Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · February 28, 2008, 3:00pm

By
Chris Courgeon

The Patriot League tournament seedings picture is, in a word, a mess this morning following last night’s results, which left four teams tied for third and the other six still mathematically alive in the race for the two first round home games that are still up for grabs.

With one game left for all eight league teams, all that is certain is that Navy and American will be at home the first two rounds of the tournament (assuming a first round win) with neither traveling more than 35 miles if it reaches the final.

According to Patriot League media relations guru Matt Dougherty, no less than 16 possible scenarios exist heading ton the weekend.

Here is Matt’s rundown of those possibilities. Teams are listed in the order they would be seeded under each scenario. In the case of RPI based tiebreakers, they are listed based on the current RPI, which could possibly change.

According to Ken Pomeroy’s unofficial calculations, the current RPI for the teams that could be impacted by an RPI tiebreaker looks like this:

Lafayette 173
Colgate 185
Bucknell 209
Army 236

Possible scenarios:

Lehigh, Navy, American and Bucknell win:

Navy 10-4
American 10-4
Lehigh 7-7
Bucknell 7-7
Lafayette 6-8
Colgate 6-8
Army 5-9
Holy Cross 5-9

Lehigh, Colgate, American and Bucknell win:

American 10-4
Navy 9-5
Lehigh 7-7
Bucknell 7-7
Colgate 7-7
Lafayette 6-8
Holy Cross 5-9
Army 5-9

Lehigh, Navy, Lafayette and Bucknell win:

Navy 10-4
American 9-5
Lehigh 7-7
Lafayette 7-7
Bucknell 7-7
Colgate 6-8
Army 5-9
Holy Cross 5-9

Lehigh, Colgate, Lafayette and Bucknell win:

Navy 9-5
American 9-5
Lehigh 7-7
Lafayette 7-7*
Bucknell 7-7*
Colgate 7-7
Army 5-9
Holy Cross 5-9

*Lafayette and Bucknell are tied for fourth place, and the fourth and fifth seeds will be decided by the rankings in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI on late Sunday morning.

Lehigh, Navy, Lafayette and Army win:

Navy 10-4
American 9-5
Lafayette 7-7
Lehigh 7-7
Army 6-8
Bucknell 6-8
Colgate 6-8
Holy Cross 5-9

Lehigh, Colgate, Lafayette and Army win:

Navy 9-5
American 9-5
Colgate 7-7
Lafayette 7-7
Lehigh 7-7
Army 6-8
Bucknell 6-8
Holy Cross 5-9

Lehigh, Navy, American and Army win:

Navy 10-4
American 10-4
Lehigh 7-7
Army 6-8
Bucknell 6-8
Lafayette 6-8
Colgate 6-8
Holy Cross 5-9

Lehigh, Colgate, American and Army win:

American 10-4
Navy 9-5
Colgate 7-7
Lehigh 7-7
Army 6-8
Lafayette 6-8
Bucknell 6-8
Holy Cross 5-9

Holy Cross, Navy, American and Bucknell win:

Navy 10-4
American 10-4
Bucknell 7-7
Colgate 6-8
Lafayette 6-8
Holy Cross 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Army 5-9

Holy Cross, Colgate, American and Bucknell win:

American 10-4
Navy 9-5
Bucknell 7-7
Colgate 7-7
Holy Cross 6-8
Lafayette 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Army 5-9

Holy Cross, Navy, Lafayette and Bucknell win:

Navy 10-4
American 9-5
Lafayette 7-7*
Bucknell 7-7*
Colgate 6-8
Holy Cross 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Army 5-9

*Lafayette and Bucknell are tied for third place, and the third and fourth seeds will be decided by the Collegiate Basketball News RPI on late Sunday morning

Holy Cross, Colgate, Lafayette and Bucknell win:

Navy 9-5
American 9-5
Bucknell 7-7
Lafayette 7-7
Colgate 7-7
Holy Cross 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Army 5-9

Holy Cross, Navy, Lafayette and Army win:

Navy 10-4
American 9-5
Lafayette 7-7
Lehigh 6-8
Colgate 6-8*
Army 6-8*
Holy Cross 6-8
Bucknell 6-8

*Colgate and Army are tied for fifth place, and the fifth and sixth seeds will be decided by the rankings in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI on late Sunday morning

Holy Cross, Colgate, Lafayette and Army win:

Navy 9-5
American 9-5
Colgate 7-7
Lafayette 7-7
Holy Cross 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Army 6-8
Bucknell 6-8

Holy Cross, Navy, American and Army win:

Navy 10-4
American 10-4
Lehigh 6-8
Lafayette 6-8*
Colgate 6-8*
Army 6-8*
Holy Cross 6-8
Bucknell 6-8

*Lafayette, Colgate and Army are tied for fourth place, and the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds will be decided by the rankings in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI on late Sunday morning

Holy Cross, Colgate, American and Army win:

American 10-4
Navy 9-5
Colgate 7-7
Holy Cross 6-8
Lehigh 6-8
Lafayette 6-8*
Army 6-8*
Bucknell

*Lafayette and Army are tied for sixth place, and the sixth and seventh seeds will be decided by the Collegiate Basketball News RPI on late Sunday morning

GreatAmerican · February 28, 2008, 5:11pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published February 28, 2008

If there was any doubt about the identity of the Patriot League Player of the Year, it was dispelled last night. With sole possession of first place in the Patriot League on the line, Navy senior swingman Greg Sprink stepped up and played like a man possessed.

Sprink was spectacular at times and took over down the stretch in scoring 34 points as Navy took over the league lead by beating American 83-68 before a raucous crowd of 3,191 at Alumni Hall.

Sprink scored 15 of his points over the final 8:14 as Navy overcame its lone deficit of the game and pulled away toward the end. The California native was honored as part of “Senior Night” ceremonies before the game then went out and put forth a virtuoso performance in also dishing off a season-high seven assists, grabbing five rebounds and swiping two steals.

“Greg is a big-time player and tonight he made big-time plays,” Navy head coach Billy Lange said when asked about Sprink’s effort. “I thought he was unbelievable. It’s rewarding to see that he can finish a game like that. It was great for our program.”

Junior guard Kaleo Kina scored 17 points for Navy (16-12), which clinched a winning season for the first time since 2001. Sophomore point guard Chris Harris added 13 points and seven assists for the Midshipmen, who improved to 9-4 in the Patriot League and hold first place for the first time in seven years by virtue of their sweep of the Eagles.

“The reason we won tonight is because we don’t look at the schedule and say ‘This is a big game, this is not a big game.’ If we had done that our season would have been over in December,” Lange said. “What this team has learned to do is take great pride in playing for Navy. It’s literally that simple.”

Navy swept the season series from American for the first time since the latter joined the Patriot League in 2001. That’s important because it gives the Midshipmen the upper hand should the two schools finish in a tie for first.

Navy must win at Colgate on Saturday to clinch its first regular season conference championship since 2000. The Mids would also finish first if American loses its regular season finale to Lafayette.

"Regardless of what happens on Saturday, nothing can take away from what this team has done. If we win, it means nothing going into Wednesday.

If we lose, we still have another game on Wednesday," Lange said.

Navy, which has won six straight games and 13 of its last 17 since a 3-8 start, is now guaranteed to be home for its Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal next Wednesday and a possible semifinal on March 9.

Sprink drained six 3-pointers to lead a Navy barrage from beyond the arc. Harris hit four and Kina made three as the Midshipmen finished with a season-high 15 treys. The Mids were also money from the free throw line with Sprink going 6-for-6 and Kina 4-for-4 to lead a stellar 18-for-22 effort. The hosts scored their last 11 points from the charity stripe.

“I thought we played a great game, and in the end we made some critical plays when we needed to in order to come away with the win,” Lange said. “We have great leadership right now on our basketball team and our guys have bought into playing as one. We had great composure at key times. We had it at the beginning of the game, the middle of the game and the end of the game.”

Junior guard Garrison Carr, considered the chief rival to Sprink for Player of the Year honors, scored 20 points to lead American (17-11, 9-4). Hard-working senior forward Travis Lay recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles, who had a six-game winning streak snapped.

Sprink scored 16 points and Navy made 10 3-pointers in taking a 41-33 halftime lead.

American came out in the second half and turned up its defense, clogging the driving lane and challenging jump shots in holding Navy without a field goal for more than eight minutes.

In fact, the Midshipmen did not score a single point for more than six minutes after a pair of Clif Colbert free throws had given them a 51-45 lead at the 14:30 mark. American held Navy scoreless for 10 straight possessions and scored 10 unanswered points to take its first lead of the game at 53-51.

Sprink ended the drought with two foul shots with 8:14 remaining and that started the stretch when he single-handedly seized control of the contest. Sprink assisted Adam Teague on a 3-pointer, nailed a long 3-pointer himself, drove the lane twice for difficult finger roll layups, hit a tough hook shot in the lane and assisted Kaleo Kina on a jumper at the elbow.

“I think the game found me a little bit toward the end. At times, I got caught up in the emotion of the game and was trying to force it a little too much,” said Sprink, who left the game to a standing ovation with 14 seconds remaining. “Fortunately, I had my teammates and coaching staff there to help me harness all the energy and refocus me.”

Sprink completed his command performance by swishing all four of his free throws in the final minute as Navy stretched the final margin into double digits.

“Sprink wanted the ball at the end and we just could not stop him,” said American head coach Jeff Jones, whose team was outscored 28-10 over the final six minutes. “This year, we haven’t really shown we can guard Sprink.”

Sprink poured in a career-high 36 points to key a 77-66 victory over American on Jan. 30 in D.C. The versatile left-hander has scored 22 points or more in four of seven games since and has also helped the team win with his passing and rebounding.

GreatAmerican · February 28, 2008, 5:22pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Women’s Swimming Team Returns to ECAC Championship

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Fresh off of its second-place showing at last week’s Patriot League Championship, the Navy women’s swimming and diving team will participate in the ECAC Open Championship being held this week at Pittsburgh. The three-day event begins Friday in Trees Pool on the Pitt campus.

“We are very much looking forward to this weekend and having the opportunity to compete against some of the best programs on the East Coast,” said Navy head coach John Morrison. “We hope to continue seeing our swimmers and divers attain career-best marks as they did last week at the Patriot League Championship.”

In addition to the Mids and the host Panthers, some of the additional programs that have qualified athletes for the championship are Harvard, Penn, Penn State and Yale.

This is the first time Navy will be competing at the ECAC Championship in five years.

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 7:50pm

Navy one win from sailing away with league title
by Ron Snyder, The Examiner

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The Patriot League coaches envisioned Navy¹s men’s basketball team to be terrible this season, picking it to finish seventh in the eight-team league.

Four months later, this much is clear: they didn¹t know what they were talking about.

That¹s because the Midshipmen are a victory at Colgate or an American loss against Lafayette on Saturday away from clinching their first regular season title in eight years.

The emergence by Navy (16-12, 9-4) has it among a very small group of overachievers across the country. The only other team nationally to be in first place in its league after being predicted to finish lower than Navy in its preseason poll is the Missouri Valley Conference¹s Drake (24-4, 14-3). The Bulldogs have soared to a top-20 ranking after being picked to finish ninth at season¹s outset.

Norfolk State was predicted to be ninth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but the Spartans (14-12, 10-3) are in second place and would win the regular season title if they wins their final two games and league-leading Morgan State (18-9, 12-2) stumbles once in its final two games.

If Navy, which extended its winning streak to six games with an 83-68 win against American (17-11, 9-4) on Wednesday, beats Colgate (15-13, 6-7), the Midshipmen will be the first team in league history to win the regular season title after being predicted to finish seventh in the coaches’ preseason poll.

“I don’t believe in external motivation,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. “Your motivation just has to be to play for your institution and take great pride in your basketball program. We don¹t listen to any of that.”

A victory by Navy at Colgate for the first time since 2002 or an American loss would give the Midshipmen home-court advantage throughout next month’s Patriot League Tournament. In the past 15 years, the team that hosted the final has won the tournament and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament 12 times.

If Navy wins the regular season title but not the league tournament, the Midshipmen would be guaranteed a spot in the National Invitation Tournament, a second-tier event composed of 32 teams that did not get picked for the NCAA Tournament.

Meantime, Colgate, led by junior forward Kyle Roemer (15.5 ppg), is in a four-way tie for third place after it won at Holy Cross, 63-55, on Wednesday. Colgate defeated Navy, 84-77, at Alumni Hall on Feb. 2.

Lange said a major factor in Navy’s longest winning streak in the Patriot League in seven years has been its ability to make critical plays in the final minutes of games. The Midshipmen have trailed in the second half in eight of their nine league wins despite leading or being tied in 21 of 28 games overall. Against American, Navy led 41-33 at halftime, but trailed 58-55 with 7:15 to play before ending the game on a 28-10 run.

“We’ve seen it all year,” Lange said. “It’s been unbelievable that every single game that we¹ve played from the fourth game on has been the exact same game. Now, we obviously haven’t won them all, but you start to learn. You can’t get to this point without going through that point.”

Against American, senior guard Greg Sprink came through with the key plays down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 34 points in the final six minutes.

“It’s been a crazy year,” Sprink said. “Holy Cross and Bucknell have dominated the league since I’ve been here and this year you have to show up for every game because you never know what can happen.”

<a href="mailto:rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com">rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com</a>

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 7:51pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

<h1>42 Clemson Posts Victory Over Navy Tennis Team</h1>

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After nearly winning the doubles point against 42nd-ranked Clemson, the Navy tennis team lost all six singles matches to the Tigers in straight sets, Friday afternoon at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center in Clemson, S.C. The 7-0 loss dropped Navy’s record to 9-4 on the season, while Clemson improved to 9-5 on the year with the win.

The Tigers secured the doubles point by posting 8-6 victories at both Nos. 1 and 2 doubles before the Navy tandem of Nick Birger (Fr., Belleville, Ill.) and Jason Hill (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) recorded a 9-7 victory over Gera Boryachinskiy and Kevin Galloway at No. 3 doubles.

“We were very competitive in the doubles matches,” said Navy head coach John Officer.

Nate Nelms (Jr., St. Mary’s, Ga.) had perhaps the best effort of the day for the Mids in singles as he lost a 6-4, 6-3 contest to Gera Boryachinskiy at No. 1 singles. Additionally for the Mids, Owen Bullard (Fr., Concord, N.C.) dropped a 6-3, 6-3 match to Kevin Galloway at No. 6 singles.

“Clemson demonstrated in singles why they are one of the top teams in the country,” said Officer.

Navy will remain in the region overnight for a Saturday morning (9 a.m.) match at No. 30 North Carolina State.

“Today was our first outdoor match of the season, which requires some adjustments on our part,” said Officer. "We hope to do better Saturday.

“This was a great environment to compete in today. We were happy to be a part of it.”

Clemson 7, Navy 0
Doubles – Clemson wins the doubles point (match finish order: 1-2-3)

Belk / DiFazio (C) def. Nelms / Waters, 8-6
Alvarez / Fleck (C) def. James / Lemaich, 8-6
Nick Birger / Hill (N) def. Boryachinskiy / Galloway, 9-7

Singles (match finish order: 4-5-2-6-3-1)

Gera Boryachinskiy (C) def. Nate Nelms, 6-4, 6-3
Carlos Alvarez (C) def. Johnny Waters, 6-1, 6-0
Kevin Fleck (C) def. Jason Hill, 6-1, 6-4
Derek DiFazio (C) def. Ramsey Lemaich, 6-2, 6-0
Ike Belk (C) def. Alex James, 6-2, 6-2
Kevin Galloway (C) def. Owen Bullard, 6-3, 6-3

Navy – 9-4; Clemson – 9-5

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 7:52pm

Navy Women’s Track & Field: Vicki Moore Named League’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2/29/08)

For Immediate Release
Friday, February 29, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Vicki Moore Named Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - For her efforts on the track and in the classroom, Navy’s Vicki Moore (Sr./Burke, Va.) has been honored as the Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced by the league office on Friday morning.

Moore is the second Navy competitor to earn the award in as many years, as Kirsten Andrews '07 was recognized by the league last year and eventually as the female scholar-athlete of the year.

In the classroom, Moore ranks at the top of her class of 1,064 midshipmen with a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade-point average over her first-seven semesters in Annapolis. The information technology major also ranks first in her class in Overall Order of Merit, which is a combination of Academic Order of Merit (first) and Military Order of Merit (second). She has been recognized on the Superintendent’s List in each of her seven semesters where she has produced a flawless 4.00 grade-point average. Moore, who is currently serving as the 20th Company Commander, will enter the Surface Warfare community following commissioning week in May.

Earlier this month, Moore was selected to the USA Today All-USA College Academic Second-Team for her work in creating a user-friendly database for NATO M&I request summaries.

While she has excelled in her academic endeavors, the product of Burke, Va., has been equally impressive in the middle distance events for the indoor track & field team. At last weekend’s Patriot League Championship, Moore earned first-team all-league honors in the 1,000-meter run and second-team all-league kudos in the mile run and 4x800-meter relay. This winter, she has qualified for the ECAC Championship in the 1,000-meter run (2:56.4) and the 4x800-meter relay (9:10.00). With the help of her leg in the 4x800-meter relay last weekend, the Midshipmen produced the fifth-fastest time in school history.

Over her athletic career, Moore has won an event at the Patriot League Indoor Championship four times and placed second on three other occasions. The Navy senior has etched her name into the Navy indoor top-10 record book in the 1,000-meter run, 4x800-meter relay and distance medley relay.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.

Moore and several Midshipmen will compete at the ECAC Championship on March 8-9 in Boston.

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 7:57pm

02/22/2008

By Frank Curreri

His pro record is unblemished, but Brian Stann is no fool. The U.S. Naval Academy graduate believes he¹s going to lose eventually.

He¹s just hoping that first defeat is a long ways down the road, not on March 26, when he faces Doug ³The Rhino² Marshall for the WEC light heavyweight title. Stann, who has TKO¹d all five of his opponents in the first round, is not pounding his chest and promising victory. Instead, he quietly assures that he¹ll fight as valiantly inside the cage as he did during two tours in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps.

“Before every fight, I think about my friends that I’ve lost and my Marines that I’ve lost,” he said. “So when I fight, I fight until I have absolutely nothing left in me. As long as I have an ounce of energy, I’m going to keep fighting. I push myself to the absolute limit.”

This, we know by now, is not some empty claim. No one would ever dare question this young man’s courage. Some, however, may criticize Stann’s punching form, claiming that he hits hard but is technically flawed. Others continue to speculate about his stamina, since he’s never gone the distance. Will he gas in a tough three-rounder? And still others wonder if his desire to trade punches masks glaring weaknesses on the ground. Some of those questions will be answered soon enough.

Stann knows that, despite people respecting his military service, questions abound about his MMA skills. The 27-year-old says conditioning shouldn’t be an issue. He trains six times a week, twice a day. Much of his training is done in North Carolina, with fellow Marines, but he has also traveled to Temecula, Calif., and sparred with Team Quest standouts Dan Henderson and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, among others.

“I train my ground game more than my striking game, so I’m not concerned if
the fight goes to the ground,” Stann said.

Asked about Marshall’s game, Stann was complimentary. He respects Marshall’s well-rounded skill set and knack for finishing fights. Of Marshall’s nine fights, none have lasted more than six minutes. The modus operandi for a Marshall fight goes like this: You either knock me out, or I knock you out. Same blueprint for Stann. But Marshall has also demonstrated some versatility, winning twice by armbar.

The most visible differences between Stann and Marshall do not pertain to their fighting style, but their personas. Stann seems sort of Cal Ripkenesque. He comes off as a humble, squeaky-clean “All-American” guy. Marshall seems more like, well, a member of the Hells Angels. The champ is missing a few front teeth, his stocky frame is riddled with tattoos, his vocabulary is filled with four-letter words, and he has no qualms recounting old stories about how he and some buddies got into a free-for-all brawl and crushed their adversaries (many years ago, of course). Stann, who still has all his teeth, would be a perfect fit for “Got Milk?” and “Wheaties” advertising campaigns; Marshall seems suited for a Harley Davidson or Jack Daniels ad. Stann, when talking about himself, sticks with standard “I” references. Marshall, however, often refers to himself as “Doug The Rhino” or “The Rhino.” Marshall seems to enjoy media attention, though the champ has received far less coverage than Stann, hailed by many as a war hero.

Stann has been featured in the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and on CNN. Though well-spoken, he considers media interviews to be the hardest part of his job, partly because he comes from a military culture where the ³team² is emphasized over the individual. He seems uncomfortable receiving so much attention for his military service, while many of his colleagues who have made the same sacrifices or lost their lives do so in the shadows.

“I don’t really want to be praised for any of it,” he said. “There were no games being played in Iraq. It’s not an easy thing to talk about.”

Stann said his active military commitment is winding down. He intends to move near Temecula, Calif., sometime this spring, and train full-time as a fighter. He expects to excel inside the cage, maybe even win the WEC title next month. But he believes no accomplishment in MMA will ever compare to the thrill he felt last October.

“There’s nothing in fighting that will compare to the birth of my daughter,” he said, referring to 4-month-old Alexandra. “But I’m going to continue fighting as long as I enjoy it.”

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 7:59pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women’s lacrosse team returns to the field for a Saturday afternoon contest against Niagara at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game is slated to begin at noon and admission is free to all Navy women’s lacrosse home games. The Mids are 1-0 following a win last weekend over Longwood in the first Division I game in program history, while Saturday’s contest marks the season opener for Niagara.

The Mids were impressive in their first game as a Division I team, routing Longwood last Saturday, 21-10. Navy jumped out to a 13-8 halftime lead, then clamped down defensively in the second, limiting the Lancers to just two goals and forcing eight Longwood turnovers en route to the easy win. Six different players tallied at least three points each, led by sophomore Erin Rawlick’s seven points (5 g, 2 a). Freshman Meg Decker (4 g, 1 a) and senior Amanda Towey (1 g, 4 a) tallied five points each, while sophomore Mary Ruttum (4 g) and freshman Katrina Nietsch (3 g, 1 a) netted four points each. Senior Kaylene Klingenstein recorded a hat trick. Freshmen and sophomore accounted for 20 points on 16 goals and four assists for the afternoon.

The Navy defense, meanwhile, turned in a strong effort, led by senior goalie Natalie Blandon. She earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week accolades after stopping nine shots, including six in the decisive second half, to go along with three ground balls. Blandon also helped Navy convert on 10-of-12 clears, an area that Navy head coach Cindy Timchal was concerned about entering the season. Navy limited Longwood to 27 total shots and forced the Lancers into 19 turnovers. Navy also dominated the draw control (20-13) and ground ball statistics (29-20), setting up the Mids’ high-powered offense.

The contest will be Niagara’s first of the season, after recording a 1-12 record a year ago. The Purple Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the MAAC preseason poll released a couple of weeks ago. Emma-Lee Harrison is Niagara’s top returning scorer with 31 points (25 g, 6 a) from a year ago, while junior Vanessa Schultz added 20 points (17 g, 3 a). Niagara returns no experienced goalie from last year’s roster.

It will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Navy will be back in action on Tuesday, March 4 at 4:00 pm, when it hosts St. Francis (Pa.) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game was previously scheduled to be Navy’s first game of the year on Feb. 19, but injuries and lack of healthy players forced St. Francis to postpone the game to March 4.

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 8:00pm

NAVY (16-12 / 9-4 PL) at COLGATE (15-13 / 6-7 PL)
Saturday, March 1, 2008 2:00 pm
Cotterell Court (3,100)
Hamilton, N.Y.
STREAMING VIDEO: Navy All-Access at [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.navysports.com)
RADIO: WNAV (1430 AM), WFED (1050 AM)
TELEVISION: Time-Warner Sports

GAME PREVIEW
The two hottest teams in the Patriot League square off on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton, N.Y., as Navy travels to Colgate with much to play for. The Mids can clinch the Patriot League regular-season title with a win, while the Raiders can finish as high as third with some help. Navy enters the contest on a six-game winning streak and is 16-12 overall (9-4 PL). Colgate is on a three-game winning streak and is 15-13 overall (6-7 PL), winning its last three games by an average of 9.3 points per game.
The game will be broadcast on the airwaves on WNAV (1430 AM - Annapolis) with Bob Socci calling all the action, beginning with the Navy Basketball pregame show at 1:45 pm (ET). In addition, the game will be streamed online as part of the CSTV’s All-Access packages at navyysports.com and patriotleague.com. The game will be televised by Time-Warner Sports in New York.

MIDSHIPMEN STORYLINES
A Navy win (or an American loss) gives Navy its first Patriot League regular-season title since 2000. A title would be Navy’s league-leading sixth Patriot League regular-season title in school history (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000). Navy, Holy Cross and Bucknell have each won five Patriot League regular-season titles.
Navy has clinched its first winning record since the 2000-01 team went 19-12 and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament finals.
Navy will has clinched home games for the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals and semifinals.
Navy is looking for its seventh straight Patriot League win on Saturday and a perfect 7-0 record in rematches. The last time Navy won seven straight Patriot League games came at the close of the 2000-01 season (10 straight wins). Navy won all of its games during the second go-around in league play in 2000, 1997 and 1995.
The Mids are looking for their school-record sixth Patriot League road win, as well as a six-game winning streak in league road games. Navy’s five-game Patriot League road winning streak is the longest since Jan. 17 - Feb. 8, 1998 – the last time Navy made the NCAA Tournament. The school record is seven straight Patriot League road wins from Feb. 12, 1997 - Feb. 8, 1998.
Navy is looking to snap a six-game losing streak to Colgate, dating back to Jan. 28, 2005. Navy hasn’t won in Hamilton, N.Y., since Jan. 19, 2002.

NAVY ON SEVERAL IMPRESSIVE STREAKS
After opening the season with a 3-8 record in the first 11 games, Navy has turned it around with a 13-4 record in the last 17 games, and have won six straight games to move into first place in the Patriot League. So far, the Mids have swept the second go-around in league play, posting a 6-0 record in the second time against league foes.
The Mids’ six-game win streak is the longest in the Billy Lange era and the longest overall streak since Feb. 14 - March 5, 2000.
With its 71-63 Star Game win over Army last Saturday, Navy has won five straight Patriot League road games for the first time since Jan. 17 - Feb. 8, 1998 – the last time Navy made the NCAA Tournament. The school record is seven straight Patriot League road wins from Feb. 12, 1997 - Feb. 8, 1998.
Navy has won six straight Patriot League games for the first time since Feb. 9 - Feb. 26, 2000 (10 games).
Navy’s six-game winning streak is tied for the 13th longest in the country (through Thursday’s games).

Nation’s Longest Active Winning Streaks
No. Team Next Opponent Date
18 Davidson Ga. Southern 3-1-08
12 Cornell Dartmouth 2-29-08
12 Robert Morris Long Island 3-1-08
10 Lamar McNeese State 3-1-08
10 Xavier George Washington 3-1-08
9 UMBC Hartford 3-2-08
9 Belmont Gardner-Webb 3-1-08
8 Stephen F. Austin Tex.-Arlington 3-1-08
8 Texas Texas Tech 3-1-08
8 Louisville Villanova 3-2-08
7 Coppin State Md.-Eastern Shore 3-1-08
7 Vanderbilt Arkansas 3-1-08
6 Navy Colgate 3-1-08
6 Kent State Bowling Green 2-29-08
6 Fairfield Manhattan 2-29-08
6 Old Dominion UNC Wilmington 3-1-08
6 Tennessee-Martin Murray State 3-1-08

COLGATE ON A HOT STREAK AS WELL, WINNING THREE IN A ROW
Colgate has shown flashes recently of why it was picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll, winning three games in a row.
The Raiders are 15-13 overall and are tied for third in the jumbled Patriot League standings at 6-7. A Colgate win could move the Raiders into the third seed entering the Patriot League Tournament next week.
Junior Kyle Roemer, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, leads a balanced attack with a 15.5 ppg average. Kendall Chones averages 11.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg, while Daniel Waddy contributes 8.6 ppg.
As a team, Colgate is averaging 65.9 ppg and giving up 66.0 ppg. The Raiders are among the league leaders in field goal percentage at 44.3 and are connecting on 38.3 percent of their three-point attempts. Colgate is averaging almost two turnovers more per game than its opponents and are outrebounding its foes by 0.5 per game.

MIDSHIPMEN-RAIDERS SERIES FACTS
This will be the 42nd meeting all-time between the two teams with Colgate owning a 21-20 advantage. The Raiders won six straight games, and 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Navy’s lone win in the Billy Lange era against Colgate came on Jan. 28, 2005, an 82-71 victory.
Since the two teams have been in the Patriot League, Colgate holds a 20-17 advantage. The two teams have met in the Patriot League Tournament four times.
The teams were the dominant squads in the mid to late 90s, representing the Patriot League in the NCAA Tournament in 1994 (Navy), 1995 (Colgate), 1996 (Colgate), 1997 (Navy) and 1998 (Navy).

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 9:10pm

February 29, 2008

With one regular-season weekend left in the 2007-08 Patriot League men’s basketball season, American and Navy have stamped themselves as the league’s elite. Neither, however, will be confused with the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers.

At least American and Navy have clinched winning PL records. None of the league’s other six teams can finish better than .500 within the league.

The parity has produced a fascinating, if uneven, PL season. It also should make it tough for coaches to select the PL’s major award winners and all-league teams.

Here’s what my ballot (if I had one) would look like for some of the league’s top honors.

Player of the year

Holy Cross center Tim Clifford, the preseason pick, ranks in the PL’s top six in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocks. His team also enters the weekend tied for last place, which could hurt his chances.

American junior guard Garrison Carr has become a dynamic scorer for one of the league’s two best teams. Army senior Jarell Brown has filled it up as the Black Knights’ No. 1 option.

My vote, however, goes to Navy senior Greg Sprink. He leads the league in scoring, ranks second in rebounding and also is among the leaders in assists and steals. He has done it all for a team many pegged for a second-division finish in the preseason.

Coach of the year

Three candidates stick out here.

Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon deserves praise for pushing his senior-laden team to a solid season after it was picked to finish last in the PL preseason poll. American coach Jeff Jones has his team tied atop the standings despite losing seven letter-winners from last season.

My vote, though, is for Navy’s Billy Lange. The Midshipmen were picked for seventh in the preseason poll, but their up-tempo attack has them in position to win the regular-season title.

All-PL first team

Clifford, Sprink, Carr and Brown take up four of the five slots. Picking the final player for the first team is tougher.

My vote goes to Lafayette senior swingman Bilal Abdullah. He ranks among the PL’s top seven in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. He also is in the top 13 in assists and blocks, doing a bit of everything for the Leopards.

All-PL second team

Chris Harris scores, passes and gets steals in Navy’s high-pressure attack. Colgate’s Kyle Roemer ranks in the league’s top 10 in scoring and rebounding. Lehigh’s Marquis Hall has struggled with his shooting this season, but he remains among the league’s best playmakers.

The last two spots come down to Navy’s Kaleo Kina, Bucknell’s John Griffin, Lafayette’s Andrew Brown, American’s Derrick Mercer and Lehigh’s Bryan White. I’ll go with White and Brown, though a good case could be made for all five players.

A potential mess: With one weekend of games remaining, little about the PL Tournament is decided.

Navy and American are guaranteed to have home-court advantage through at least the tournament semifinals. Navy can clinch the No. 1 seed and home-court edge throughout the tournament with a win at Colgate or an American loss to Lafayette. An American win and a Navy loss this weekend would make the Eagles the top seed.

Lehigh, Bucknell, Lafayette, Colgate, Army and Holy Cross are all within a game of one another, leading to a potentially messy tiebreaker scenario. Wins by Navy, American, Holy Cross and Army this weekend would leave Navy and American at 10-4 in the PL and everyone else at 6-8.

Trying to navigate a six-team tiebreaker is enough to numb the brain. Better to let the weekend play out and allow the league powers to sort through the standings.

– Stephen Miller

GreatAmerican · February 29, 2008, 9:14pm

By Bob Socci

For a moment on Wednesday there was a flashback to the late afternoon of March 5, 1998, when a most appropriately-named midshipman leaped onto the press tables of Alumni Hall.

Celebrating as he did, because Navy once again stood atop the Patriot League.

By then, the votes had already been cast in favor of Skip Victor as the Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament. Strangely - considering the 93-85 score - as much for his defense as his offense.

The Midshipman had just survived one postseason to advance to another, having outdistanced Lafayette across the Patriot League finish line to take their place in the then 64-team field of the NCAA Tournament.

From across the floor, as much as Victor and his teammates appeared to be preening as conference champs for the second straight year, it seemed they were also drinking in all that surrounded them.

Whether a player, coach, fan or even a broadcaster it was intoxicating. Alumni Hall - in all its elegance, despite its cushioned comfort - was alive.

What made it so was a raucous crowd - including lacrosse players who raced across the Yard still fully equipped from practice, helmets on, sticks in hand - and the game they were treated to.

So it wasn’t The Palestra or Cameron Indoor Stadium, McArthur Court or Hinkle Fieldhouse.

For a single afternoon at least, it was as good as just about any other home to college basketball.

It made for, as proven a decade later, a scene unforgotten.

And, as it’s unfortunately turned out, one that’s gone unrepeated.

Until Wednesday night, when the current Mids ensured an end to six straight losing seasons with their 83-68 victory over American and breathed in the rarified air of first place.

Once again, Alumni Hall was transformed from a performing arts center to an authentic sports arena - as much by the sounds from the stands as the sights on the floor.

There were two battalions who turned out, joined in the lower bowl by the two pep bands who wailed away in stereo from opposite baselines.

Even if, for perhaps a few, showing up wasn’t entirely voluntary, shouting out - as they did throughout the second half - was strictly their doing.

The atmosphere they created was a metaphor for the Midshipmen they cheered.

Four seasons into the tenure of its 36-year-old head coach Billy Lange, Navy now sits on the brink of something entirely unexpected by most and supremely special for those who’ve made it happen.

Not so long ago, Lange came to Annapolis untested as a head coach at the Division I level and spelled out his plans to revive a struggling program in a rapid-fire, South Jersey dialect.

For the next three and a half seasons, hard as he and his staff worked, the energetic coach in the Hugo Boss seemed more visionary than prophet.

Except for the only people whose opinion really mattered.

In mid-December, those individuals still developing into a team had lost to eight of their first 11 non-conference opponents. Very much resembling the squad picked seventh in the Patriot League’s preseason poll.

At that time, only their inner circle could dare to envision the present reality through the fairly recent past.

Such as the night Navy made just 4-of-22 three pointers and was out-rebounded, 51-37, in a home loss to Mount St. Mary’s.

As recent as the first round of conference games, second-half leads over Bucknell, Lafayette, Army and Colgate all disappeared in defeat. Three of them at home.

Still, Lange kept coaching and his Mids kept shooting.

Particularly, the trio of Greg Sprink, Chris Harris and Kaleo Kina - three of the four guards who start for Navy and remain undeterred by any distance when it comes to the three-point shot.

Soon enough in a most unpredictable winter they started winning consistently. Six straight victories later, they’ve yet to stop.

While Sprink has only bolstered his case for the conference Player of the Year award with his recent play as the league’s top scorer and second-leading rebounder, Harris may very well be the team’s MVP.

Of course, both have been season-long threats from the outside. But in the last month their roles have expanded greatly - as have those of their teammates.

Like Cliff Colbert, who returned from early-season wrist surgery to lend a Midas touch at both ends of the floor. He defends, rebounds, scores (especially at Lafayette and Army).

Adam Teague has found his niche off the bench as much more than a spot-up shooter, complementing his deft touch with grittiness on the glass.

Freshman Romeo Garcia has been unflappable blocking shots, taking charges, keeping rebounds in play and in-bounding the ball. Or - as he showed late on Wednesday - not in-bounding and, instead, wisely opting for a timeout.

For much of the roster, you can point to specific plays at every critical juncture since early February.

There’s T.J. Topercer delivering the dagger with a trey at American or standing his ground to draw offensive fouls by Bucknell.

Brian Richards playing his way from junior varsity to varsity and fighting his way through injuries to contribute. Against American, he risked his well being in exchange for three charges drawn.

With them in mind, forget that these are the Mids of a new up-tempo style. After all, they were scoring early and often even when wins were hard to come by.

In essence, their success has been achieved not by reinventing Navy basketball so much as recapturing it.

Not by way of jump shots. But rather loose balls and put-backs.

Driving and sharing. Staying focused and maintaining composure while your opponents lose theirs.

Just like, you guessed it, the Mids’ championship predecessors from the '90s.

Naturally, much as fortunes have reversed in recent weeks, they can just as drastically change again.

Winning at Colgate will be anything but easy on Saturday. As will winning three straight games in what figures to be a wide-open Patriot League Tournament.

Long rebounds can carom in the other direction. The whistle can sound more quickly if officials don’t take kindly to the type of touchy-feely defense we’ve seen in ultra physical games of late.

The three-point or foul line can suddenly shift sides - from ally to nemesis.

All of which can happen. It’s how March Madness got its name.

But none of which, should it occur, would detract from either Wednesday night or what Lange and the Midshipmen did to get there.

It took them six consecutive wins. For the rest of us, it was 10 years in the making.

GreatAmerican · March 1, 2008, 6:07am

For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Stands Eighth at ECAC Championship

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Navy’s team of 10 women’s swimmers and divers ended the opening day of the ECAC Open Championship in eighth place with 72 points. The three-day event is being contested at Trees Pool on the Pittsburgh campus and includes a field of 25 women’s teams.

“It was a good first day for us,” said Navy head coach John Morrison. “It is always tough to come back after just finishing a three-day meet to get ready for another one, but everyone performed well today. We came out with a lot of fight this morning and had an even better evening.”

The evening of finals began with Navy diver Katie Griffin (Sr., Ellicott City, Md.) placing second to Rider’s Amanda Burke by 18 points on the three meter. Burke totaled 305.50 points to win the title, with Griffin finishing with a total score of 287.55 points. Additionally for Navy, Desiree’ Robison (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) placed fifth in the final with 232.50 points.

“As they have done all year, it was another strong day for Katie and Desiree’,” said Morrison."

Navy’s 200 freestyle relay team was then narrowly edged by Marist for the victory in the consolation final of the event. The Red Foxes posted a winning time of 1:40.77, with Navy’s foursome of Alli Warwick (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.), Tessa Snow (Fr., Hamlin, N.Y.), Rachel Gray (Sr., Latrobe, Pa.) and Lauren Milliron (Jr., Richmond, Va.) finishing in second place with a time of 1:40.87.

A pair of Mids advanced out of the morning trial heats and into the evening session of the 200 individual medley, with Natalie Albertson (Fr., St. Paul, Minn.) competing in the championship final and Snow in the consolation final. Albertson would finish in seventh place in her race with a time of 2:11.11, with Snow placing fourth in her event with a clocking of 2:11.66.

“It was great to see Natalie and Tessa not only advance in the finals, but also have great swims at night,” said Morrison.

The night ended for the Mids by seeing its 400 medley relay team of Albertson, Allison Aichele (So., Middletown, Md.), Cate Sheerin (Fr., College Park, Md.) and Warwick finish in fourth place in the event’s consolation final with a time of 4:07.26.

“The performance of our relay team was a great way to end the day,” said Morrison. “We dropped five seconds from our time this morning, so everyone goes into Saturday with a lot of confidence and the knowledge that we can compete with the many talented teams at the meet.”

Navy Results
3-M Diving
Prelims – Katie Griffin, first, 251.60; Desiree’ Robison, sixth, 210.50
Finals – Griffin, second, 287.55; Robison, fifth, 232.50

200 Freestyle Relay
Prelims – Navy, 11th, 1:42.02 (Tessa Snow, Rachel Gray, Lauren Milliron, Alli Warwick)
Consolation Final – Navy, second (10th), 1:40.87 (Warwick, Snow, Gray, Milliron)

500 Freestyle
Prelims – Clare McKenna, 31st, 5:20.88

200 Individual Medley
Prelims – Natalie Albertson, sixth, 2:11.14; Tessa Snow, 12th, 2:13.10; Allison Aichele, 20th, 2:15.87; Cate Sheerin, 25th, 2:17.31
Championship Final – Albertson, seventh, 2:11.11
Consolation Final – Snow, fourth (12th), 2:11.66

50 Freestyle
Prelims – Rachel Gray, 26th, 25.34; Lauren Milliron, 36th, 25.71; Allison Aichele, 38th, 25.89

400 Medley Relay
Prelims – Navy, 16th, 4:12.23 (Natalie Albertson, Allison Aichele, Cate Sheerin, Alli Warwick)
Consolation Final – Navy, fourth (12th), 4:07.26 (Albertson, Aichele, Sheerin, Warwick)

GreatAmerican · March 1, 2008, 6:08am

For Immediate Release
Friday, February 29, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Nipped by William & Mary, 341.65-340.8

ANNAPOLIS, Md. Despite a season-high team score on Friday night, the Navy gymnastics team suffered a 341.65-340.8 loss to William & Mary in Macdonough Hall. The Midshipmen fell to 8-4 on the year, while the Tribe upped their mark to 4-3.

We had a really good team score, but fell behind early and had trouble getting back, stated Navy head coach Sho ***ushima. We knew how talented of a team William & Mary is and they certainly put up some solid performances today. Im looking forward to meeting with them three more times this year and hopefully catching up to them.

The Midshipmen opened up a narrow 113.0-112.65 lead after the opening-two events, but the Tribe came back to win the next two and claim a 228.85-228.0 advantage going into the final-two rotations. Navy went on to win the high bar, but William & Mary came away victorious on the parallel bars by the same margin to ensure the triumph.

Navys strongest performance of the night came on the pommel horse, where it scored 55.45 points, 1.7 more than William & Marys mark. Leading the way was Adam Stanton (Jr./Centennial, Colo.), the nations 14th-ranked gymnast in the event. He executed a 14.5-point routing to top Derek Gygaxs 14.05, second-place performance.

On the high bar, each of Navys four scoring gymnasts earned higher than a 14.0 from the judges to tally 57.1 points. Isaac Olson (Sr./Spokane, Wash.) placed second with a score of 14.55 points, followed by teammate Christopher Tams (Sr./Draper, Utah) third-place, 14.45-point effort.

Navys other individual event victory came on the high bar, as Brandon Cook (Sr./Longmont, Colo.) led all competitors with a 15.45-point effort. He also came in second on the floor exercise with a score of 15.1 points.

Tam scored higher than a 13.0 in all-six disciplines, including a second-place mark of 14.2 on the still rings, to rack up 82.95 points in the all-around. He finished only 0.10-point off the total produced by Gygax on Friday night.

The Midshipmen will return to action on Saturday, March 8, when they head up to University Park, Pa., to take on Penn State and William & Mary. The tri-meet is slated for a 2 p.m. start.

GreatAmerican · March 1, 2008, 6:09am

Mids fare well at CSA Individual Championship

For Immediate Release
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Squash Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Four Mids Remain in Contention at CSA Individual Championship

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - All four of Navy’s entrants on the men’s side of the College Squash Association Individual Championship held at the Naval Academy Friday remain in contention following the first day of action, while freshman Julie Kiernan (Bernardsville, N.J.), the Mids’ first woman to play in the tournament, bowed out after two matches.

Though five players represented the Midshipmen in the tournament, all eyes were on Navy senior Tucker George (West Hartford, Conn.) who took center stage in his opening match over the noon hour. George, ranked 14th nationally, squared off against Trinity’s Supreet Singh, ranked No. 19, in front of a raucous crowd that nearly doubled the previous championship attendance mark of 1,200. Members of the Brigade of Midshipmen helped form a crowd of 2,329 that helped spark a 9-1 victory by George in the opening game. Singh, however, regrouped and went on to win three straight games to send George to the consolation bracket.

George kept his dreams of becoming an All-American alive when he survived a scare by 30th-ranked Jake Gross of Tufts in the round of 16. Gross took the first game by a 9-1 count, but the match was evened by a 9-3 game two win by George. Gross, though, took the lead once again by handing George a 9-6 setback. George blanked Gross in the four game, 9-0, and sealed the match by taking game five, 9-5.

George will battle Trinity’s Randy Lim, ranked 26th, Saturday at 11:40 am in Halsey Field House. Should George win his match against Lim, he would become Navy’s first squash All-American since Jamie Slough, who was a four-time All-American (1991-94).

Three Navy squash players won their first two rounds in the Molloy Division to advance to the premier quarterfinals of the College Squash Association Individual Championship at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday.

Sophomore Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.), the defending Molloy Cup title winner, opened up this year’s tournament in top form. Mattsson easily won his first two matches, beating both Haverford’s Alexander Salton (4,5,2) and Princeton’s Peter Sopher (0,1,6) in three games. Mattsson will meet a solid opponent in Frederick Reid in the round of 16 on Saturday at 11:40 am in Bancroft Hall.

Team captain Jeff Sawin (Haverford, Pa.) turned in a 3-0 victory over Harvard’s Alexander Lavoie in the round of 64, but suffered a five-game setback to Ethan Buchsbaum of Williams. Sawin opened the match with a 9-5 victory, but dropped the next two games, 9-4 and 9-2. He did, however, come back to even the match at two apiece by claiming game four, 9-3. As if a five-game match wasn’t difficult enough, the match was decided by a 10-8 count in favor of Buchsbaum, as Sawin will now play in the consolation bracket against an opponent to be determined on Saturday morning.

Navy’s final men’s competitor of the tournament was rookie Allan Lutz (McLean, Va.) how dropped a straight-set match against Princeton’s Brendon Bascom, 9-5, 9-3, 9-5. Lutz will be back in action Saturday against Stephen Preefer from Dartmouth beginning at 9:00 am in Halsey Field House.

Though Kiernan did not find the success she had opened playing in her first National Championship, she gained a great deal of experience and represented the Naval Academy well as the first woman to compete in a squash Individual National Championship. Kiernan dropped her opening match to Mount Holyoke’s Menusha Hettiarachchi, 9-2, 9-0, 9-0, before retiring from the tournament after a 3-1 loss to Tufts’ Stefanie Marx, 5-9, 9-7, 9-4, 9-7.

Saturday’s action is set to begin at the Halsey Field House International Squash Complex and Bancroft Hall at 9:00 am. Admission is free.

NAVY AT THE CSA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Tucker George (Potter Division)
Round of 32 lost to Supreet Singh (Trinity), 1-9, 9-4, 9-7, 9-7
Consolation/ Rd of 16 def. Jake Gross (Tufts), 1-9, 9-3, 6-9, 9-0, 9-5

Nils Mattsson (Molloy Division)
Round of 64 def. Alexander Salton (Haverford), 9-4, 9-5, 9-2
Round of 32 def. Peter Sopher (Princeton), 9-0, 9-1, 9-6

Jeff Sawin (Molloy Division)
Round of 64 def. Alexander Lavoie (Harvard), 9-1, 9-0, 9-5
Round of 32 lost to Ethan Buchsbaum (Williams), 5-9, 9-4, 9-3, 3-9, 10-8

Allan Lutz (Molloy Division)
Round of 64 lost to Brendan Bascom (Princeton), 9-5, 9-3, 9-5

Julie Kernan (Holleran Division)
Round of 32 Julie Kiernan lost to Menusha Hettiarachchi (Mount Holyoke), 9-2, 9-0, 9-0
Consolation/ Rd of 32 lost to Stefanie Marx (Tufts), 4-9, 9-7, 9-4, 9-7

GreatAmerican · March 1, 2008, 9:57am

NAVY (16-12, 9-4 PATRIOT LEAGUE) AT COLGATE (15-13, 6-7)

2 p.m.

HOME SHOPPING: With a victory in Hamilton, N.Y., or a loss by co-leader American, the Midshipmen would seal their first regular season league title in eight years and home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament, which starts Wednesday at four locations. Navy holds the tiebreaker over AU because of its series sweep of the Eagles.

TROUBLESOME FOE: The Midshipmen have won six straight and are 13-4 since a 3-8 start. Plus, their six-game winning streak is their longest in eight years. However, they have lost the last six meetings with the Raiders, including an 84-77 decision Feb. 2 in Annapolis, and have not won at Colgate in more than six years. The Raiders have a three-game winning streak and, with a victory, could claim the No. 3 seed in the congested league race.

GreatAmerican · March 1, 2008, 10:17am

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Friday, February 29, 2008) – Navy’s ice hockey team got goals from nine skaters and Goaltenders Jeremey Estevez and Alex Tidei combined for a shutout to lead the Midshipmen to a 11-0 victory over The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets during the first game of Navy Hockey’s Inaugural Military Club Hockey Tournament.

Freshman Forward Justin Jackson scored the first two goals of his Naval Academy Career and assisted on two others while dressing in his first game. Sophomore Calen Mims added two goals while Charlie Daniel, Charlie Hyman, Eric Bowen, Jonathon Westerman, Matt Keller, Matt Swezey, and Patrick Heitman all contributed one goal to the team effort.

Sophomores Jeremey Estevez and Alex Tidei split the goaltending chores to anchor the Navy defense. Estevez played the game’s first 27:21, at which time he was relieved by Tidei, who played the final 32:39.

Estevez stopped all six shots he faced, and Tidei recorded three saves, as the Mids outshot the Keydets, 78-9.

Referee Sal Mazzola whistled a total of seven penalties, two against Navy and five against VMI. Patrick Heitman scored the game winning goal on the power play.

The Midshipmen (now 18-18-1 overall) will play their final two games of the season on Saturday and Sunday as the Military Club Hockey Tournament continues at the McMullen Hockey Arena. Navy will face the Citadel Saturday (3/1) at 3 p.m. and the University of Virginia Sunday (3/2) at 2 p.m.

The annual “Skate With Navy Hockey” event will be held immediately following Saturday’s 3 o’clock game. Persons wishing to skate with Navy players after the game MUST BRING THEIR OWN SKATES, since there is no skate rental at the McMullen Hockey Arena.

SCORING SUMMARY

NAVY 3 5 3 - 11

VMI 0 0 0 - 0

First Period

N – Heitman 5 (Mims, Carlson) 7:03 (pp)

N – Bowen 4 (Dubinsky) 17:55

N – Jackson 1 (Daniel, Rice) 18:35

Second Period0

N – Swezey 28 (Daniel) 2:23

N – Westerman 6 (unassisted) 4:48

N – Keller 5 (Hymen, Kinkade) 10:50

N – Hymen 2 (Horner) 11:00

N – Mims 2 (Jackson, Carlson) 17:24

Third Period

N – Daniel 8 (unassisted) 4:56

N – Mims 3 (Jackson, Carlson) 7:46

N – Jackson 2 (Carlson) 12:48

SAVES

Estevez (NAVY) 5 1 x - 6

Tidei (NAVY) x 1 2 - 3

Fields (VMI) 20 23 x - 43

Geher (VMI) x x 24 - 24

SHOTS
NAVY 23 28 27 - 78

VMI 5 2 2 - 9

In the night cap, The Citadel showed a lot of grit by playing iron-man-like hockey while dressing only eight skaters and one goalie. The Olympic size ice at McMullen was just more than eight skaters can take and they allowed two goals each period. In the end, University of Virginia Goalie Sean Rada’s shutout was ended by a power play goal with 0:58 showing on the McMullen scoreboard in the third period. Final score UVA 6 and The Citadel 1.

STANDINGS

NAVY 2 Points 11 Goal Margin

UVA 2 Points 5 Goal Margin

The Citadel 0 Points -5 Goal Margin

VMI 0 Points -11 Goal Margin

GreatAmerican · March 2, 2008, 7:00am

North Carolina State def. Navy, 7-0

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, March 1, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Falls to #30 North Carolina State

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Navy tennis team lost its second match in as many days to a nationally-ranked program with a 7-0 setback to No. 30 North Carolina State Saturday morning at the Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.

The Mids previously had lost a 7-0 decision to No. 42 Clemson Friday afternoon.

“This week was a good learning experience for us,” said Navy head coach John Officer. “It is tough to get beaten up like this, but we have to do that in order to prepare ourselves for the Patriot League season. We played teams on this trip who are competing at a very high level in a big-time collegiate environment and that can only help us down the road.”

The Wolfpack won the three doubles matches against the Mids and then dropped only one set in winning the six singles contests. The best match of the day for Navy came at No. 1 singles where Nate Nelms (Jr., St. Mary’s, Ga.) won the first set from James McGee, 6-4, before losing the second set by the score of 6-2. McGee then won the match by winning the tiebreaker (used in place of a complete third set) 10-6.

“North Carolina State played extremely well,” said Officer. “They are very aggressive in the mid court and have big serves. Nate did a good job at No. 1 singles, while our other matches were okay. We need to learn to be more aggressive.”

In addition to the Wolfpack holding a national ranking as a team, several individual players on the squad also have earned regional rankings. Jay Weinacker, who recorded a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Johnny Waters (Jr., Papillion, Neb.) at No. 2 singles, is ranked 23rd in the Mideast Region, while Nick Cavaday, who posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Ramsey Lemaich (So., Danville, Calif.) at No. 3 singles, is ranked 25th regionally. Finally, the No. 1 doubles tandem of Cavaday and Weinacker is ranked eighth in the region and ninth in the nation.

“North Carolina State was a top-eight team in the NCAA Tournament last year and I expect they will be in the mix again this year,” said Officer.

Navy will return to Annapolis to play host to Delaware Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the match will be played at the U.S. Naval Academy. Should conditions force the match to be played indoors, it will move to the Tose Family Tennis Center.

“Delaware is an important match for us,” said Officer. “We would love to have a big crowd out for us.”

<h1>30 North Carolina State 7, Navy 0</h1>

Doubles – N.C. State wins the doubles point (match finish order: 3-1-2)
1 - #9 Cavaday / Weinacker (NCST) def. Nelms / Waters, 8-0
2 - McGee / Welte (NCST) def. James / Lemaich, 8-5
3 - Frideric Prandecki / David Rozek (NCST) def. Nick Birger / Bullard, 8-2
Singles (match finish order: 6-3-5-2-4-1)
1 - James McGee (NCST) def. Nate Nelms, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)
2 - Jay Weinacker (NCST) def. Johnny Waters, 6-1, 6-0
3 - Nick Cavaday (NCST) def. Ramsey Lemaich, 6-0, 6-2
4 - Derek Stephens (NCST) def. Alex James, 6-1, 6-2
5 - Christian Welte (NCST) def. Owen Bullard, 6-4, 6-0
6 - David Chermak (NCST) def. Joe Wiggins, 6-1, 6-0

Navy – 9-5; North Carolina State – 6-3

GreatAmerican · March 2, 2008, 7:02am

For: Immediate Release
Sent: March 1, 2008
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775

Niagara Falls To Navy, 21-5, In Women’s Lacrosse

ANNAPOLIS, Md.Freshman midfielder Meg Decker (Catonsville, Md.) scored six goals, while sophomore attack Mary Ruttum (Annapolis, Md.) scored five goals and handed out an assist to lead Navy (2-0) to an easy 21-5 victory over Niagara (0-1) Saturday afternoon at a blustery Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Im excited to be 2-0, said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. I thought we were solid today. We were a little sloppy at the beginning, but settled down and did some good things. We have three big games coming up this week so we need to continue to improve.

I thought we played really good defense today, said Decker, who has now scored a team-high 10 goals in the first two games. We are playing hard and good things are we are creating good offensive opportunities off our defense. Two is my favorite number, but I certainly dont want to stop at two wins.

Navy actually trailed in the game, 1-0, but that was short-lived as the Mids scored five goals in a little over four minutes. Ruttum got Navy on the board with two-straight unassisted goals and then sophomore midfielder Erin Rawlick (Forest Hill, Md.) scored on a free-position shot to make it 3-1. Decker followed with an unassisted goal and then Ruttum scored her third goal of the game, this one off an assist from senior midfielder Amanda Towey (Smithtown, N.Y.) to make it 5-1.

Niagara would cut Navys lead to three at 5-2 on a goal by Alison Valerio, but the Mids would end the half by scoring eight-straight goals and took a 13-2 lead into the locker room. Freshmen Caitlin Mandrin Hill (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomore Brittany Amerau (Alexandria, Va.) scored their first-career goals during Navys run.

Navy dominated play in the second half, scoring eight of the first nine goals. Decker would score three times in the second stanza, while Ruttum scored twice. Towey assisted on three of Navys eight second half goals.

I thought we tried to force too many things early in the game, but we settled down and passed the ball better after the first 10 minutes, said Ruttum. I give a lot of credit to our team captain, Amanda Towey. She is the most unselfish player I know. Our entire team is unselfish, but she is our quarterback and she is always looking to make the extra pass that leads to a score. She puts the ball right where you can catch it and she makes it easy for the rest of us. She is the ultimate team player.

Navy will be back in action on Tuesday when the Mids play host to St. Francis (Pa.) at 4 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Cincinnati (Saturday at noon) and St. Marys of California (Sunday at noon) will travel to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium next weekend.

Scoring by Period
1 2 F
Niagara 2 3 5
Navy 13 8 21

Niagara Goals: Valerio-3, Schultz-1, Formato-1
Niagara Assists: Formato-1, Schultz-1

Navy Goals: Decker-6, Ruttum-5, Rawlick-4, Nietsch-2, Towey-1, Mandrin Hill-1, Klingenstein-1, Amerau-1
Navy Assists: Towey-4, Mandrin Hill-1, Ruttum-1

Shots
Niagara-8
Navy-39

Ground Balls
Niagara-18
Navy-25

Draw Controls
Niagara-18
Navy-25

Clears
Niagara-7/14
Navy-15/16

Free Position
Niagara-2/4
Navy-3/6

Saves
Niagara-14
Navy-2

Turnovers
Niagara-27
Navy-15

GreatAmerican · March 2, 2008, 7:03am

Colgate Stops Navy Win Streak, 73-62

HAMILTON, N.Y. - Colgate outscored Navy, 46-30, in the second half, ending Navy’s six-game win streak, defeating the Mids, 73-62. The loss drops Navy’s record to 16-13 overall and 9-5 in the Patriot League. The Mids earned the second seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, starting Wednesday.

“Colgate is by far the most talented and most complete team in the league, and they are playing well right now,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange. “We missed some shots and they made some plays. Physically, they just wore us out inside and kind of imposed their will in the second half.”

The Mids were plagued by turnovers and poor shooting offensively in the first eight minutes of the contest, falling behind 12-9. The Mids had just three field goals and five turnovers during the opening span.

However, the Mids responded with a 23-10 run over the next 10 minutes for a 32-22 advantage, fueled by Sprink. The 6-5 senior guard scored 10 of Navy’s 23 points during the run, but picked up two fouls sending him to the bench. Sprink finished the first half with 10 points, while Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris added nine and seven, respectively.

The Mids dominated the glass in the opening 20 minutes, outrebounding Colgate, 28-17, and turned the ball over just twice in the last 12 minutes, helping the Mids overcome a 34.2 percent (13-of-38) shooting performance in the first half.

Navy’s offense sputtered in the first eight minutes of the second half, as the Raiders outscored the Mids, 21-9, during that span, to take a 48-41 lead with 12 minutes to play.

The Mids started to chip away cutting the lead to 49-46, but Colgate’s Kendall Chones scored the next six points to give the Raiders a 55-46 advantage with just over five minutes to play.

The Mids could get no closer than six the rest of the way, and Colgate hit 14-of-16 free throws down the stretch.

Navy was led by Sprink’s 19 points and six rebounds, while Chris Harris added 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Kaleo Kina scored 17 points. The Mids shot just 32.9 percent from the field, and dished out just eight assists. Navy outrebounded the Raiders, 46-38, but made just 6-of-33 three-point attempts.

“They played great and we played good today. We just didn’t knock down shots,” said Sprink. “They have athletic big men and we weren’t focused enough to stop them in the second half.”

Chones led Colgate with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

The Mids will now play seventh-seeded Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament first round in Annapolis at 7:00 pm.

“It doesn’t matter who we play. We just have to come out and play Navy basketball,” said Sprink. “We have to move on from this loss and prepare for the league tournament.”

For ticket information, call 1-800-US4-NAVY.

GreatAmerican · March 2, 2008, 7:04am

For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Splits Saturday Doubleheader Against Dartmouth

ANNAPOLIS, Md. Navy leadoff hitter Jonathan Wright (Fr./Arden, N.C.) went 5-for-8 with a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base as the Midshipmen split their home-opening doubleheader with Dartmouth on Saturday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids were blanked in the opener, 1-0, before coming back to win the nightcap, 12-5. Navy moved to 3-2 on the year, while Dartmouth opened its 2008 campaign with a 1-1 mark.

When you look at a leadoff hitter going 4-for-5 in a game, you know good things are going to happen, stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. In his short time, he has begun to take the first of many steps in transitioning into a college baseball player.

In the back end of Saturdays doubleheader, Navys offense erupted for 12 runs over the first-four innings. The Midshipmen sent 29 batters to the plate over that span, with 12 coming away with base knocks, four of which went for extra bases.

The Mids opened the scoring in the first, as Wright singled and would later score on a RBI-groundout. In the bottom half of the second after Dartmouth took a 2-1 lead, Wright delivered a two-run single through the left side to re-gain the advantage at 3-2.

Navy batted around in the third inning, as it tallied five runs on five hits. Wright capped off the inning with a RBI-single to right-center, prior to which Nick Driscoll (Fr./Riverview, Fla.) belted a two-run triple, Jeff Bland (Fr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) powered a run-scoring double to left and Steven Soares (So./Coral Springs, Fla.) came up with a RBI-single.

Navy built to its cushion with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) three-run, opposite-field home run to right-center. It was Navys first home run in Annapolis, since Mitch Harris (Sr./Mt. Holly, N.C.) belted one out against Iona on Feb. 18, 2007, a span of 32 home contests.

Wright posted his second four-hit performance of the year in going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. Renaldo Hollins (Sr./Virginia Beach, Va.) went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a triple, while Speciale finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and his three-run blast in the fourth.

Navy starter Mark McCoy (Sr./Parkland, Fla.) improved to 2-0 on the year with the win on Saturday, as he scattered eight hits and three earned runs over five innings with four strikeouts. Relief pitchers Chris Murray (So./Navarre, Fla.) and Wes Olson (Fr./Indianapolis, Ind.) combined for four innings of shutout work with six strikeouts.

In the opener, the games only scoring would come in the first inning, as Dartmouth scored on a one-out single from Nick Santomauro. The damage could have been worse in the opening frame, but a solid performance by Soares and second-baseman Matthew Curley (So./Boston, Mass.) helped gun down the lead runner on a double-steal with men on the corners on a strikeout. Soares threw out all three base runners that attempted to steal on him on Saturday.

Steven Soares played very well defensively today, said Kostacopoulos. Every attempt on the bases against him was handled very well. Hes able to block balls and really control the running game. He put in a full 16-inning performance behind the plate for us today.

The two starting pitchers in the opener would go the distance in the seven-inning affair. Navys Oliver Drake (So./Gardner, Mass.) proved to be the tough-luck loser, as he allowed only five hits and one run with two walks and a career-best 10 strikeouts.

From the third to the seventh inning, Oliver threw quite well, commented Kostacopoulos. He pitched from behind early but battled through. Its hard to be a critic when you go the distance and give up only one run.

Dartmouths Russell Young held the Navy lineup in check, as he yielded just two hits with four walks and eight strikeouts to earn the victory. The Midshipmen were unable to send a runner to third base against the 64 southpaw.

Russell Young did a very good job against our hitters, stated Kostacopoulos. He was able to get ahead and really expand the zone. He was also able to mix his pitches usually sitting on the outside but then busting it in on us.

Wright was the lone Navy hitter to reach base safely twice in the home opener. He delivered a single in the third inning before drawing a walk in the fifth.

The two teams will compete in the rubber game of the three-game set tomorrow in Annapolis, starting at 11:30 a.m. Live stats for tomorrows contest will be available via GameTracker on <a href=“http://www.NavySports.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.NavySports.com(.)</a>

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