder had six scholarship offers and chose Navy over Army and Temple.

“I love the combination of academics and football the Naval Academy provides. I was also very impressed with Army and it took a long time to decided between them. I just had a gut feeling about Navy and also thought very highly of the coaching staff,” Spada said.

Slot back David Zapata and wide receiver Brandon Turner are two additional standouts in the Naval Academy Prep School crop. Zapata, out of Hornell High, is the sixth-leading rusher in New York state history with 6,101 career yards and also scored 81 touchdowns. The elusive 5-foot-7, 177-pound speedster ran for 1,691 yards as a senior.

Turner, out of Kentridge High in Renton, Wash., was named Defensive Back of the Year in the South Puget Sound League. The athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pounder also had offers from Washington State, Nevada and Idaho State.

GreatAmerican · February 17, 2008, 6:34pm

<h1>11 Cornell def. #13 Navy, 6-3</h1>

For Immediate Release
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008
Squash Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Navy Finishes 12th at College Squash Association Team Championship CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The 13th-ranked Navy squash team placed 12th at the College Squash Association Team Championship at Harvard over the weekend, after dropping the 11th-place matchup against Cornell, 6-3, Sunday morning. The Mids, who opened the tournament with a win over No. 12 Bowdoin, will finish the 2007-08 campaign ranked No. 12 and with a 16-10 record.

“We again had a great team effort this morning, but we just couldn’t pull it out in the end,” said eighth-year Navy head coach Craig Dawson.

Senior captain Jeff Sawin (Haverford, Pa.), ranked 40th in the country, played his final collegiate team match by defeating 81st-ranked Will Hartigan in three games, 9-3, 9-6, 9-4 at the No. 3 spot. Meanwhile, playing one of his best matches of the season, rookie Allan Lutz (McLean, Va.) turned in a 3-1 victory over Mike Gelinas at No. 4, 9-4, 10-8, 4-9, 10-8. Junior Allen Hartley (Charleston, W.Va.) completed the hat trick for the weekend by winning his third match at No. 9 for the Mids. Hartley produced a 9-3, 9-7, 5-9, 9-2 win over Cornell’s Pat Brady to claim the Mids’ third win of the afternoon.

Navy sophomore Ben Mantica (Binghamton, N.Y.) dropped a heartbreaker to Dillon Aldrich at the No. 7 position, losing in five, 9-0, 5-9, 9-6, 1-9, 9-7.

Seniors Tucker George (West Hartford, Conn.) and Sawin, along with sophomore Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.) are expected to compete in the College Squash Association Individual Championship slated for Feb. 29 - March 2 and will be held at the Naval Academy.

Cornell def. Navy, 6-3
Feb. 17, 2008 Cambridge, Mass.
1 Chris Sachvie (C) def. Tucker George (N) 3-1 9-2, 5-9, 9-3, 9-6
2 Steve Peever (C) def. Nils Mattsson (N) 3-1 0-9, 9-3, 9-4, 9-7
3 Jeff Sawin (N) def. Will Hartigan (C) 3-0 9-3, 9-6, 9-4
4 Allan Lutz (N) def. Mike Gelinas (C) 3-1 9-4, 10-8, 4-9, 10-8
5 Amar Gupta (C) def. Michael Beautyman (N) 3-1 7-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-3
6 McKay Claghon (C) def. Kit Zipf (N) 3-0 9-2, 9-4, 9-6
7 Dillon Aldrich (C) def. Ben Mantica (N) 3-2 9-0, 5-9, 9-6, 1-9, 9-7
8 Chris Vernick (C) def. Brian Hamilton (N) 3-0 9-3, 9-3, 10-8
9 Allen Hartley (N) def. Pat Brady (C) 3-1 9-3, 9-,7 5-9, 9-2

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 7:28am

For Immediate Release
Monday, February 18, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Wins 2008 All-Academy Championship

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - Behind the all-around effort from Dylan Parrott (Fr./Rockwell, N.C.), the Navy gymnastics team defeated Air Force and Army to capture the 2008 All-Academy Championship for the first time in program history on Sunday night.

Navy (8-3) tallied 330.85 points to finish 8.05 ahead of Air Forces (3-5) 322.8-point, second-place total. Army (2-7) placed third with 318.7 points. The Midshipmen boasted the highest score on the floor exercise (57.4 points), pommel horse (50.95 points), parallel bars (54.3 points) and high bar (54.25 points).

Parrott, the nations 19th-ranked gymnast in the all-around, topped all gymnasts with a combined score of 82.95 points among the six events. The Navy freshman delivered a stellar 15.25-point performance on the floor exercise to win the event. He also placed third on the parallel bars with a score of 13.65 points.

Navys other event victory came on the pommel horse, where Joseph Atzenbeck (Jr./Broomfield, Colo.) led the way with a 13.4 from the judges. Classmate Adam Stanton (Jr./Centennial, Colo.) followed in second with a 12.75-point routine.

The Midshipmen tallied three addition second-place performances on Sunday night. Grant Waldron (Fr./Columbia, Md.) came through with a solid 15.15-point score on the vault, while Jon-Michael Chombeau (Sr./Beaverton, Ore.) earned a 13.7 on the parallel bars and Isaac Olson (Sr./Spokane, Wash.) racked up 13.8 points on the high bar.

All-around gymnast Christopher Tam finished among the top-three gymnasts in two events. He placed third on the still rings with a score of 14.3 points and tied for third on the high bar with a 13.7-point showing.

The Midshipmen will return to action on Friday, Feb. 29, when they host William & Mary in a dual meet at Macdonough Hall, starting at 7 p.m.

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 9:50am

Streaking Midshipmen, Crusaders Look to Continue Late-Season Push

Game Specifics
Date and Tip Time: Feb. 20, 2008 at 7:00 pm EST
Location: Annapolis, Md. | Alumni Hall (5,710)
Tickets: 1-800-US4-NAVY
Promotions: Family Night
Promotions: 60s Night
Promotions: Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
Television: None
Video Streaming: [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.NavySports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.NavySports.com)
Radio: WNAV (Annapolis; 1430 AM) | WFED (Washington; 1050 AM)
Radio talent: Bob Socci
Webcast: [1430</a> WNAV Your Hometown Station Annapolis, Maryland](<a href=“http://www.wnav.com%5D1430”>http://www.wnav.com) | [FederalNewsRadio</a> - WFED: Home Page](<a href=“http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5DFederalNewsRadio”>http://www.federalnewsradio.com)
Gametracker: [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.NavySports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.NavySports.com)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Two of the Patriot League’s hottest teams face each other as Holy Cross visits Navy for a key Patriot League contest, beginning at 7:00 pm in Alumni Hall. Both teams enter on three-game winning streaks and are looking to keep pressure on league-leading American with a fourth straight win. The Mids enter the contest with a 13-12 overall record and are 6-4 in the Patriot League, good for second place in the league standings. Holy Cross is 14-10 overall and 5-6 in the Patriot League. Tip off is set for 7:00 pm (ET) in Alumni Hall.

Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on the airwaves on both WNAV (1430 AM) and WFED (1050 AM). Bob Socci will handle the Navy call, beginning at 6:45 pm with the Navy Basketball pregame show. The contest will also be streamed online as part of the Navy and Patriot League All-Access packages.

NAVY NOTEBOOK
Navy is above .500 for the first time since winning its season opener on November 9 (1-0) with a 13-12 overall record.
The Mids are two games above .500 in league play for the first time since January 2002. Navy currently sits alone in second place in the league standings with a 6-4 record.
Navy will be looking for its fourth straight Patriot League win. The last time Navy won four straight Patriot League contests came on Jan. 24, 2001 to Feb. 3, 2001.
Navy’s seven road victories, six Patriot League victories and four Patriot League road victories are the most since the 2000-01 campaign. Navy needs just one more Patriot League road victory to tie the program’s best single-season total of five league road victories.
Greg Sprink leads the Patriot League in scoring at 21.2 ppg. In league games only, he is averaging 24.3 ppg.
Sprink is one of three Patriot League players in league history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists. Lafayette’s Brian Ehlers and Colgate’s Pat Campolieta are the others.
Sprink currently has 1,662 points, moving into eighth place on the Patriot League career scoring list.
The Navy trio of Greg Sprink, Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris have combined for 1,241 points, the sixth most by a Navy trio in school history. Next on the list is Vernon Butler, Rob Romaine and Cliff Maurer (1984) with 1,313 points.
At least one member of the trio has scored 20 or more points in each of the last 15 games. Eight different times in that span, two players have scored 20 or more points.
Over the last 15 games, the trio has accounted for 58.1 ppg, or 72.3 percent of Navy’s scoring.
Head coach Billy Lange needs three more wins for 50 during his time at Navy.

LAST TIME OUT
Clif Colbert’s eight-foot jumper with 0.4 seconds left lifted Navy to an 82-80 victory over Lafayette, the Mids’ third win in a row and fourth in a row on the road in Patriot League play. Colbert scored 18 points off the bench on 7-of-8 shooting.
Greg Sprink led Navy with 24 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Harris totaled 22 points, including seven three-pointers.
The Mids swept the Lehigh Valley schools on the road for the second straight season. It marks the first time since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons that Navy has won on the road at both Lehigh and Lafayette in two straight years.
The win gave Navy its fourth straight Patriot League road win and improved the Mids league road record to 4-1. It marks the first time Navy has won four straight league road games since the 1999-2000 campaign.
Navy’s three-game Patriot League winning streak is the first since January 2002.
For the second straight game, Navy dominated the glass, outrebounding Lafayette, 36-30. In Navy’s two wins last week, Navy outrebounded its foes 83-68, an average of 7.5 boards per game.
Chris Harris tied a career high with seven three pointers. It marked the second time he has connected on seven threes this year (Holy Cross).

MIDSHIPMEN-CRUSADER QUICK FACTS
Holy Cross leads the all-time series with Navy, 29-15, including an 11-8 advantage in Annapolis.
Navy is looking for its first season sweep of Holy Cross since the 1999-2000 season, and for its first win in Annapolis against the Crusaders since Feb. 19, 2000, a span of seven games.
The Mids snapped their longest losing streak (17) to one opponent in the team’s last meeting, an 85-74 win at Holy Cross.
Since Navy joined the Patriot League in 1991-92, Holy Cross owns a 23-14 advantage.
Holy Cross’ Lawrence Dixon prepped at Archbishop Spalding, the same high school as Navy’s Derek Young. Holy Cross assistant coach Andrew Sachs was an assistant coach at Archbishop Spalding when Young and Dixon played there.
The two teams have combined to win 10 regular-season and eight tournament titles in the league’s 18-year history. In addition, the two teams have appeared in the league championship game a combined 15 times.

HOLY CROSS NOTEBOOK
Holy Cross enters the game with Navy owning a 14-10 overall record and a 5-6 Patriot League record. The Crusaders are rounding into form, winning three in a row and five of their last seven contests.
The Crusaders have won their last three games by an average margin of 13.7 ppg, including a 63-53 victory at Bucknell on Saturday night. Holy Cross closed out the game with a 20-8 run over the last seven minutes to earn the victory. Tim Clifford, Kyle Cruze and Alex Vander Baan combined for 48 points and Holy Cross went 27-of-33 from the free throw line.
Holy Cross was decimated by injuries earlier in the year, but appears to be getting nearly everyone back. Vander Baan, Pat Doherty, Lawrence Dixon, Eric Meister and Adam May have all missed significant time with various injuries.
Holy Cross ranks in the top 100 of scoring defense (23rd) and field goal percentage defense (79th). Tim Clifford is 56th in field goal percentage (.547) and 33rd in blocked shots (2.16 bpg).
Clifford, the preseason selection for Patriot League Player of the Year, leads the Crusaders in scoring at 16.6 ppg. He is shooting 54.7 percent from the field. Six other players are averaging at least five points a game, and Vander Baan leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Pat Doherty has 85 assists (4.3 apg) against just 57 turnovers, but is shooting just 35.2 percent from the field.
As a team, Holy Cross is holding foes to shoot just 41.7 percent and 60.2 points per game. Holy Cross leads the Patriot League in rebounding margin at +6.5 boards per game.

THE FIRST MEETING THIS YEAR
Navy used a 24-13 run over the last nine minutes to defeat Holy Cross, 85-74, on Jan. 23. The win snapped a 17-game losing streak to the Crusaders and was Navy’s first win in Worcester since Jan. 23, 2000 (81-49), a span of nine games.
Navy hadn’t scored more than 70 points against Holy Cross in the last 16 games, prior to the 85-74 win.
The two teams were tied at halftime, 37-37. Tim Clifford had 15 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting. However, in the second half, Clifford went just 2-of-8 and finished the game with 20 points.
Chris Harris scored a career-high 29 points, making 7-of-11 three-point tries and all six of his free throw attempts. He also dished out four assists (against one turnover) and grabbed three rebounds with two steals.
Greg Sprink added 28 points with four assists and four rebounds. Kaleo Kina had a strong floor game with eight points and seven assists. Lastly, Romeo Garcia and Mark Veazey combined for 12 points, five steals and three assists, and connected on several big free throws down the stretch.
Navy connected on 13-of-29 three-point attempts, compared to 3-of-15 for the Crusaders. The 85 points were the most against Holy Cross since scoring 93 (overtime) against the Crusaders on March 5, 1994.
Kyle Cruze and Colin Cunningham scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Crusaders.

RECENT NAVY TRENDS
Navy has scored at least 67 points in all but two games this year (58 vs. Mount St. Mary’s and 65 vs. Howard). Navy has scored at least 67 points in 14 straight games, posting a 10-4 mark during that span.
Navy is 7-2 this year (28-7 under Billy Lange) when attempting more free throws than its foe.
Navy has led or been tied at halftime in 20 of the 25 games it has played in.
The Mids are 13-7 when scoring 70 or more points this year and 7-1 when scoring 80 or more.
Navy has averaged at least 1.00 point per possession in 14 games this year, owning an 11-3 mark when reaching that goal.
Greg Sprink, Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris have combined for 61 double-figure scoring games this year. The rest of the team has 12 such games.
When Sprink, Kina and Harris each score in double figures this year, the Mids are just 7-7.
When Kaleo Kina scores 20 or more points in a game, the Mids are 5-2 this year.
The Mids have already outrebounded four league opponents this year. Last year, Navy outrebounded just one league foe. The Mids are 8-3 overall this year when outrebounding its opponent.
The Mids rank tied for seventh nationally in forcing turnovers at 19.0 per game. Cal State Northridge leads the nation at 20.0 turnovers forced per game.
Navy is just 4-6 when forcing 20 or more turnovers this year. Conversely, Navy is 4-2 when forcing 15 or fewer turnovers.
Navy has won seven straight games when holding opponents under 45.0 percent shooting.
The Mids have made 10 or more three-pointers 12 different times this year, posting a 7-5 record in those games.
In games that Navy has attempted 20 or fewer three-pointers, the Mids are 3-1.
Navy has held a double-digit lead at some point in seven-of-10 Patriot League games.
Navy is shooting 81.4 percent from the free throw line in five Patriot League road games, shooting 105-of-129.

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 10:11am

The following players were honored at an Awards Ceremony on Sunday following the Championship game between Delaware and Penn State. They were selected as All Stars by the coaches within the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL):

Donnie Horner: ESCHL Sportsman of the Year Award
Donnie Horner: 2nd Team All ESCHL (Defense)
Nick Schwob: 2nd Team All ESCHL (Forward)
Matt Swezey: 2nd Team All ESCHL (Forward)

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 10:21am

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Baseball 2008 Season Preview

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Looking at the steps forward the Navy baseball program has taken in the last-two years under head coach Paul Kostacopoulos, there’s reason for excitement in Annapolis. The Midshipmen welcome back 17 letterwinners from a 2007 squad that won a school-record 35 games and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2003.

As it has been the case for each of Kostacopoulos’s years with the Mids, Navy is looking to make the next jump and play in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in program history and first time since 2002.

“We are close in being where we want to go from last year,” stated Kostacopoulos. "There are some big variables that face us in 2008. This year’s sophomore class received a lot of playing time as freshmen and it’s time to see how much they improved. The improvement I’m looking for is not only physical , but the mental aspect of the game and being able to compete in a 50-plus game season.

“Our senior class this year has plenty of experience. Thomas Hamilton, Mitch Harris, Mark McCoy and Renaldo Hollins all have played significantly since their freshman year. What kind of seasons they put together will be the key for us in having a successful season.”

STARTING PITCHERS

Perhaps the strongest area in 2007 and expected to be again in 2008 for Navy is its starting rotation. The Midshipmen return all four weekend starters from a season ago and two others that developed as the year progressed and could see additional action this spring in a mid-week role.

“With all four weekend starters coming back from last year, there’s no reason to make any changes with this group,” stated Kostacopoulos. “These four guys have proved to be durable performers on the weekend. With that being said, Kyle Millerd and Alec Thomas have emerged and could give us what we need in a starting role if one of our four starters hit a rough stretch.”

Anchoring the rotation as the staff ace for the third-straight year will be two-time All-American Mitch Harris. Over his first-three seasons in Annapolis, the hard-throwing, 6’4" right-hander is 18-11 with a 2.32 ERA in 186.1 innings with 254 strikeouts. As a junior, the product of Mt. Holly, N.C., produced an 8-5 mark with a 2.14 ERA in 88.1 innings with 119 strikeouts to earn Second-Team All-Patriot League kudos. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 24th round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft and spent the summer playing for the Bourne Braves of the prestigious Cape Cod League.

A weekend starter in each of his first-three years with Navy, Mark McCoy has proven to be a clutch performer in the key situations. The right-hander from Parkland, Fla., delivered back-to-back nine-inning complete games against Army and Bucknell last season to help the Mids earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Overall in 2007, he went 8-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 80.2 innings with 62 strikeouts.

As freshmen in 2007, Oliver Drake and Yale Eckert stepped up and immediately served as quality weekend starters. Drake, a 6’4" right-hander from Gardner, Mass., started 10 contests and finished the year with a 3-3 mark and 3.22 ERA in 67.0 innings. He allowed only 63 hits while striking out a Navy freshman record 52 batters. Eckert, a towering 6’7" left-hander from La Selva Beach, Calif., produced a 4-2 record and a 4.07 ERA in 42.0 innings with 25 strikeouts. He displayed excellent command all season, as he did not issue more than two walks in any appearance and walked only nine all year.

Despite combining for 17.2 innings of work last season, Alec Thomas and Kyle Millerd proved to considerable options heading into the spring. Thomas boasted a 2.57 ERA in 14.0 innings and allowed only 13 hits, while Millerd struck out 10 batters in just 3.2 innings and scattered three base knocks.

RELIEF PITCHERS

The Navy relief staff brings back many key elements from a group that won seven games, saved 11 more and logged 149.0 innings of work, in addition to the corps of newcomers that could compete right away for the Mids in 2008.

“We have a big role to fill, as we had a great commodity in James Lee last year. However, we have most of the nucleus of a bullpen that did its job most of the time in 2007 returning this season.”

As was the case in 2007, the Mids will have no problem turning the ball over to JD Melton in the late innings of close contests. Melton, who transferred from Wofford College (S.C.) in the summer of 2006 after earning Freshman All-America honors, was recognized as a Second-Team All-Patriot League reliever in his first campaign with Navy last spring. The deceptive right-hander finished the year with a 3-2 record with nine saves and a 2.45 ERA in 19 relief appearances, logging 29.1 innings and striking out 17 batters.

Kevin Heasley has proven to be a dependable left-handed reliever in each of his first-three years in Annapolis. In 31 career outings, he is 2-1 with 44.2 innings pitched with only 13 walks and 28 strikeouts. Jonathan Berkowitz could get more action in 2008 after posting a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings with 11 strikeouts during his rookie season last spring. Left-handers Ridge Alkonis and Chris Murray were both summoned on a number of occasions as freshmen last year and will be expected to work several innings in 2008. Wes Olson, a freshman right-hander, worked his way into a middle relief role during the fall practices and could immediately produce for the Mids.

“I feel good about JD Melton’s work last year,” stated Kostacopoulos. “He did a nice job in several critical moments. Jonathan Berkowitz has good stuff and three pitches at his disposal if he can work ahead. Kevin Heasley is a reliable left-hander that you know exactly what you’re going to get out of him. Wes Olson was very impressive this fall and we think he’ll contribute right away for us. Chris Murray and Ridge Alkonis are two left-handed options that will get some outs for us this spring.”

CATCHERS

While the Navy pitching staff has flourished over the last-two years, the work that has been done by the catchers cannot be overlooked in establishing that success. In 2008, the Midshipmen bring back the services of Steven Soares and Joshua Martinez, who combined to start all 55 games last spring.

As a freshman in 2007, Soares earned the starting nod 44 times, gunned down 28.0 percent of all base stealers and picked off three runners, all while allowing only three passed balls. At the plate, Soares hit .240 (31-for-129) with six doubles and 16 RBIs. The product of Coral Springs, Fla., was very patient in the batter’s box, as he walked 21 times and posted a .373 on-base percentage.

“Steven Soares did a solid job as a plebe and is a real competitor,” said Kostacopoulos. “He did a real good hob blocking balls, controlling base runners and receiving. Pitchers like throwing to him. His arm strength is good and has a decent release that could be quicker. Offensively, he needs to get better and is certainly capable of doing so with his experience.”

With Martinez starting behind the dish, the Midshipmen produced an 8-3 record. Martinez belted six doubles and drove in 10 runs while batting .244 (22-for-90) as a sophomore in 2007. The native of Denver, Colo., swung the bat well during the fall and could also see significant action as a designated hitter. Jeff Bland, a freshman from Basking Ridge, N.J., has also impressed the coaches and could see some playing time this spring.

“Joshua Martinez does a good job every time he comes in,” stated Kostacopoulos. “We just need Joshua to get back to his freshman form in terms of offensive production. Jeff Bland is a freshman we think highly of. He needs to improve in order to be a solid Division I catcher.”

INFIELDERS

One year after posting a .952 fielding percentage and more than 40 double plays turned, the Navy infield welcomes back two starters and several contributors, in addition to a solid incoming class that will get the chance to produce right away.

Team captain Thomas Hamilton produced an outstanding junior season in which he was named a First-Team All-Patriot League first baseman. In Patriot League play, he owned a .408 (29-for-71) batting average, the second-highest mark in the league, behind only teammate Michael Garcia. Hamilton, a native of Houston, Texas, completed the year with a .345 batting average with nine doubles, one triple, one home run and 31 RBIs. He also displayed great discipline at the plate, leading the team with a .442 on-base percentage.

“Thomas Hamilton truly got better as the season progressed last year,” said Kostacopoulos. “He became a pretty good defensive first baseman and needs to continue what he’s doing. He had a big role to fill, asking him to hold up the middle of the order.”

At second base, Matthew Curley emerged as the starter during fall workouts after a developmental freshman campaign. He played in 21 games and hit .160 (4-for-25) with a .323 on-base percentage. The flashy middle infielder from Boston, Mass., could also see some action at shortstop in 2008. Mike Guadagnini, a freshman from Virginia Beach, Va., had a great fall by coaches accounts and could see time at second or third base.

“Matthew Curley is steadily getting better defensively,” stated Kostacopoulos. “He can turn the double play and make some plus plays. He just needs to make more routine plays.”

Coming into his first-collegiate season, Nick Driscoll will be counted on to shoulder much of the load at shortstop. The product of Riverview, Fla., has impressed the coaching staff with his ability to move well at the position despite spending his high school career primarily as an outfielder.

“Nick Driscoll is an exceptional athlete,” Kostacopoulos said. “We’re not quite sure what we’re going to get out of him. He has converted from playing outfield in high school, so we’re pushing the envelope. However, he has handled the adjustment to Division I baseball and the Naval Academy very well.”

At the hot corner, Kendall Bolt will get the bulk of the action after spending his freshman campaign starting at third base and shortstop. The native of Stockton, Calif., started in 40 games and hit .213 (30-for-141) with five doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs and four stolen bases last year.

“Some of Kendall Bolt’s skills came out during the spring last year,” Kostacopoulos stated. “He charges the ball well, has a good first step and a strong arm. Offensively, he needs to use all the experience from last year to improve.”

OUTFIELDERS

The play of Navy’s outfielders last season was stellar, committing only four errors all year and making several key plays. Fortunately for the Mids in 2008, Navy brings back nearly the exact same group from a year ago and welcomes several talented freshmen that could contribute in many ways.

The linchpin of Navy’s outfield cast for the fourth-consecutive season will be centerfielder Renaldo Hollins. A dependable defensive player that has great range, Hollins did not commit an error in 118 chances during 54 games last season, several of which were catches on the run to prevent runs from scoring. On the offensive side, the native of Virginia Beach, Va., batted .277 (59-for-213) with seven doubles, two triples, 16 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

Two Navy freshmen could also come in and receive some action in center, as Jonathan Wright and Casey Talbot both impressed the coaches in the fall. Wright was a two-time All-Western North Carolina selection in high school, while Talbot was named a 2006 PUMA High School All-American.

“Renaldo Hollins is an outstanding defensive player,” said Kostacopoulos. "He’s one of the best running catch guys I’ve ever coached. He can really play gap-to-gap, gets great jumps and has great instincts to the ball. We need him to become more of an offensive threat. He’s got to make some contact and put the ball in play, move runners and use his speed.

“I’m also very comfortable with Jonathan Wright and Casey Talbot playing centerfield. Jonathan is rock solid – he runs and throws well, makes contact, has a short swing and gets to the ball. Casey just needs a little more playing experience to make the adjustment to college baseball. It’s huge to have depth at center, so we can spell Renaldo for a game or two.”

At the corner outfield positions, Navy will interchange several players. The most powerful bat to return to the mix in 2008 is Mitch Harris, who belted 10 doubles, four triples and eight home runs with 47 RBIs and a .293 batting average (51-for-174) last spring. The product of Mt. Holly, N.C., became just the second player in school history to register a home run in back-to-back-to-back games. In addition to playing in the outfield, Harris could serve as a first baseman or designated hitter in games where he does not start on the mound.

“Mitch Harris will play in the outfield when necessary,” stated Kostacopoulos. “He needs to be used appropriately with the younger guys to develop the consistency we need. He has to make some adjustments to get the ball in play. With his strength, he could really help us in the middle of the order.”

Michael Speciale and Mike Hoosier were both thrust into a starting role as freshmen one season ago and made the most of their opportunities. Speciale, who played in both left and right field, batted .274 (37-for-135) with five doubles and 16 RBIs in 40 contests. Hoosier, who primarily covered the territory in left field, belted six doubles and drove in 20 runs while hitting .220 (24-for-109) in 37 games.

Also figuring into the mix in left field and possibly designated hitter is newcomer Eddie Diaz. A native of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., Diaz batted .439 and struck out only three times in 83 at bats during his senior year to earn all-state accolades.

“Michael Speciale and Mike Hoosier could be good offensive weapons for us,” Kostacopoulos said. "Both played a lot as freshman and produced some respectable numbers. But they must get better and that’s what we expect from them.

“Eddie Diaz could see some time to develop at the collegiate baseball level. He’s a left-handed bat that could potentially become our designated hitter.”

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 12:51pm

This Week In Navy Sports Sponsored By Navy Federal Credit Union

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Overall Navy Sports Record: 203-92-6 (.684)

Baseball (0-0, 0-0 in the Patriot League)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: vs. Air Force (Friday, 11 a.m., Millington, Tenn.); vs. Air Force (Saturday, 11 a.m., Millington, Tenn.); vs. Arkansas State (Sunday, 2 p.m., Millington, Tenn.)

Men’s Basketball (13-12, 6-4 in the Patriot League)
Last Week: Defeated Lehigh, 80-75; defeated Lafayette, 82-80 This Week: Holy Cross (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., 1430 WNAV, 1050 WFED, Navy All-Access); at Army (Saturday, 2 p.m., West Point, N.Y., 1430 WNAV, Sirius Channel 127-Army Broadcast only; CBS-TV)

Women’s Basketball (6-19, 2-8 in the Patriot League)
Last Week: Lost to Lehigh, 54-50; defeated Lafayette, 53-44
This Week: at Holy Cross (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Worcester, Mass., Navy All-Access); at Army-Star Game (Saturday, 11 a.m., West Point, N.Y, 1430 WNAV, Navy All-Access)

Men’s Gymnastics (8-3)
Last Week: Defeated Air Force, 330.85-322.8; defeated Army, 330.85-318.7
This Week: Idle

No. 12 Men’s Lacrosse (2-0)
Last Week: Defeated Ohio State, 8-7 (overtime)
This Week: vs. No. 6 Cornell (Saturday, 1 p.m., Uniondale, N.Y.)

Women’s Lacrosse (0-0)
Last Week: Defeated La Salle in an exhibition game
This Week: Longwood (Saturday, 1 p.m., Annapolis, Md., first Division I game in program history)

Rifle (8-2)
Last Week: Defeated John Jay, 4647-4100 (NCAA Qualifier)
This Week: Idle

Intercollegiate Sailing
Last Week: No results reported
This Week: Tom Noble Team Race (Saturday-Sunday, Chestertown, Md.); Navy Scrimmage 2 (Saturday-Sunday, all day)

No. 13 Squash (16-10)
Last Week: Defeated No. 12 Bowdoin, 7-2; lost to No. 9 Rochester, 7-2; lost to No. 11 Cornell, 6-3
This Week: Idle

Men’s Swimming & Diving (15-2)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championship (Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. preliminaries and 6 p.m. finals, Annapolis, Md.); Navy Long Course Meet (Sunday, 9 a.m., Annapolis, Md.)

Women’s Swimming & Diving (13-1)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championship (Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. preliminaries and 6 p.m. finals, Annapolis, Md.); Navy Long Course Meet (Sunday, 9 a.m., Annapolis, Md.)

Tennis (8-2)
Last Week: Defeated St. Joseph¹s (Pa.), 7-0; defeated George Mason, 7-0
This Week: Lafayette (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.); Yale (Sunday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)

Men’s Indoor Track & Field (7-1)
Last Week: Competed at the non-team scoring Iowa State Classic
This Week: at the Patriot League Championship (Friday-Sunday, all day, Lewisburg, Pa.)

Women’s Indoor Track & Field (7-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: at the Patriot League Championship (Friday-Sunday, all day, Lewisburg, Pa.)

Wrestling (5-4, 4-1 in the EIWA)
Last Week: Defeated Rutgers, 29-6
This Week: Army-Star Match (Friday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy All-Access)

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 6:22pm

Navy womens lacrosse coach Cindy Timchal is not hiding her feelings as the inaugural season of the Navy womens lacrosse program continues its countdown to the opening draw control. After all, Timchal knows all about success and feels the team can reach its goals in its first season of competition.

It is definitely exciting to be part of the inaugural season here at Navy. I have seen much improvement since we opened camp in mid-January, said Timchal. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I am excited with what I have seen. Our goal is to compete well and put ourselves in a position late in the year to be playing our best lacrosse and hopefully, make a run in the Patriot League Tournament.

The reason for the optimism stems from a strong offensive attack that will be bolstered by a solid freshmen class that serves as Timchals first recruited group. Its a group that will lay the foundation in the opening years of Division I womens lacrosse in Annapolis.

I know its a cliché, but if we take one game at a time and treat each game as a learning experience, this team can be successful, said Timchal. We need to balance ourselves and get consistency from our younger players to do that. You cant win the Patriot League Tournament unless you get into the tournament first.

ATTACK
The Mids will have a very formidable offensive attack, headlined by senior Kaylene Klingenstein and sophomore Mary Ruttum in the front.

Klingenstein, a local player from Beltsville, Md., had a strong junior campaign, before a torn ACL sidelined her for the final 11 games. Nonetheless, Klingenstein scored 34 goals and 45 points in just 12 games last year. She is now 100 percent healed and will give the Mids an outstanding front-line scoring presence.

She is back to 100 percent and really playing well in practice, said Timchal. Her injury has made her stronger and more consistent and she should have a good offensive year for us. She really helps shore up our attack for us.

Ruttum, a sophomore from Annapolis, gives the Mids a left-handed attack with good size that can see over the defense. She ranked third on the team in scoring a year ago with 95 points (65 g, 30 a) and excelled early in the season.

She has the size to find other players and is very good around the goal, said Timchal of the former high school basketball player. She has great scoring ability and should have a solid year for us.

Other front-liners that will strengthen Navys offensive attack include juniors Valerie Cappelaere (14 g, 1 a) and Sarah Bushong (11 g, 3 a) and sophomore Brittany Amerau (7 g, 0 a).

MIDFIELD
The deepest position on the team, the Navy midfield unit should carry the majority of play on both offense and defense this year for Timchal.

We will have a young midfield with our key players being a senior, a sophomore and three freshmen, but it should be very good, said Timchal. Offensively, we feel very good about this group and they will definitely help us out on the defensive end. The main group will log a lot of minutes and hopefully can stay healthy. They have the potential to be a very good group this year.

Leading the charge is the 2007 USL / WDIA Midfielder of the Year Amanda Towey and USL / WDIA All-American Erin Rawlick, the lone freshman named to any of the All-America squads last year.

Amanda and Erin had fantastic seasons last year and can do a lot of outstanding things on the field, said Timchal. They are obviously very good offensive players, but their defense has improved and they will really help us on that end. We need them to be leaders on both ends of the field for us.

Towey led the Mids in scoring a year ago with a whopping 128 points (71 g, 57 a). She scored at least six or more points 14 different times last year and scored nine points in a game two times last spring.

Rawlick, who has been slowed in the preseason by a concussion, was second on the team with 127 points (91 g, 36 a). She scored at least 10 points in four straight games late in the season and totaled 27 points (21 g, 6 a) during the USL / WDIA Tournament.

The duo will be aided by a trio of freshmen in Meg Decker, Caitlin Mandrin Hill and Katrina Nietsch. Decker appears to be the most polished of the three, but all of them will give the Mids added depth in the midfield, especially offensive.

All three of them will give us a spark offensively. They are all very sound with the ball, said Timchal. They will go through some growing pains, but this trio will be a very important group for us this year and down the road.

In all, Timchal has 11 midfielders on the roster.

DEFENSE
The position with the most question marks on it will be the defense. Last year, the Mids allowed their four Division I opponents to average 15.5 goals per game, and the Mids held just one Division I foe, Howard, to 13 or fewer goals in a contest.

Early on, our defense definitely needs to be our focus, said Timchal. We have had a tough time clearing the ball in the preseason and until that gets fixed, its going to tough for us to stop people. Well get the initial stop, but until we clear effectively, we will have a tough time defensively.

Leading the defense will be senior Jessie Rosa, junior Margaret Gardner and sophomores Maggie Morton and Brittany Winters. All three of them saw significant action last year and Timchal is hoping for improvement from the trio this year.

The midfield position will also aid in the defensive effort as Rawlick and Towey both played solid defense a year ago and Decker, Hill and Nietsch provide speed throughout the whole field.

The defense can become a strength for us, but they just need to play with confidence and play together as a group, said Timchal. I have confidence that this group will get better as the year goes on and they gain experience. It will be important for us early on to be able to win draw controls and execute offensively.

GOALIE
Last years goalies had an up-and-down season, and Timchal is looking for more consistency in 2008.

Senior Natalie Blandon appears to be the frontrunner for the starting role after registering 175 saves a year ago for a save percentage of .526. She made 14 stops in a loss to Division I Bucknell, and had double-digit saves six times a year ago.

Natalie at times can look like the best goalie in the countryand can really provide us some strong senior leadership back there, said Timchal. If she can develop more consistency, she can have a very good year for us.

Sophomore Vanessa Nieves appeared in a reserve role, but stopped 33 shots for a save percentage of .508. She was the goalie of record in the Mids first win over a Division I foe, 14-13 over Howard on April 3, by stopping seven shots. She also made 10 saves in the USL / WDIA National Club Tournament semifinals win over UC Santa Barbara.

THE SCHEDULE
While the Mids will have the advantage of playing the majority of their games at one of the best venues in the country, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, it will by no means be a walk in the park.

Navy will open its 2008 campaign with five straight home games, including a contest against fellow Division I newcomer, Cincinnati, on March 8. A contest made interesting in that several of assistant coach Allison Valentinos players at Ohio when she was the head coach, transferred to the Bearcats.

Cincinnati will be a tough contest for us in the sense that they are in the same boat as us, said Timchal.

In addition, Navys fifth home game in that stretch and first Patriot League game in school history will come against two-time defending champ Holy Cross on March 15. The Mids will hit the road the following weekend against Colgate, a team that represented the Patriot League in the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005.

The next weekend, the Mids host American, a team that features both the reigning Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in the Patriot League.

We have a few games that can really go either way, added Timchal. This schedule gives us a chance to get some wins and gain some confidence as the year goes on, but it is still challenging enough in that if we dont play well, we will get beat. It should be an exciting year and one that I hope we can improve in as we move forward with each game.

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 6:25pm

MOVING UP

Austin Peay The Governors (18-9, 14-3 Ohio Valley) clinched at least a tie for the conference regular-season title by holding off Tennessee Tech 80-76 for their fifth win in a row. Austin Peay got 18 points from Derek Wright and won despite missing 15 free throws.

Brigham Young The Cougars (20-5, 9-1 Mountain West) avenged a 70-41 loss earlier in the season and opened a 112-game conference lead on UNLV by throttling the Runnin’ Rebels 74-48 behind 22 points from Trent Plaisted. BYU has won 44 consecutive home games.

Connecticut It took a leaning runner from Craig Austrie with less than a second left in overtime, but the 17th-ranked Huskies (20-5, 9-3 Big East) edged South Florida 74-73 to run their winning streak to nine games. A.J. Price had 23 points for UConn.

Cornell The Big Red moved closer to winning their first Ivy League title since 1988 by beating Dartmouth 73-63 to extend their winning streak to 10 games. Cornell (16-5, 8-0) has a two-game league lead and shot 57% from the field against the Big Green.

Kent State The Golden Flashes (21-5) ran their home record to 15-0 and opened a two-game lead in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division with a 72-62 win against Ohio, keyed by 65% shooting from the field in the second half.

Navy Clif Colbert’s jumper with two seconds left lifted the Midshipmen (13-12, 6-4 Patriot League) to an 82-80 win at Lafayette. It was Navy’s third consecutive win and fourth on the road in the league, leaving it one game behind Patriot-leading American.

North Carolina-Wilmington T. J. Carter’s buzzer-beating short bank shot lifted the Seahawks (17-10, 10-5 Colonial Athletic Association) to a 75-73 win against George Mason (18-8, 10-5), completing a season sweep of the Patriots and handing them their first home loss.

Syracuse The Orange (17-9, 7-6 Big East) produced a 77-70 big-game victory against No. 8 Georgetown (20-4, 10-3) in front of 31,327 at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse bolted to a 21-point first-half lead and held on, easing the sting of a loss at South Florida earlier in the week.

Tennessee The No. 4 Volunteers (23-2, 10-1 Southeastern) grabbed a 212-game lead in the SEC East by winning at Georgia 74-71. Chris Lofton scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half as Tennessee extended its winning streak to seven games.

Washington State The 20th-ranked Cougars completed a weekend road sweep by beating Oregon 62-53, ending a 12-game losing streak in Eugene. Taylor Rochestie scored 21 points to lead the Cougars (20-5, 8-5 Pacific-10), who have won three in a row after a three-game losing streak.

MOVING DOWN

ArizonaA 31-point performance Saturday by Jerryd Bayless wasn’t enough to prevent the Wildcats’ third loss in four games, a 67-66 setback to Stanford. Arizona dropped to 16-9 overall, 6-6 in the Pacific-10.

Arkansas The Razorbacks (17-7, 6-4 Southeastern) dropped two games behind Mississippi State in the SEC West Division after Saturday’s 80-74 loss to the Bulldogs. Gary Ervin led Arkansas with 15 points.

Baylor The Bears closed Saturday’s game against Texas with a 15-6 run but came up short for the fifth time in six games, falling to the Longhorns 82-77. LaceDarius Dunn and Henry Dugat each had 19 points for Baylor (17-7, 5-5 Big 12), which has lost to Texas 22 consecutive times.

Florida The young Gators (19-7, 6-5) are finding life in the SEC to be tough after two consecutive national titles. Saturday’s 61-58 loss at Vanderbilt was their fourth in the last five games.

Georgetown Saturday’s 77-70 loss at Syracuse was the second defeat in three games for the Hoyas (20-4) and dropped them into a first-place tie in the Big East with Louisville at 10-3.

Illinois State The Redbirds (18-8, 10-5 Missouri Valley) blew a 13-point first-half lead Saturday and fell to Indiana State 76-72. Osiris Eldridge’s career-high 34 points weren’t enough.

Mississippi Things have gone south in a hurry for the Rebels (17-7, 3-7 SEC) since their school-record 13-0 start. With Saturday’s 90-78 loss to Auburn, Ole Miss has dropped four consecutive SEC games and six of seven. Trevor Gaskins had 15 points for the Rebels.

Morgan State The Bears (15-9, 9-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic) had won nine of their first 10 MEAC games but blew a 21-point lead Saturday against Florida A&M and lost 90-89 in overtime. Lamar Smith scored a game-high 34 points and had 12 rebounds for the Bears.

North Carolina State The Wolfpack (15-10, 4-7 Atlantic Coast) rallied from 13 points down to take a three-point lead on Clemson but failed to score in the last 2:35 and lost to the Tigers 71-64.

Ohio State The Buckeyes never want to lose to Michigan, but Sunday’s 80-70 defeat in Ann Arbor could have a lasting impact. Kosta Koufos scored 18 points for OSU (17-9, 8-5 Big Ten). The loss was coach Thad Matta’s first to Michigan in eight games.

Oregon The Ducks (15-10, 6-7 Pacific-10) couldn’t keep their two-game winning streak alive Saturday and lost to Washington State 62-53. Oregon was held 25.9 points below its season average.

Siena The Saints (16-9, 11-4 Metro Atlantic) lost to Loyola (Md.) for the fourth consecutive time with Saturday’s 83-76 overtime defeat. Edwin Ubiles scored 37 points, the most by a Saint in 14 years.

Texas A&M The Aggies’ 59-54 loss Saturday to visiting Oklahoma State enabled the Cowboys to break a 19-game road skid and ended a five-game winning streak for A&M (20-5, 6-4 Big 12). DeAndre Jordan led the Aggies with 15 points.

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 6:27pm

By JOHN OURAND
Staff writer

Published February 18, 2008 : Page 08

Earlier this month, Tony Petitti was at home watching a CSTV telecast of the top-ranked Memphis Tigers. He became so frustrated with the technical problems he was seeing that he drove to the Manhattan production studio to try to improve the telecast, according to sources with the cable channel.

The story fits Petitti¹s personality. As executive vice president and executive producer of CBS Sports, he has gained a reputation as a high-quality, hands-on producer. But the story is new to CSTV, which has had Petitti in charge for a little more than a month. And the story illustrates the future for that company. The message is unmistakable: The cable channel that CBS bought for $325 million in 2005 will now do things the CBS Sports way.

The cable channel had operated independently for the two years that CBS owned it. It was not part of the network¹s sports division, and the channel¹s founder, Brian Bedol, reported to CBS President and CEO Les Moonves, rather than to CBS News and CBS Sports President Sean McManus.

A little more than a month ago, CBS and Bedol parted ways and CSTV was moved under CBS Sports. And last week, CBS Sports made a flurry of changes to more closely align CSTV with CBS Sports. It announced a full rebranding effort that will see a name change to CBS College Sports Network and make on-screen changes that more closely align the channel to CBS Sports. Starting soon, CBS’s main basketball analyst, Billy Packer, will provide color commentary on CSTV games.

CBS also laid off as many as 40 employees, roughly 13 percent of CSTV’s total work force, last Tuesday and Wednesday. The most high-profile firings included Joe Gangone, CSTV¹s chief ad sales executive; Jon Gerstel executive producer; Peter Shakkour, production vice president; and Julie Hansen, interactive senior vice president.

The most obvious changes will be on-screen, as the new CBS College Sports Network adopts the same graphics as CBS Sports starting next month. “We felt CBS Sports had so much equity and value, we decided to change the feel of it a little bit,” Petitti said.

While the changes will help with the on-screen look, CBS executives hope it will drive the channel¹s distribution with cable and satellite operators. The channel is now in about 25 million homes. Petitti said pay-TV operators he has contacted responded well to the planned changes.

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 6:28pm

Navy won all four bouts this past Saturday at the Lock Haven University Invitational:

132 lbs 4/C Paul Hollwedel won by RSC-3 over Robert Weaver (Penn State)
139 lbs 2/C Antone Aku won by dec over Jarell Hill (Mansfield)
156 lbs 1/C Denny East won by dec over Kevin Ramirez (Army)
Hwt 1/C Jeff Laupola won by dec over Winford Bell (Lock Haven)

GreatAmerican · February 19, 2008, 6:29pm

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Hanko and Hunter Claim League Weekly Honors

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - For their performances at the Iowa State Classic last weekend, Navy men’s track & field runner Andrew Hanko (Fr./Montville, N.J.) and Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) have been recognized as the Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week and Field Athlete of the Week, respectively, it was announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.

Hanko, a two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week this winter, is the first freshman this year to earn track athlete-of-the-week honors. The product of Montville, N.J., had a tremendous weekend on the track, as he produced the fastest 3,000-meter time in school history by a freshman with a blistering 8:15.58 clocking. His time was more than five seconds faster than Navy’s season-best time in the event and only 3.50 seconds off the first-place effort of Daniel Strackeljahn, who surpassed the qualifying standard for the USA Track & Field Championship in the 1,500-meter run last year. One day earlier, Hanko ran the anchor leg of Navys distance medley relay group that won with a time of 9:52.73, 1.54 seconds ahead of second-place South Dakotas effort.

Hanko is the third Navy runner to earn the leagues weekly recognition on the track. John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.) claimed the award on Jan. 8, before Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.) was distinguished on three-consecutive weeks from Jan. 15-29.

Hunter, the only multiple winner of the leagues field athlete-of-the-week kudos, uncorked a throw of 559 (16.99 meters) in the shot put to place 10th at the Iowa State Classic. He has produced a distance beyond the IC4A standard in each of his six meets during his senior campaign. The Patriot League has recognized the product of Des Moines, Iowa, three times this year and four times during his indoor career.

The Midshipmen will begin the championship portion of their season this Friday through Sunday, when they head to the Patriot League Championship in Lewisburg, Pa. Navy was picked in the preseason to claim a share of the league title with Army, who it defeated in Annapolis earlier this month to capture the N-Star.

GreatAmerican · February 20, 2008, 8:42pm

By Olin Buchanan, Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer
Rivals.com

Though hearing impaired, Ludwig van Beethoven composed symphonies that have endured for centuries.

Abe Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin, had little formal education, failed in various business ventures, yet eventually won the White House.

Wilma Rudolph overcame polio to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics.

All faced great obstacles and limitations, all beat the odds and all overachieved. But none faced the daunting task that the Oregon State Beavers must overcome * convincing California football prospects to leave their home state and play college football in Corvallis.

Oregon State and several other schools around the country are located in areas that produce few high-caliber prospects, don’t boast the greatest facilities and don’t have unlimited budgets. However, some programs overachieve by consistently posting winning records, contending for championships and even beating conference rivals with far more advantages.

Using performances over the past five seasons as a guide, we looked at the college football programs that have won consistently despite facing opponents with seemingly more advantages.

Consider Boston College, which isn’t located in a prime recruiting area, is in a colder climate than any of the other teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and has high academic and admission standards. But it has at least eight victories in each of the past five seasons.

More than a dozen programs were considered for the list of most overachieving. Here are the half-dozen we chose:

<h1>6. West Virginia: The state doesn’t often produce top prospects, but West Virginia compensated by consistently outrecruiting archrival Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers have gone 49-14 in the past five seasons, won two Big East championships outright and shared two more. Lest you think the Mountaineers were just dominating the Big East, remember they have BCS bowl victories over SEC champion Georgia in 2005 and Big 12 champion Oklahoma in '07.</h1>

<h1>5. Navy: Let’s be honest. Four- and five-star prospects * and even three-star prospects * aren’t lining up to attend the service academies, which demand academic achievement and aren’t steppingstones to the NFL. Yet Navy * far and away the most successful of the academies over the past five seasons * has enjoyed its most successful stretch since the Roger Staubach era in the early 1960s. The Midshipmen are 43-20 since 2003, which includes two bowl victories. Last season, Navy defeated Pittsburgh of the Big East and ended its 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame.</h1>

<h1>4. Wake Forest: Remember the old comic-book ads with the pencil-neck geek who buffs up, then beats up the bully on the beach? That’s Wake Forest, a small private school that has added some muscle. Yeah, the Demon Deacons have three losing seasons and two four-victory finishes in the past five years, but not that long ago, four wins was a pretty good year at Wake. The Deacons are 33-28 over the past five years * the winningest five-year stretch in school history * and have an ACC championship in '06. In addition, they have beaten Florida State each of the past two seasons and beat Miami in '06. Bullies beware.</h1>

<h1>3. Oregon State: First of all, the state of Oregon isn’t turning out a ton of top prospects. Thus, the task is to lure California recruits north. However, they also have to keep the prospects away from the University of Oregon, which is boosted by Phil Knight’s money. It’s a tough sell, but somehow the Beavers have pulled it off recently. Oregon State is 39-24 and 4-0 in bowl games over the past five seasons. They also knocked off USC in '06 and have won three of the past four against Oregon.</h1>

<h1>2. Boston College: We keep hearing that southern-based programs have an advantage. Yet the northern-most school in the south-heavy ACC has challenged for championships even though New England won’t rival Florida when it comes to producing prospects. BC also has usurped Notre Dame as the dominant Catholic program in college football, quite an accomplishment in itself. The Eagles are 47-17 over the past five years, and they’ve won their bowl in each of those years. In that span, BC has non-conference victories over Penn State (twice), BYU (twice) and Notre Dame (three times).</h1>

<h1>1. Boise State: Despite the fact that Idaho and its bordering states aren’t recruiting hotbeds, Boise State trails only USC for most victories in the past five years. That can’t just be dismissed as the Broncos being the big fish in the small pond that is the WAC. Boise State, 56-9 since 2003, has two regular-season victories over Oregon State and two more over BYU in that span and is 2-3 in bowl games. That includes a win over Big 12 champion Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to cap an unbeaten '06 season.</h1>

GreatAmerican · February 20, 2008, 8:43pm

EIVA website, [EIVAVB.com</a> :: Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association](<a href=“http://eivavb.com/]EIVAVB.com”>http://eivavb.com/)

Pennsylvania is known for its rich tradition of volleyball excellence. With the women’s varsity team winning the 2007 National Championship and the men’s varsity team making yet another impressive run for their own, the PSU men’s club team is also emerging as a dominant force in the world of college volleyball. The Lions roared over their opponents in the EIVA Central Division this past Saturday at the University of Delaware. Penn State finished the day with a perfect 5-0 record, defeating Navy, Penn, Temple, Delaware, and Maryland, proving that Maryland is no longer the team to beat in the EIVA. The Terrapins did not go down without a fight, however, as they came out strong in the first set winning 25-21. In the end, though, Lions prevailed, winning 21-25, 25-19, and 15-11 behind the stellar play of Patrick Vandenberg, Gary Vogel, and Tom Heffner. Navy also pushed Penn State to a decisive third game before falling. The Midshipmen, led by junior Outside Hitter, Austin Lanteigne, finished with a 3-2 record on the day, losing only to Penn State and Delaware. The complete scores can be found on the Results page, and updated divisional standings can be found on the Standings page. All of the teams will meet again on March 1st for another round of divisional play hosted by Penn State.

GreatAmerican · February 20, 2008, 8:44pm

Navy Closes Out Regular Season with Annual Star Match
For the eighth straight year, Navy will close out its regular season ledger with the annual Star Match against arch rival Army … the Mids and Black Knights will meet Friday at 7:00 pm at Alumni Hall in Annapolis.
Friday’s match will be televised tape-delayed by CSTV and aired next Monday, Feb. 25 at 8:00 pm.
A live feed of the Army-Navy match will be available via NavySports.com as a part of Navy All-Access … the feed, however, is not CSTV’s broadcast and commentary will be limited to that of only the public address announcer.
Navy enters the match with a 5-4 dual meet record and is alongside Lehigh for third in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) rankings with a 4-1 mark.
Army owns a 12-5 record, including a 7-1 mark in EIWA action … the Black Knights are coming off an 18-15 victory over Lehigh last Sunday, the program’s first over the Mountain Hawks since 1991 … Army is ranked fifth in the EIWA.
Both Army and Navy have six wrestlers ranked among the top six of the EIWA rankings … both have a No. 1-ranked wrestler - 141-pounder Matt Kyler from Army and heavyweight Ed Prendergast from Navy … additionally, both wrestlers are ranked in the last NWCA rankings (2/13), while senior 174-pound Matt Stolpinski from Navy is also among the national rankings.

A Closer Look at the Army-Navy Series
The Mids own a 41-5-5 all-time record against Army, having won seven matches in a row by a combined 90 points (160-70) … Navy owns a 39-1-5 record in the last 45 matches (dating back to 1963), with the lone setback, 19-12, coming in 1997 at West Point.
This match has closed out the regular season for the Mids in each of the last eight years, providing a springboard into the EIWA and NCAA Championships.
Navy holds a 23-1-3 advantage in matches held at Navy, winning three in in a row … the Mids’ only loss at home was a 15-14 loss on Feb. 25, 1961 … the last tie in Annapolis was on Feb. 19, 2000 (16-16).
Navy owns a 12-6 record against the Black Knights in all varsity sports competitions this year, including an 11-3 advantage in Star competitions … heading into this weekend, Navy needs just one win to clinch the year-long Star Game series … Navy has won the Star Game series 11-consecutive years.
There are eight remaining Star competitions, with three taking place this weekend, two at each institution …
Friday 7:00 pm Wrestling Annapolis
Saturday 11:00 am WBasketball West Point
Saturday 2:00 pm MBasketball West Point
Last year, Navy’s 29-6 victory over the Black Knights on the mat clinched the Star Competition for the Midshipmen … the Navy wrestlers will once again have the opportunity to clinch the series on Friday night.
Navy’s tentative lineup for Friday owns a combined 20-8 record against the Black Knights … nine of the 10 wrestlers have had at least one bout against their counterparts … junior Joe Baker (5-3) and freshman Bryce Saddoris (1-0) are both undefeated against the Black Knights.

The Army-Navy Series
All-Time Record vs. Army 879-663-38 (.568)
2007-08 Record vs. Army 12-6 (.667)
2007-08 N-Star Record vs. Army 11-3 (.786)
Last 11 Years vs. Army 216-111-5 (.658)
Last 11 Years N-Star vs. Army 162-67-5 (.703)
2007-08 N-Star Victories (in order of competition): Golf Men’s Cross Country Women’s Cross Country Sprint Football Women’s Soccer Women’s Swimming Men’s Swimming Football Men’s Indoor Track & Field Women’s Indoor Track & Field Gymnastics.
Star Competitions Remaining (in order of competition): Wrestling (2/22) Women’s Basketball (2/23) Men’s Basketball (2/23) Men’s Lacrosse (4/12) Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (4/12) Women’s Outdoor Track & Field (4/12) Baseball (4/12-13) Tennis (4/19).

Streaks
Heavyweight Ed Prendergast owns Navy’s longest winning streak with 19-consecutive wins dating back to Dec. 18 … 10 of the 19 wins in the streak have come by fall … Prendergast’s last loss was against Missouri’s Mark Ellis at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1.
Senior team captain Matt Stolpinski has put together a solid string of wins, as well … he has won 11 in a row dating back to his 3-2 decision over Oklahoma’s Jeff James at the Lone Star Duals on Jan. 5 … his last loss was in the third-place match at the Southern Scuffle in which Cornell’s Steve Anceravage defeated Stolpinski, 5-3.
Joe Baker, Spencer Manley and Bryce Saddoris are riding four-match winning streaks heading into Friday.
Quick Hits
Navy owns a 36-8 EIWA dual meet record under head coach Bruce Burnett … the Mids are 35-1 against teams in the league other than Lehigh.
The Midshipmen have won 33-straight matches against league competition excluding Lehigh.
Prendergast’s 14 pins this year are tied as the sixth most in program history … it’s the second consecutive year he has recorded double-digit falls.
His 37 career falls are the most since record-setter John Reich turned in 63 pins between 1979 and '83.
Joe Baker (133), Bryce Saddoris (149) and Matt Stolpinski (174) are among the top five in their respective weight classes for wins in a season … Baker stands fourth with 21 wins, Saddoris is tied for third with 29 wins and Stolpinski is 11 wins shy of tying the record he set a year ago.
A win by Matt Stolpinski would give him 34 and push him into a tie for 17th on Navy’s single-season wins list.

Rewriting the Record Books
Navy senior Matt Stolpinski’s career has been nothing short of sensational.
He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and is the reigning EIWA Champion at 174 pounds.
Stolpinski set the school record for wins on Jan. 26 when the Wolfpack forfeited their match against the All-American, giving him his 128th victory and making him the school’s all-time winningest wrestler.
Though he dropped his third-place match against Cornell’s Steve Anceravage on Dec. 30 at the Southern Scuffle, Stolpinski set another record - matches wrestled … He has already wrestled 12 more matches than previous record holder Mark Conley who battled 161 foes over the span of four seasons (1998-02).
He is also Navy’s single-season wins record holder, sharing that distinction with Conley (2001-02) … Stolpinski won 44 matches last season en route to his fourth-place finish at the National Championship.
He is one of only four men in program history to reach 30 wins in three of his four seasons, joining John Reich ('83), Greg Gingeleskie ('99) and Mark Conley ('02).
National Scale
With 33 wins in 2007-08, senior captain Matt Stolpinski (174) owns the ninth most (tied) wins in Div. I wrestling this season … he is one of just 25 wrestlers nationwide to win 30 or more matches this year.
Senior Ed Prendergast is tied for eighth in the nation in falls with 14.

30 Wins and Counting
With his 17-0 tech fall over Coast Guard’s Kevin Robinson in the opening round of the All-Academy Championship, senior Matt Stolpinski (174 pounds) claimed his 30th win of the season.
Stolpinski has reached the 30-win plateau in three of his four seasons, posting 25 wins during his freshman year.
Stolpinski owns four of the top five win totals in school history at the 174-pound weight class … last year he tied the school record and set the weight record with 44 wins.
Senior heavyweight Ed Prendergast and rookie 149-pounder Bryce Saddoris are just one win shy of joining the 30-win club.
Prendergast, who is also just four wins shy of 100 for his career, turned in a personal-best 37 victories a year ago en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championship … he heads into Friday’s dual with a 29-4 record.
Saddoris, meanwhile, owns a 29-9 record and with a win Friday night would become only the third freshman in Academy history to win 30 or more matches … John Reich was the first to achieve the feat in 1979-80 and Tyrone Neal set the plebe wins record with 37 in 1998-99.

All-Academy Recap
Navy won five individual titles en route to finishing second at the 2008 All-Academy Championship Feb. 2 at West Point … the Mids finished just five points behind first-time winner Army … the Mids have won the team title more than any other Academy, claiming crowns seven times in 14 years - 1995, '97, '99, '04, '05, '06 and '07.
Nine of the 10 Navy wrestlers placed in the top three, including five title winners - 133, 149, 157, 174, HWT … seven of the 10 competed in the championship match.
Navy has won 50 individual crowns in All-Academy Championship history, including 24 of the 50 titles over the last five years.
The Midshipmen have earned five or more individual crowns in 1997, '99, '04, '05, '07 and '08.
Senior Matt Stolpinski became the first Navy wrestler to win individual crowns all four years when he pinned Army’s Ryan Mergen at 2:22 … he went on to be named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the postmatch banquet.
First-time All-Academy winners included Bryce Saddoris and Spencer Manley … Ed Prendergast won his second title, as did Joe Baker.
Navy battled Army in seven of the championship bouts in this year’s All-Academy Championship, setting up potential rematches in Friday’s dual … Navy won five of the seven title matches against the Black Knights.

Navy Among Top 35 in RPI
InterMat Wrestling has devised a Ratings Point Index using the same formula the NCAA created for men’s basketball, among other sports … the RPI is based on a formula that’s based 25% on winning percentage, 50% on opponents’ winning percentage and 25% on the opponents’ winning percentage … this factors in only dual meets.
Navy is ranked No. 33 (.5163) out of 87 Div. I varsity programs, the fourth highest among the 14 EIWA member schools … Penn leads the pack in 20th (.5756), followed by Cornell in 25th (.5510) and Lehigh in 29 (.5332) … Army is ranked 34th (.5162).

To Proudly Serve
On Friday, Navy’s 12 seniors and their families will be recognized as the Class of 2008 will make its final mat appearance in Annapolis.
The Navy senior class owns a 41-13 record (.759) over its four years, while winning three All-Academy Championship titles (2005-06-07), three Navy Classic crowns (2004-05-06) and on Friday it will look to sweep Army … should the Mids with, the Class of 2008 would be the 27th class in program history to post a 4-0 record against its arch rival.
The following is a list of Navy’s seniors and their service assignments:
Darryl Abriam (Navy Pilot), Joe Butcher (Marine Corps Ground), Justin Jacobs (Marine Corps Pilot), Robert Johnston (Marine Corps Ground), Spencer Manley (Navy Pilot), Ben Nichols (Marine Corps Ground), Matt Parsons (Marine Corps Ground), Ed Prendergast (Surface Warfare), Josh Priebe (Surface Warfare), Matt Stolpinski (Special Warfare), Justin Taylor (Surface Warfare), Mike Wentz (Surface Warfare).

Navy Sports

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