Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · March 5, 2008, 3:54pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published March 05, 2008

Cassie Consedine was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Navy women’s basketball team.

The freshman center led the Midshipmen in scoring and rebounding, recording 12 double-doubles along the way. The 6-foot-3 Oklahoma native smashed the single-season school record with 69 blocked shots.

Those statistics and accomplishments earned Consedine second team All-Patriot League selection despite Navy’s seventh place finish. She was also named to the All-Rookie team after ranking third in the league with a scoring average of 13.6 points and leading the league in total rebounds with 238.

“Congratulations to Cassie for a wonderful honor that is well-deserved,” Navy head coach Tom Marryott said. “Cassie had a terrific year and I was amazed by her consistency. She was the one constant this team could rely on and that’s rare for a plebe at the Naval Academy.”

Because Consedine is the lone freshman on either first or second team, she is the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year honor that will be announced on Friday during a banquet to kick off the Patriot League Tournament.

Consedine is the first freshman to lead Navy in both scoring and rebounding and her 12 double-doubles were easily a freshman class record. She fell just short of the single-season school record of 14 double-doubles.

“What impressed me the most about Cassie is that as the season went along she started seeing more double- and triple-teaming. She handled that situation well and made good decisions with the ball. Her ability to pass out of double-teams in the post to open jump shooters helped our offense,” Marryott said.

Consedine scored in double figures and grabbed five rebounds or more in 20 consecutive games this season. She posted single-game highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds.

“These are great honors, not only for me but for the team as well. I would have any success without my teammates,” said Consedine, a native American from Bartlesville, Okla. “Coming in, all I had on my mind was playing basketball. I didn’t have any goals as far as how much I would play or how much I would score.”

Consedine is one of three players in Navy history to attain All-League status, joining Becky Dowling (1995) and Courtney Davidson (2001). She would become the fourth Mid to be named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, joining Kim Jackson (1994), Dowling and Laurie Coffey (1996).

GreatAmerican · March 5, 2008, 4:39pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-The Navy Sports Magazine Show, presented by Comcast, will air tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. on 1430 WNAV in Annapolis. The weekly 30-minute show is hosted by Bob Socci and will feature interviews with Navy student-athletes and coaches.

The Navy Sports Magazine Show will also air on 1050 WFED ([FederalNewsRadio</a> - WFED: Home Page](<a href=“http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5DFederalNewsRadio”>http://www.federalnewsradio.com)) in Washington, D.C. at 12 noon on Saturday. Navy All-Access will also archive the show and it will be available for subscribers every Friday ([NavySports.com</a> - Default - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://navysports.cstv.com/)%5DNavySports.com”>http://navysports.cstv.com/)).

Featured this week includes pitcher Oliver Drake of the baseball team, wrestler Joe Baker as well as postgame reaction from tonight’s Navy-Bucknell Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game.

GreatAmerican · March 5, 2008, 8:26pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Tennis Team Sweeps Delaware

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy tennis team recorded a 7-0 victory over Delaware Wednesday afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center to snap a three-match losing streak for the Midshipmen. Navy improved to 10-5 on the season, while Delaware fell to 1-2 on the year with the loss.

“We knew coming in that this would be a competitive match, but we really played well right from the start,” said Navy head coach John Officer. “Our doubles teams played very well today, as they have all season.”

Navy swept the three doubles matches to pick up the available doubles point of the day. Perhaps Navy’s top performance in the doubles portion of the dual came at the No. 1 flight as Nate Nelms (Jr., St. Mary’s, Ga.) and Johnny Waters (Jr., Papillion, Neb.) posted an 8-3 victory over Delaware’s tandem of Nolan Greenberg and Austin Longacre.

Nelms continued his strong play at No. 1 singles as he recorded a 6-0, 6-3 win over Longacre.

“Nate played well all day,” said Officer. “He had lost to Longacre in singles last year, but he played very well in picking up the win today.”

The first singles match off of the courts came at No. 5 where Alex James (Sr., Visalia, Calif.) posted a 6-1, 6-2 win over Camilo Perez.

“Alex winning so quickly was huge for us,” said Officer.

The second singles match to finish was at No. 2 where Waters won a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Greenberg to give Navy a 3-0 lead in the team scoring.

“Johnny executed really well today,” said Officer.

After Nelms completed his match to secure the fourth point and the overall team victory for Navy, Jason Hill (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) tallied a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Sam Barrer at No. 3 singles. His match was followed by Ramsey Lemaich (So., Danville, Calif.) recording a 6-2, 7-5 win over Chris Hincker, with Owen Bullard (Fr., Concord, N.C.) ending the day with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2) win at No. 6 singles over Jonathan Schwartz.

Navy’s three most recent losses have come to the hands of Yale, No. 42 Clemson and No. 30 North Carolina State.

“We were better today because of the competition we faced last week, especially Clemson and N.C. State.” said Officer.

Navy will now head to Florida for a trio of matches over spring break. The Mids will face both Appalachian State and North Carolina on March 12 in Jacksonville, then will play at Bethune-Cookman on March 13.

Navy (10-5) def. Delaware (1-2), 7-0
Doubles – Navy wins the doubles point (match finish order: 2-3-1)
1 - Nelms / Waters (N) def. Greenberg / Longacre, 8-3
2 - James / Lemaich (N) def. Andrew Blumberg / Schwartz, 8-4
3 - Nick Birger / Hill (N) def. Barrer / Perez, 8-4
Singles (match finish order: 5-2-1-3-4-6)
1 - Nate Nelms (N) def. Austin Longacre, 6-0, 6-3
2 - Johnny Waters (N) def. Nolan Greenberg, 6-1, 6-1
3 - Jason Hill (N) def. Sam Barrer, 6-3, 6-1
4 - Ramsey Lemaich (N) def. Chris Hincker, 6-2, 7-5
5 - Alex James (N) def. Camilo Perez, 6-1, 6-2
6 - Owen Bullard (N) def. Jonathan Schwartz, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2)

GreatAmerican · March 5, 2008, 8:28pm

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Out-Slugged by UMBC, 18-6

ANNAPOLIS, Md. The Navy baseball team dropped its second-straight contest on Wednesday afternoon, as UMBC handed the Midshipmen an 18-6 setback at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids fell to 3-4 on the year, while the Retrievers won their second-straight to improve to 3-2.

The bottom line is that when you give up 19 hits and six walks, youre going to give up some runs, stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. The big item that has been a concern is our middle relief. We have to work on building a staff and thats not just starting pitching and short guys, but a combination of all three. It was evident today that we were missing that piece. However, that is something we will continue to work on and hopefully improves throughout the course of the season.

Navy held a 3-1 lead after the opening inning of play. Thomas Hamilton (Sr./Houston, Texas) delivered a RBI-single, Jeff Bland (Fr./Basking Ridge, N.J.) lifted a sacrifice fly and Steven Soares (So./Coral Springs, Fla.) doubled down the line and a fielding error on the play allowed Hamilton to score.

UMBC answered with a run in the second a six-run fourth inning to take the lead for good. The Midshipmen mounted a rally in the fifth and again in the seventh to pull within two at 8-6. Navy plated a pair of runs on a fielding error in the fifth inning and Hamilton drove home a run on a groundout in the seventh.

The Retrievers would not let the Mids get any closer, as they sent 18 batters to the plate over the final-two innings in scoring six runs in the eighth and four in the ninth.

We were able to get back to 8-6 in the seventh and were one out away from maintaining the two-run hole going into our half of the eighth, said Kostacopoulos. But their No. 2 hitter (Brad Brainer) hit a bases-clearing triple that proved to be one of the biggest plays of the game.

Kendall Bolt (So./Stockton, Calif.) was the lone Navy batter to record a multi-hit effort on Wednesday, as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) scored a pair of runs and Hamilton drove in three runners.

Dan Blewett, UMBCs opening-day starter against Army last Friday, allowed five runs on five hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts to pick up the win. Navys Alec Thomas (So./Kernersville, N.C.) was tagged for the loss, as he yielded five hits and five earned runs over 3.1 innings with four walks and three strikeouts.

UMBC out-hit Navy, 19-7, and drew six walks compared to the hosts one. However, the Retrievers committed five errors, three of which came in the opening frame, while the Mids made two fielding miscues.

The Midshipmen will return to action this Friday when they host Iona in the opening game of the Navy Baseball Round-Robin Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., and live stats will be available via GameTracker on <a href=“http://www.NavySports.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.NavySports.com(.)</a>

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 7:11am

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)–John Griffin canned a desperation 40-foot shot at the buzzer to give Bucknell an 87-86 triple-overtme win against Navy in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on Wednesday.

Navy had taken a 86-84 lead with two seconds to play on a tip-in by T.J. Topercer.

The exciting finish was indicative of the game, which saw the Bison overcome a 17-point deficit in the second half to send the game to overtime. Once overtime began, neither team led by more than three points as the lead bounced back and forth. It was the first triple-overtime game in the history of the Patriot League tournament.

Seventh-seed Bucknell (12-18) advances into the second round and will play at Colgate, a 76-74 winner over Lafayette, in Sunday’s semifinals. The win also kept alive the Bison’s streak of first-round tournament wins dating back to 2000.

Second-seed Navy (16-14) hasn’t advanced past the first round of the tournament since 2001.

The Mids were led by Patriot League Player of the Year Greg Sprink, who had a career-high 37 points. Sprink scored 24 points in the first half, then picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes to play. He didn’t foul out until 39 seconds remained in the second overtime.

Griffin, who had missed a free throw in the second overtime that could have won the game, led Bucknell with 21 points. Todd O’Brien and Castleberry added 12 for the Bison and Darren Mastropaolo had 10 points before fouling out near the end of regulation.

Chris Harris played 52 of the game’s 55 minutes and had 17 points and 8 assists for Navy. Kaleo Kina had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Romeo Garcia had 12 points and 9 rebounds.

In the second overtime, Navy trailed 75-72 with 16 seconds left when Kina hit a three-pointer to tie it.

In the first overtime, Navy led 65-62 with 2:15 left after a jump shot by Sprink, but Bucknell tied it on a basket by Stephen Tyree with 1:50 to play and a free throw by Casteleberry with 52 seconds to play. Castleberry had missed the first end of the two-shot foul and missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.

In regulation, Navy led by 45-28 with 15:43 to go before Bucknell rallied to tie the game for the first time at 50 and again at 59.

Navy led 59-54 with 1:36 to play, but the Bison went on a 5-0 run capped by O’Brien’s tying basket with two seconds left.

O’Brien’s basket to open overtime gave Bucknell its first lead of the game.

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 9:13am

Bucknell Wins on 40-Footer in 3rd OT: Bucknell 87, Navy 86

By Christian Swezey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 6, 2008; Page E03

Navy senior Greg Sprink, the Patriot League men’s basketball player of the year, set a career high with 37 points in a conference quarterfinal against Bucknell last night. He won’t get a chance to better it.

Bucknell senior John Griffin made a running, 40-foot shot as time expired in triple overtime to give his team an 87-86 victory before 2,158 at Alumni Hall. The second-seeded Midshipmen (16-14) were very close to winning their first conference tournament game since 2001. Sophomore T.J. Topercer, a reserve who had scored five points in the past 16 games, scored on a putback with 2.1 seconds left to give Navy an 86-84 lead.

As Navy’s players and fans celebrated, Griffin took off downcourt and caught a pass from junior Justin Castleberry. He launched his shot from just inside the midcourt stripe.

“I felt we’d won it,” Navy Coach Billy Lange said. “What are you going to do? It’s almost surreal to sit here and think that our season is over.”

Said Griffin: “It felt good leaving my hand. Sometimes when I take those shots, the ball is loose, but this time everything felt compact.”

It was Navy’s first triple-overtime game since 1977 and the first triple-overtime game in league tournament history.

Such a dramatic ending did not seem possible after Navy took a 45-28 lead with 15 minutes 42 seconds left in regulation following an eight-point spurt by freshman Romeo Garcia.

But the Midshipmen scored one point on their next 12 possessions, and No. 7- seeded Bucknell (12-18) got back into the game. A 17-1 run, keyed by six points from sophomore Patrick Behan, cut the deficit to 46-45 with 8:17 to play.

As if the scoreless drought was not problematic enough, Sprink picked up his third and fourth fouls in that span. Navy was back on track after a jump shot by Sprink gave it a 58-52 lead with 2:23 left. But Bucknell forced overtime after a layup by freshman Todd O’Brien tied the game at 59 with with 1.6 seconds left.

The first overtime ended with the score tied at 65. The crucial moment in the second overtime was a three-pointer by Griffin as the shot clock expired with one minute to play; the shot gave the Bison a 72-70 lead. Navy tied the score at 75 following a three-pointer by Kaleo Kina with 16 seconds left.

In the third overtime, Navy sophomore guard Chris Harris pulled up for a three- pointer just as the public address announcer screamed, “One minute to play!” Harris made the shot for an 84-81 lead. Bucknell tied it on its next possession, on a three-pointer by freshman G.W. Boon.

Before the game, a league representative presented three awards at midcourt: coach of the year to Lange, player of the year to Sprink and defensive player of the year to Bucknell sophomore Stephen Tyree.

The matchup between Sprink and Tyree had a competitive start. Sprink missed two of his first three field goals and Navy led 9-7 when a crucial moment ensued: Tyree was called for his second foul with 12:44 left in the first half. He played less than a minute the rest of the half.

With Tyree, Bucknell would have struggled with Sprink, who entered with 48 points in 59 minutes against the Bison this season. Without Tyree, it was no contest. Sprink made a three-pointer seven seconds after Tyree left. He made another a minute later and finished the half with 24 points. Navy led 34-24.

Griffin finished with 21 points for the Bison. Harris finished with 17 points and Garcia had 12 points and nine rebounds. Harris, Kina and Sprink had combined for 68 points in a 78-72 win over Bucknell on Feb. 9. Last night, Kina and Harris combined to make 10 of 31 shots (32 percent). Each is likely to be back next season. Sprink, who fouled out in the final minute of the second overtime, will not be.

“I jumped right out of my seat” when Topercer made the basket, Sprink said. “I thought the game was over. Out of the corner of my eye I watched that last play, I saw the shot go up. And now I’m in here.”

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 9:18am

2nd-seeded Navy upset in first round of Patriot tourney

By Rich Scherr | special To The Sun

What began last night as a celebration of newly crowned Patriot League Player of the Year Greg Sprink ended in utter disbelief for host Navy in the opening round of the league tournament.

Moments after the Midshipmen seemingly won the game on T.J. Topercer’s put- back with two seconds left in triple overtime, Bucknell’s John Griffin sank a 42- foot desperation shot - from just beyond half court - at the buzzer to send the Midshipmen to an agonizing 87-86 defeat before 2,158 stunned spectators at Alumni Hall.

“I had some guardian angels looking down, and they put the ball in the hole,” Griffin said. “It felt good [leaving my hands]. I was just trying to get enough air. I wasn’t really thinking too much.”

The shot ended a game in which Navy had built a 17-point lead by late in the first half, buoyed by the hot perimeter shooting of Sprink, who finished with a career-high 37 points - also the most by a Navy player in Patriot League tournament history.

The Bison didn’t take their first lead of the game until the opening moments of the first overtime.

Navy (16-14), which was the tournament’s second seed, has now lost eight straight tournament games dating to 2001.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. “What we learned is that games are 40 minutes - or sometimes 55 minutes - and you have to play all the way to the end. It’s sad to lose a game like this.”

Bucknell (12-18), meanwhile will advance to Sunday’s semifinals, where the Bison will face third-seeded Colgate, a 76-74 winner over Lafayette.

The Midshipmen had led from the outset, scoring the game’s first seven points, then extending their lead to 21-9 on back-to-back three-pointers by Sprink.

When Sprink scored on a layup near halftime, Navy had extended its lead to 34-17. Sprink made five of eight threes to finish the half with as many points as the Bison - 24.

Midway through the second half, however, the tide began to turn for the Midshipmen, who began settling for low-percentage shots and went ice cold from the floor.

Bucknell, led by 6-11 center Todd O’Brien and guard Justin Castleberry, embarked on a 17-1 run over the next seven minutes to cut the lead to one, then forced overtime on O’Brien’s layup with two seconds left.

“It was definitely hard not being out there the last six or seven minutes,” said Sprink. “I had my faith in my teammates. I knew they were going to step up and make plays.”

Navy forced triple overtime on Kaleo Kina’s three-pointer from the right side with 16.8 seconds left.

It marked the first time in tournament history that a game went into a third overtime.

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 10:12am

By Mike Fratto
March 6, 2008

ANNAPOLIS The Bucknell seniors who contributed to the Patriot League’s two NCAA tournament wins this decade again showed they can perform under
pressure last night.

John Griffin banked in a desperation 40-foot shot as time expired in triple overtime to take the seventh-seeded Bison past No. 2 Navy 87-86 in the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals at Alumni Hall.

It was the first triple-overtime game in Patriot League history, and it provided one of the wildest finishes in the conference tournament’s 17 seasons.

“It’s sad to lose a game like that,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. “It’s disappointing. It’s draining.”

Bucknell (12-18) will play at No. 3 Colgate in the semifinals Sunday.

Both teams struggled offensively. The Midshipmen (16-14) shot 35.5 percent, well below their season average of 40.8 percent. Bucknell shot 43.8 percent and committed 22 turnovers.

Those struggles to score ended during the closing possessions of triple overtime.

Navy led 81-78 when Griffin tied the game with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:11 left. Point guard Chris Harris returned the favor on Navy’s next possession, giving the Mids another three-point lead.

Freshman G.W. Boon answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game 84-84 with 41.2 seconds remaining. After Harris missed a jump shot, reserve forward T.J. Topercer tipped it back in with 2.9 seconds left.

Then Griffin raced upcourt and launched his desperation heave two steps inside the halfcourt line.

He said he takes some halfcourt shots at the end of Bucknell practices but has never made one in a game.

“Usually in those situations, I’m pretty tense, [and] the ball seems to be a little bit loose in my hands,” Griffin said. “Everything felt nice and compact in my shot. I just wanted to give it enough air.”

Griffin ruined a fine performance by Navy senior guard Greg Sprink. The Patriot League player of the year finished with 37 points, a record for a Navy player in a Patriot League tournament game, but fouled out in the second overtime.

“I jumped out of my seat when T.J. put it in,” Sprink said. “I thought the game was over, and then out of the corner of my eye I saw the last play. I saw the shot go in. I couldn’t believe it.”

Four players scored in double figures for Bucknell: Griffin (21), freshman Todd O’Brien (12), junior Justin Castleberry (12) and senior Darren Mastropaolo (10).

The improbable finish taught a lesson to both teams.

“Games are 40 minutes, sometimes 55 minutes, and you’ve got to play to the end,” said Lange, whose team led by as many as 17. “It was just an incredible shot by John Griffin.”

Said Boon: “I’ve learned that in college basketball, anything can happen. Both teams have playmakers, and at the end we just made bigger plays.”

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 2:49pm

104th EIWA Championship
March 8-9, 2008
Franklin & Marshall College Mayser Center Lancaster, Pa.

** Full set of game notes available on <a href=“http://www.NavySports.com**%5B/url%5D”>www.NavySports.com**</a>
[Navy</a> Wrestlers Head to Pennsylvania for 104th EIWA Championship :: The Midshipmen finished second at last year’s EIWA Championship, just 19.5 points behind Cornell.](<a href=“http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/030608aad.html]Navy”>http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/030608aad.html)

Navy Seeks First EIWA Team Title Since 1990
The Navy wrestling team begins its quest for its first EIWA team title since 1990 on Saturday at the Mayser Center on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.
Franklin & Marshall has teamed up with B2 Networks to provide a live broadcast of the 104th EIWA Championship … fans wishing to tune in should log onto b2livetv.com or a link can be found on Franklin & Marshall’s official web site, GoDiplomats.com(.)
The cost is $9.95 for a day pass, while $14.99 will purchase a full tournament pass … fans will need a high-speed Internet connection and the current version of Microsoft Windows Media Player to view the broadcast.

2008 EIWA Championship Information
Franklin & Marshall Mayser Center

Saturday, March 8
Doors Open for Spectators 9:30 am
Session 1 - Preliminaries 10:30 am - 1:00 pm
Session 2 - Quarterfinals 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Consolations 4:15 pm - 6:00 pm

Sunday, March 9
Doors Open for Spectators 9:30 am
Session 3 - Semifinals 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Consolations 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Place Round 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Doors Open for Spectators 5:30 pm
EIWA Hall of Fame Awards 6:15 pm - 6:30 pm
Session 4 - Championship 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Tickets
To purchase tickets, call (717) 358-5804
$60 All Sessions Adult Seating
$45 All Sessions Seniors (65 and older) Seating
$30 All Session Student Seating (must show ID)

Quick Hits
Navy owns a 37-8 EIWA dual meet record under head coach Bruce Burnett … during that time, the Mids are 36-1 against teams in the league other than 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 22 wins, Saddoris is tied for second with 30 and Stolpinski is 10 wins shy of tying the record he set a year ago with 34.
Bryce Saddoris’ pin over Army’s Casey Thome in the Star Match on Feb. 22 gave him his 30th win of the season … he is only the third rookie to reach the 30-win milestone in program history … he heads into the weekend tied with John Reich (1979-80) for the second-most wins by a Navy freshman.
Matt Stolpinski has won 77 matches over the last two seasons … he is just one off the record for most wins in any two consecutive seasons set by Mark Conley (2001-02) and Tanner Garrett (2005-06).

EIWA Odds and Ends
The Midshipmen are making their 68th appearance at the EIWA Championship and have won the team title 13 times … the Mids’ last team championship was in 1990.
Columbia and Penn have appeared in every EIWA Championship, while Army and Navy both joined in 1941.
Navy is one of four teams to have won the team title at least 10 times with Lehigh winning it the most - 34 times.
Navy boasts 95 individual EIWA crowns, including last year’s winners Matt Stolpinski at 174 and heavyweight Ed Prendergast.
377 wrestlers have been place-winners over the years - 95 champions, 79 finish second, 80 finish 3rd, 52 finish fourth, 40 in 5th and 31 finish 6th … it’s the third-most place-winners behind Lehigh’s 545 and Cornell’s 390.
Seven Midshipmen are currently ranked among the top six in their respective weight classes, including top-ranked heavyweight Ed Prendergast.
Four of Navy’s 10 wrestlers this weekend will be competing in the EIWA Championship for the first time, including three freshmen - 125 Allan Stein, 141 Joey Breen, 149 Bryce Saddoris.
Two of the 10 competitors have claimed EIWA titles, team captain Matt Stolpinski at 174 pounds and heavyweight Ed Prendergast each won a year ago.
Senior Spencer Manley will make his second EIWA Championship appearance after sitting out last year’s tournament … he placed fifth as a sophomore.
Senior captain Matt Stolpinski is the only Navy wrestler on the roster to compete in the EIWA Championship all four years … he owns a 10-5 record overall and has won four consecutive matches.
Joe Baker (133) is making his third apperance, while Manley, Justin Jacobs (165), Matt Parsons (197) and Ed Prendergast (HWT) will compete for the second time in their careers.

Streaks
Heavyweight Ed Prendergast owns Navy’s longest winning streak with 21-consecutive wins dating back to Dec. 18 … 10 of the 21 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 12 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 five-match winning streaks heading into the weekend, while senior Justin Jacobs has won four in a row.

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 2:53pm

By
Mike James

During the radio broadcast of Navy’s 72-66 win over Holy Cross in Alumni Hall two weeks ago, Bob Socci commented more than once about how flustered Holy Cross looked, while Navy was playing with relative composure. The Crusaders had won the regular-season Patriot League title four of the last seven years, while the upstart Navy team had finished either last or next to last in the League every year since 2001-2002. If you hadn’t already known that going in, you might have had the history of these two teams mixed up while watching the end of that game.

It was an important step for Billy Lange’s squad. In the past– as recently as a month earlier against Army– the Mids had a tendency to overreact. Their fast- paced, 3-point shooting style of play meant that it wasn’t at all unusual for them to race out to an early lead against teams that weren’t mentally prepared to handle that kind of aggressive basketball. But basketball is a game of runs, and when the other team started to get a little bit of momentum, Navy got way too desperate, way too early. Shot selection got worse. Passing was forced, leading to more turnovers. There were more fouls 20+ feet from the basket.

Added up, it compounded the problem. What should have been an 8-0 run would become a game-altering 20-4 run. Navy would panic themselves out of games.

But that didn’t happen that night, nor did it happen at any other point during the 6-game winning streak that shot Navy to the top of the conference standings. In only one of those 6 games– at home against American– did Navy win a game by a double-digit margin. Against Army, the Mids actually had to claw their way back from a 10-point deficit. Navy didn’t build a huge lead and coast to victory in those six games; they played hard-fought basketball for 40 minutes, and found ways to pull away at the end. They were composed.

In the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals last night against Bucknell, we saw both the best and the worst of Navy basketball. It was an entire season wrapped into one game. The first half was the best of Navy; the 3-point shooting, Greg Sprink driving to the basket, and an aggressive defense that leads to steals. The second half was the opposite; Navy shot only 28% from the floor while allowing Bucknell to hit 52% of their shots and erase a 10-point lead that Navy had going into the locker room.

I was very tempted last night to call it a choke, but that wouldn’t be fair. Yes, Navy blew a 17-point lead, and the game should not have gone to overtime. But it did. And once overtime began, the composure that was missing in second half reappeared. Kaleo Kina’s 3-pointer to send the game into a third overtime was as clutch as it gets. T.J. Topercer’s rebound and putback with two seconds left in that third overtime should have been good enough to win the game.

Sometimes miracles happen, but when they do it’s really only a miracle for one team. For the other, it’s a curse. I’m not sure what we did to deserve that kind of retribution, but if you’re reading, Karma– I consider our debt to be paid.

You win some, you lose some, you have your heart so thoroughly ripped to shreds that you wonder if caring so much is reducing your life span some. Such is life in the world of sports. Another fact of a sports fan’s life is that the end of one season only means the beginning of offseason speculation and looking ahead to the next season. And the big question for Navy next season is what life will be like without Greg Sprink. The Patriot League Player of the Year was a statistical juggernaut, leading the conference in scoring, finishing second in rebounding, and ranking in the top 15 in both assists and steals. How can Billy Lange replace that kind of production? Well, he can’t– not with one player, anyway. But taking a look at who is returning for the Mids, one can find each of Greg’s best qualities divided amongst them. Chris Harris has proven that he can be a reliable long-range scoring threat. Clif Colbert can make athletic moves to the basket. Romeo Garcia does all the little things you don’t usually see in a freshman, playing tough defense, fighting for rebounds, blocking shots, and grabbing steals. He is only going to get better as his offensive game develops.

O.J. Avworo will be stepping in as a true point guard, directing the offense and dishing out assists– the 3.1 per game that he averaged as a freshman at Idaho would have been in the top 10 in the Patriot League this year. Sprink’s ability will still be on the team; it just won’t be concentrated in one man. As a result, the team might actually be tougher to defend, as defenses won’t be able to focus on stopping one player. Add in Kaleo Kina’s ability to take over a game on occasion, Adam Teague’s 3-point shooting, and the continued development of players like Mark Veazey (who showed flashes of brilliance at times), Jeremy Wilson, and T.J. Topercer, and there is every reason to believe that Navy will actually be better next year.

But that’s next year. Right now, the end of this year still stings. Yet as tough as the last game was to endure, it shouldn’t hang over the season as a whole. Should this season be considered a success? Despite losing a shot at the regular-season Patriot League title and flaming out once again in the tournament quarterfinals, I think the answer has to be “yes.” This season proved a lot. When the Patriot League started allowing basketball scholarships, there were people who thought that Navy wouldn’t be able to contend for the league title again. This year showed that we can. As Bucknell was winning NCAA tournament games and Holy Cross advanced in the NIT, some people questioned whether Navy would be able to produce talent capable of matching up with the Patriot League’s best. But the conference’s top player this year wore the Blue & Gold. Other people said that a service academy wouldn’t be able to win playing up-tempo basketball, and that Navy’s only shot to be competitive in the Patriot League was to play a Princeton offense. But Billy Lange has a Coach of the Year award that proves that isn’t the case. And with two starters and a key reserve leaving the team before the start of the season, some people– including me– asked themselves how the Mids would be able to respond. The answer? Brilliantly, with the team’s first overall winning season and best conference finish since 2000-2001. Make no mistake, now– Navy basketball is still a work in progress. But this year we could finally see some of that progress, and there’s no reason to think that the trend won’t continue.

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 3:36pm

Navy’s Greg Sprink works around Bucknell’s Stephen Tyree.

43-foot shot sends Bison past Mids

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published March 06, 2008

Bucknell may have posted a disappointing seventh-place finish during the Patriot League regular season. However, the Bison have maintained the heart and mindset of a championship program.

Navy found that out the hard way last night as Bucknell refused to fold in the face of a huge first half deficit and wound up winning one of the most incredible games in Patriot League history.

Senior guard John Griffin banked in a miraculous 3-point shot from about 43 feet to lift Bucknell to a thrilling 87-86 triple-overtime victory over host Navy in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament last night.

A boisterous crowd of 2,158 at Alumni Hall saw an amazing contest that featured huge swings in momentum, a ton of big-time shots in pressure situations and two determined teams that refused to lose.

It appeared both the Bison and Midshipmen had won the game on several occasions, only to see the other make a big shot to extend the back-and-forth affair. It was the first triple-overtime in Patriot League history (regular season or tournament) and ultimately came down to a wild sequence in the final four seconds of the final extra session.

Navy called timeout with the score tied at 84 and 35 seconds remaining in order to set up a final play. After holding the ball and waiting for the clock to wind down to about 15 seconds, the Midshipmen initiated the offense and wound up getting an open 3-pointer by sophomore point guard Chris Harris.

Harris’ shot rimmed out, but sophomore forward T.J. Topercer was in perfect position to collect the offensive rebound in the lane and quickly flip the ball into the basket to give Navy an 86-84 lead with two seconds to go.

With coaches and players on Navy’s bench jumping with joy and the partisan crowd going wild, the visiting Bison kept their heads. Griffin took an inbounds pass from Justin Castleberry near the foul line, dribbled across mid-court, jumped off one leg and launched a gorgeous shot that bounced softly off the backboard and dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded.

Bucknell’s jubilant players came roaring off the bench to mob Griffin while the Navy players collapsed to the floor or watched in stunned disbelief.

“It’s almost surreal to sit here right now and think about our season being over,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange, who was still looked shell-shocked in the interview room 20 minutes later. “I’m not going to lie: It’s sad, it’s disappointing, it’s disheartening, it’s not fair that we lost.”

Griffin drained 5 of 7 3-pointers in scoring 21 points to lead seventh-seeded Bucknell (12-18), which will take on third-seeded Colgate in Sunday’s semifinals. Castleberry, an Archbishop Spalding grad, and freshman center Todd O’Brien contributed 12 points apiece for the Bison, the Patriot League Tournament champs in 2005 and 2006.

“We stubbed our toe quite a few times this season, but this is a proud program,” Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery said. “You can ask the players and I’m sure they’ll tell you verbatim what I told them beforehand. I said ‘Navy’s a good team, but we’ve got some players in this locker room who have been through the wars. We just need to go out and compete from beginning to end.’ That was the mentality we had from the outset.”

Senior swingman Greg Sprink poured in a career-high 37 points to lead second-seeded Navy (16-14), which endured a difficult end to its first winning season since 2000-2001. Harris had 17 points and eight assists for the Midshipmen, who have not won a Patriot League Tournament game since 2001.

“The disappointment and pain of a loss like that will linger for a while, but we cannot let it be the definitive theme of what was a great year for Navy basketball,” Lange said.

Sprink was honored as the Patriot League Player of the Year during a pregame ceremony then came out firing, cramming 24 of his points into the first half. The 6-foot-5 left-hander was simply unconscious in draining five 3-pointers - from NBA range, off fade-away or step-back moves, and under heavy defensive pressure.

Sprink’s breakaway layup with 2:10 remaining gave Navy a commanding 17-point lead, but Bucknell dug deep to score seven unanswered points and trailed just 34-24 at halftime.

Freshman forward Romeo Garcia scored eight of his 12 points during a 2 ½-minute stretch early in the second half as Navy rebuilt the lead to 17 points. Garcia’s fastbreak layup made it 45-28 at the 15:43 mark, but Bucknell refused to go quietly into the night.

Griffin along with fellow seniors Darren Mastropaolo and Rob Thomas have played in three straight Patriot League finals while several other Bison have tasted a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament win. Bucknell turned up its defense and held Navy without a field goal for eight minutes while battling back to tie the game for the first time at 50 with 5:56 to go.

Freshman forward Patrick Behan hit three short jumpers to kick-start a remarkable 22-5 run that suddenly transformed a potential rout into a nail-biter.

“Our defense folded a little bit and they made some shots. That allowed them to set up their matchup zone and that slows the tempo of the game,” Lange said.

The Mids still led 59-54 at the 1:36 mark, but O’Brien brought the Bison back by throwing down a dunk with 46.5 seconds left and making a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation.

It was just one big shot after another during the three overtimes.

Sprink made a driving layup to give Navy a 65-62 lead late in the first overtime, but Stephen Tyree answered by wheeling and dealing in the lane for a short bank shot. Castleberry, a sophomore, hit a free throw to tie the score at 65 and both teams missed chances to win on their final possession.

A free throw by Griffin gave Bucknell a 75-72 lead with 21.4 seconds left in the second overtime, but Kaleo Kina (13 points) immediately drove down court and launched a long 3-pointer with a hand in his face to tie the score and force a third extra session.

Harris hit a deep 3-pointer to put the Mids ahead 84-81 with 58 seconds left, but freshman guard G.W. Boon answered by calmly draining a trey on the other end to tie the game for the ninth and final time with 41.2 seconds to go.

That set up the wild final flurry that left Bucknell ecstatic and Navy forlorn.

“It was a great basketball game for the Patriot League and unfortunately somebody was going to lose it,” Lange said. “You’ve got to credit Bucknell. They showed in that situation the fact they’ve been there before.”

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 4:39pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Fresh off a 3-0 start in its first NCAA Division I season, the Navy women’s lacrosse team will be featured on Fox 45’s (Baltimore) newscast on Thursday night. The segment will air during its 10:00 p.m. broadcast, and will feature interviews from head coach Cindy Timchal, senior Amanda Towey and freshman Meg Decker.

The Mids are 3-0 and are averaging a nation’s best 22.0 goals per game, while giving up just 5.0 goals per outing. Navy will play a pair of games this weekend, hosting fellow Division I newcomer, Cincinnati, on Saturday at noon, before playing Saint Mary’s (Calif.) at noon on Sunday. Both games will be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and admission is free.

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 5:45pm

For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Mids Head to ECAC Championship This Weekend

ANNAPOLIS, Md. The Navy womens track & field team will head up to the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston for the ECAC Championship this Saturday and Sunday.

The Midshipmen sent four of their own to the George Mason Last Chance Meet last weekend, prior to which they finished third at the Patriot League Championship on Feb. 22-24.

Navys Jacqui Charnigo (Sr./Medina, Ohio), who earned All-East honors in the pole vault during the 2007 outdoor season, could lead the way for the Midshipmen. Last weekend, she broke her own school record in the event with a NCAA provisional-qualifying height of 4.07 meters. That mark currently ranks as the 20th-best height in the country.

Middle distance runner Vicki Moore (Sr./Burke, Va.) will take part in two events this weekend. She qualified for the ECAC Championship with a time of 2:56.4 against Army and won the event at the league championship. Burke will join Maureen Dooley (Jr./Durham, Conn.), Abby Gesecki (So./Nanticoke, Pa.) and Allie Moreland (Jr./Ocean City, N.J.) in the 4x800-meter relay that placed second at the league championship with a qualifying time of 9:10.00.

The Midshipmen will also have two runners competing in the 5,000-meter run after their performances at the Patriot League Championship. Erica Ziel (So./Saginaw, Mich.) won the race with a time of 17:31.80, followed by teammate Amy Watsons (So./Hampstead, Md.) second-place 17:32.50 clocking.

Those who qualify for the NCAA Championship will compete at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., next Friday and Saturday (March 14-15).

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 5:46pm

Navy Women’s Basketball Game Information
Patriot League Tournament

Quarterfinal

<h1>7 Navy vs. #2Holy Cross</h1>

Saturday, March 8, 5 p.m.
West Point, N.Y. (Christl Arena)
Live on WNAV-AM 1430 and Navy All-Access

Semifinal

<h1>7 Navy vs. #3 Lehigh/#6 Lafayette</h1>

Sunday, March 9. 3:30 p.m.
West Point, N.Y. (Christl Arena)
Live on WNAV-AM 1430 and Navy All-Access

This Week’s Games
Christl Arena on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., will be the site for this weekend’s opening two rounds of the 2008 Patriot League Tournament. All four quarterfinal round games will be played Saturday, with the two semifinal contests slated to take place the following day.

Navy received the No. 7 seed in the postseason and will face No. 2 Holy Cross Saturday at 5 p.m. The winner of the game will then move on to the semifinal round where it will play either No. 3 Lehigh or No. 6 Lafayette in a 3:30 p.m. game.

The championship game of the tournament will be played Wed., March 12 at the home of the highest-seeded team playing in the game.

Broadcast Information
Streaming audio and video from both games will be available to Navy All-Access subscribers. Fans can subscribe to Navy All-Access via [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.navysports.com) for $6.95 a month or an annual fee of $49.95.

All of Navy’s postseason action can also be heard live locally on WNAV-AM 1430.

Additionally, live statistics from all of Patriot League Tournament games will be available for free via the <a href=“http://www.goarmysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.goarmysports.com(.)</a>

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 5:47pm

For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy to Compete at IC4A Championship This Weekend

ANNAPOLIS, Md. The Navy mens track & field team will make the trek up to Boston University this Saturday and Sunday to take part in the IC4A Championship. The Midshipmen totaled 30 qualifying entries in 18 different events this year for the upcoming regional championship.

The Midshipmen will look to carry the momentum they used two weeks ago in winning the Patriot League Championship at Bucknells Gerhard Field House on Feb. 22-24. It marked the third league championship claimed by Navy over the last-five years and the first since 2005.

Since head coach Stephen Cooksey took over the reigns in 1988-89, Navy has finished among the top-10 schools at the IC4A Championship five times, with the highest placing coming with a fourth-place team tally in 1997. The Mids last cracked the top 10 in 2006, when they finished ninth.

This year, the Midshipmen have many viable scoring options in a wide variety of events that could land the Mids among the top-10 schools once again.

The strongest area for the Mids appears to be in the middle distance and distance events, as they have three or more qualifying runners in three events. Leading the way is Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.), who ranks 19th nationally with a NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 1:49.29 in the 800-meter run. Harris also qualified for the IC4A Championship in the 500-meter run (1:01.80) and served on the championship-qualifying 4x400-meter (3:15.27), 4x800-meter (7:36.58) and distance medley relays (9:52.52).

Distance runners Andrew Hanko (Fr./Montville, N.J.) and John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.) have both qualified in multiple events this weekend. Hanko owns the teams top times in both the mile (4:09.99) and 3,000-meter (8:15.58) events, while Olsen has individually met the IC4A standard in the mile (4:12.15), 3,000-meter (8:19.02) and 5,000-meter (14:40.14) races. Olsen also served on Navys fastest distance medley relay of the year, alongside Harris, Craig Meekins (Sr./Baldwin, N.Y.) and Will Ricks (Sr./Hopewell, Va.).

Multi-event athlete Ron Belany (Sr./Haiku, Hawaii) played a crucial role in Navys triumph at the Patriot League Championship and has qualified in four events this Saturday and Sunday. The Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship with a school-record total of 5,311 points in the heptathlon, which ranks 37th in the country. Belany also posted personal bests in the pole vault (4.96 meters) and the long jump (7.26 meters) to build his heptathlon score. He also won the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 8.12 seconds.

The throwing events are another area of strength for the Midshipmen, as they have two qualifiers in both the shot put and weight throw. Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) won the shot put at the league championship (17.16 meters), while Andre Barber (Sr./Carrollton, Texas) placed third in the event (16.26 meters). Christopher Bordino (Jr./Gastonia, N.C.) topped all league competitors in the weight throw (17.88 meters) and Mark Van Orden (So./Morris Plains, N.J.) landed second with his effort two weeks ago (17.23 meters).

Those who qualify for the NCAA Championship will compete at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., next Friday and Saturday (March 14-15).

GreatAmerican · March 6, 2008, 5:48pm

For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Mids to Compete at Penn State Tri-Meet on Saturday

ANNAPOLIS, Md. After producing its highest team score last Friday, the Navy gymnastics team (8-4) will face a stiff challenge this Saturday when it heads up to University Park, Pa., to take on second-ranked Penn State (4-1) and ninth-ranked William & Mary (5-3), starting at 2 p.m.

The Midshipmen rank 13th in the country with a three-score average of 339.483 points following their 340.8-point showing against William & Mary last Friday in Annapolis. Navy ranks among the nations top-13 schools on the floor exercise (12th, 57.583 points), parallel bars (13th, 55.933 points) and high bar (ninth, 56.817 points).

Ranking second among all ECAC gymnasts in two events is Brandon Cook (Sr./Longmont, Colo.). Cooks 15.233-point three-score average on the floor exercise places him 12th in the nation, only 0.017-point off William & Mary Dave Lockes ECAC-best 15.25-point mark. Cook also boasts a 15.55-mark on the vault to rank second in the conference.

Adam Stanton (Jr./Centennial, Colo.) tops all gymnasts in the ECAC and ranks 13th nationally on the pommel horse with a three-score average of 14.467 points. Last Friday against William & Mary, Stanton executed a 14.5-point routine to win the event.

All-around gymnast Christopher Tam (Sr./Draper, Utah) has had significant success on the high bar this winter, evidenced by his 14.6 three-point average that ranks second in the conference and 16th in the country. Tams mark is only bested by William & Mary Andrew Hunts 14.883-point ranking in the ECAC.

Following this weekends tri-meet, Navy will host its final meet of the year when Temple comes to Macdonough Hall on Saturday, March 15, at 1 p.m.

AcademyFan · March 6, 2008, 8:02pm

Tough loss for the Men’s Bball team of navy, I just saw the highlights on espn. What a heartbreaker to play hard for the game and 3OTs and lose to a prayer.

GreatAmerican · March 7, 2008, 6:15am

For Immediate Release
Sent Thursday, March 6, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy in Third Place at EISL Championship

BOSTON, Mass. – Erik Hunter (Fr., Placerville, Calif.) and Adam Meyer (So., Bethesda, Md.) both set a pair of Navy records on the day to help highlight the opening day of the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championship for the Midshipmen. Navy stands in third place with 280 points after Thursday, the first day of the three-day meet being contested at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool in Boston.

“We had a little bit better session this evening than we did this morning,” said Navy head coach Bill Roberts. “The guys were able to either hold or, in many cases, improve upon their positioning in the finals.”

The morning session saw Hunter advance to the championship final of the 500 freestyle and Meyer qualify for the championship final of the 200 individual medley with record breaking performances in their respective events. Hunter’s trials time clocking of 4:27.36 broke the school record of 4:27.47 (Eric Winter, 1992), while Meyer’s time of 1:50.11 broke the Navy standard of 1:50.73 (Ian Johnston, 1996).

The evening session saw both swimmers lower their records even more. Hunter placed sixth in the 500 free final with a time of 4:27.25, with Meyer finishing in third place in the 200 IM with a time of 1:48.69. Each time was also an NCAA ‘B’ cut qualifying effort.

“We couldn’t be happy with either Erik or Adam,” said Roberts. “Erik made a few minor adjustments from this morning and they paid off. Adam out together four solid legs of the medley this evening.”

The 200 IM was Navy’s deepest swimming event of the night with four Mids qualifying for the evening session in the event. In addition to Meyer, additional Navy finalists in the 200 IM included Christopher Jenkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill.), who placed third in the consolation final, Billy Vey (Jr., Huntersville, N.C.), who finished seventh in the consolation final, and Jesse Cohen (Fr., Mountain Lakes, N.J.), the second-place swimmer in the bonus final.

Navy’s divers also gave a great boost to the team’s scoring on the night as all four Mids placed among the top-12 performers on the one-meter springboard. Leading the way for Navy was Olaf Olson (Fr., Bainbridge Island, Wash.), who tallied 289.50 points to place second, and Jon Galinski (Jr., Phoenix, Md.), who accrued 269.55 points to finish in sixth place.

“Our divers were super today,” said Roberts.

Rounding out the individual event efforts on the day for Navy was Alex Oldenkamp (Jr., Coppell, Texas) winning the consolation final of the 50 freestyle.

Navy also placed ninth in the 200 freestyle relay and eighth in the 400 medley relay.

“We had a good first day, but we have a big one ahead of us Friday,” said Roberts.

Navy’s Evening Results
200 Freestyle Relay
B Final – Navy, 1st (9th) – 1:24.41 (Preston Mihalko, Patrick Veltmann, Jack Curran, Alex Oldenkamp)

500 Freestyle Relay
A Final – Erik Hunter, 6th, 4:27.36
C Final – James Lascara, 3rd (19th), 4:32.62

200 Individual Medley
A Final – Adam Meyer, 3rd, 1:48.69
B Final – Christopher Jenkins, 3rd (11th), 1:52.30; Billy Vey, 7th (15th), 1:53.83
C Final – Jesse Cohen, 2nd (18th), 1:52.92

50 Freestyle
B Final – Alex Oldenkamp, 1st (9th), 20.72

1-M Diving
A Final – Olaf Olson, 2nd, 289.50; Jon Galinski, 6th, 269.55
B Final – Adam Niekras, 2nd (10th), 283.05; Zach Templin, 4th (12th), 269.60

400 Medley Relay
Timed Final – Navy, 8th, 3:22.90 (Billy Vey, Kevin Kysiak, Adam Meyer, Alex Oldenkamp)

Team Scores

Harvard, 485; 2. Princeton, 402; 3. Navy, 280; 4. Yale, 260; 5. Brown, 226; 6. Cornell, 216; 7. Columbia, 204; 8. Penn, 161; 9. Dartmouth, 78

GreatAmerican · March 7, 2008, 7:49am

For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, March 7, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy’s Zahalka Repeats as League Scholar-Athlete of the Year

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Patriot League office announced Thursday night that Navy’s Kelly Zahalka (Jr., Richmond, Va.) was selected as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the sport of women’s swimming and diving. This is the second-straight year in which she has won the laurel.

An honors history major with a minor in Chinese, Zahalka has posted a cumulative grade-point average of 4.00 and is ranked first in her class on both the academic and military orders of merit at the Academy. In addition to previously earning the league’s scholar-athlete award in 2007, she also garnered Third-Team Academic All-America honors from ESPN the Magazine and the College Sports Information Directors of America and received Academic All-America distinction from the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America last year.

In the pool this year, Zahalka won a pair of individual and relay event titles at the Patriot League Championship to raise her career total of crowns to six and four, respectively. Individually she won the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley titles at the meet this year, while helping the Mids win the 200 and 800 freestyle relay titles, as well. Additionally, she placed second by eight-hundredth of a second in the 200 IM final and tallied the second-highest total of individual points (57) scored at the meet.

She also totaled 24 individual event victories in 37 races during the 2007-08 regular season.

Zahalka was selected as the 2007 Patriot League Swimmer of the Year after winning the 200 butterfly and both individual medley events at that year’s league championship, which came one year after her winning the league’s 400 IM title as a freshman. She has never finished lower than fourth place in an individual event at the Patriot League Meet and has finished second, first and in a tie for fifth place for the most points scored by an individual at her three championship meets.

She holds Navy records in the 200 fly, 400 IM and 800 free relay, Patriot League records in the 400 IM and 800 free relay and league meet records in the 200 fly, 400 IM and 800 free relay.

Zahalka has totaled 70 career individual event regular season victories, which includes a 7-0 record in individual events during Army-Navy meets.

GreatAmerican · March 7, 2008, 9:29am

by Gary Lambrecht, The Examiner

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Getting eliminated from contention for the NCAA Tournament by a buzzer-beating, 42-foot bank shot at the end of triple overtime can take some of the life out of you.

As the stunned Navy Midshipmen exchanged high-fives with fans Wednesday night at Alumni Hall, moments after Bucknell guard John Griffin crushed the Mids by turning a two-point Navy win into an 87-86 Bison victory in the first round of Patriot League tournament, Navy was the staggering picture of physical and emotional exhaustion.

But even after absorbing a double-blow first by losing to Colgate on Saturday and missing a chance to secure a berth in the National Invitational Tournament with a regular season conference title, then by squandering a 17-point, second-half lead to Bucknell the Mids found some peace.

Through all of the pain that will linger with everyone from fourth-year coach Billy Lange to departing seniors such as star guard Greg Sprink, the Mids know they accomplished one mission this season.

College basketball is something to be excited about again in Annapolis.

The credit first goes to Lange, the high-energy, 36-year-old from South Jersey who assembled the talent to play his up-tempo, four-guard, spread style designed to produce lots of turnovers and a ton of three-point shots.

Lange, who cut his coaching teeth as an assistant at La Salle and Villanova and as a successful head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, was hired in 2004 to resuscitate a Navy program that had produced 23 victories the previous three seasons combined.

The Mids took gradual steps forward in Lange¹s first three years, and finished 14-16 last year, including a 4-10 record in the Patriot League. And they had become competitive again in the majority of league contests.

Then, after being picked to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason, Navy started to click for good after stumbling to a 3-8 start. By the time it reached the league tournament as the No. 2 seed, Navy boasted the conference¹s Coach of the Year and Player of the Year in Sprink. It also had recorded 16 wins, its most victories in seven seasons.

“We couldn’t even talk about winning the first year,” Sprink said. “We just talked about playing hard, playing tough, playing together, playing for Navy.”

“We emphasized the foundation,” Lange, recalling the early years, said. “You’re just trying to get an image of what Navy basketball should represent. You have to adjust to what you do with the personnel you have. We have very good players, but we¹re not going to beat anybody in our league on talent alone.”

So Lange built this year’s squad around three-point specialists such as sophomore Chris Harris, who has been ranked all year among the nation’s top 50 shooters from beyond the arc. And he leaned heavily on Sprink, a 6-feet-5 matchup problem with the ability to post up opponents, drive to the basket after the offense helped clear space for him to go one-on-one, or spot up on the perimeter for jumpers.

Sprink carried Navy to a 34-24 halftime lead on Wednesday with a 24-point masterpiece, befitting a guy who led the Patriot League with a 21.2-point scoring average.

But he could not sustain his offense, and the Mids followed suit by fading badly down the stretch in regulation.

Then, after playing nearly 19 minutes with four fouls, Sprink fouled out in the final seconds of double-overtime, just after scoring his career-high, 37th point. That left him to watch the shocking end to his career on the bench.

“It’s been a tremendous journey,” he said. “I believe we’ve turned this program around. Now we have a chance to go to the NCAAs.”

Navy has not gone to the sport’s main event since 1998. Even as they come to grips with Wednesday¹s cruel, season-ending moment, they look like a program that won’t be waiting much longer to return.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com">glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com</a>.

Navy Sports

CONNECT WITH US