Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · July 10, 2007, 7:00pm

The 2007 Navy football roster is now available at:

<a href=“http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/navy-m-footbl-mtt.html[/url]”>http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/navy-m-footbl-mtt.html</a>

Included on the roster is updated bios and head shots of selected players.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 6:43pm

Offshore Sailing Team Wins International Event

Last week, a team of sailors from both the IC and Offshore Sailing teams won first place overall in the Regate des Ecoles Navales Etrangeres, a three-day competition among International Naval Academy teams in Brest, France. This is the second consecutive year Navy has won this event.

The crew was led by skipper Andrew Vann and included Kevin McGill, Mike Mullee, Matt Libby and Noah Gray.

This same team then traveled to Newport, R.I., where they also won the Newport Tall Ships Festival Intercollegiate Regatta this past weekend.

For more information contact Jahn Tihansky at Navy Sailing.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 6:45pm

Navy’s Kirsten Andrews Named Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Andrews Named Patriot League’s Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy’s two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Kirsten Andrews (New Holland, Pa.) has been selected the Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while 13 other Midshipmen were named to league’s academic honor roll, it was announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.

Andrews is the first two-time Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year selection in program history and the fourth in league history, as she first earned the honor during the 2006 campaign. The recent graduate was also recognized as the 2007 Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the winter. She has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll during each of her four years in Annapolis.

An ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American this year, Andrews maintained a 3.91 cumulative grade point average while majoring in quantitative economics. She posted a 4.0 grade point average during each of her final-four semesters and graduated 37th out of her class of 1046. She was named to the Superintendent’s List each of the last-four semesters and was honored on the Commandant’s List during all eight of her semesters in Annapolis. This past spring, she was one of 29 females in the country to earn a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, which she will use while doing graduate studies in the field of operations research at the University of Delaware.

Athletically, Andrews broke four school records during her senior campaign and graduated from the Academy holding six program records. She earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors in three events this outdoor season (110-meter hurdles, pole vault, long jump) and was named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet at the 2007 outdoor championship. At the 2007 NCAA East Region Championship, she tied for eighth place in the pole vault, the highest finish by a Navy competitor in school history.

Among the total of 167 student-athletes honored by the Patriot League, 13 posted a 4.00 spring semester grade-point average, with Navy and Bucknell each leading the way with three apiece. Joining Andrews among the select list are rising senior Vicki Moore (Burke, Va.) and rising sophomore Jenny Rubin (Papillion, Neb.). Moore, an information technology major, has been named to the leagues academic honor roll in each of her three years at Navy.

Also earning Patriot League Academic Honor Roll distinction for the third time during their careers are recent graduate Allison Barlow (Orange Park, Fla.) and rising senior Stefanie Peskosky (Charlotte, N.C.). Two-time league academic honor roll members include rising seniors Michelle Bostic (Rockwall, Texas), Lauren Burmeister (Brownsdale, Minn.) and Kyleigh Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.).

Rising seniors Arwyn Becker (Avon, Colo.), Joanna Clark (Harpers Ferry, W.Va.) and Liz Hall (Erie, Pa.), rising juniors Katie Berkey (Tempe, Ariz.) and Maureen Dooley (Durham, Conn.) and rising sophomore Jessica Schlaegel (Nashport, Ohio) each made their first-career appearance on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a varsity letter while maintaining at least a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 6:47pm

For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 11, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775

Fans Invited To Navy Fan Fest/Media Day

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-Fans of Navy football are invited to the 2007 Navy Football Fan Fest/Media Day on Monday, July 30 from 2-4 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Fan Fest activities will include interactive inflatable games, skill and agility contests run by the players, autograph stations, giveaways and live music. The first 250 kids will receive a free t-shirt. Fans attending should enter the parking lot through Gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue and enter the stadium on the Blue or press box side. There will be a $5 charge for parking and admission to the event is free.

Fans will also be able to purchase football tickets, media guides and merchandise. For more information contact Kris Whitacre (410) 293-8712 or Lauren Esterson (410) 293-8787.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 8:19pm

Coach’s Q&A: Paul Johnson
Navy coach discusses his previous job in Honolulu and his time in Annapolis

July 11, 2007

By Steve Brauntuch

Special to CSTV.com

It’s difficult to find two more disparate schools than Hawai’i and Navy. But after spending eight seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Warriors - and setting 160 school records in the process - Paul Johnson decided to leave Honolulu for Annapolis and take the offensive reins at Navy. In just two seasons, Johnson’s offense led the Midshipmen to their first bowl game in over a decade. Then, in his first head coaching job, he led Georgia Southern to two straight Division I-AA (Championship Subdivision) national titles. So when Navy was looking for a new head coach after the 2001 season, Johnson was the first name on their list.

In fact, Johnson’s name has been coming up on lists across the country now that he has turned Navy back into a football contender. Under his leadership, the Midshipmen have won four straight Commander-in-Chief Trophies. Johnson spoke about his offense, recruiting at a service academy and those pesky Fighting Irish.

SB: Before you got to Navy, the program was 1-20 in the previous two seasons. What was the first step you took in trying to turn the program around?

PJ: Well, I think the first thing we had to try to change was the attitude and convince the guys that they could be successful and they had a chance to win. And when you haven’t had much success, sometimes that’s tough to do. But we had a great bunch of young people to work with and got that turned around really fairly quickly. That first year seemed like a long, drawn out year, but in hindsight, I guess we got it turned fairly quickly.

SB: You’ve really changed offensive schemes since your spread offense days as the offensive coordinator at Hawai’i. What made you change to a run-first system when you got to Navy?

PJ: Well, we’ve always run the same offense. We’ve just highlighted different portions of it. We’re running exactly the same thing today that we ran at Hawai’i when I was there with just more emphasis on the run here. At Hawaii, we threw the ball a lot more. You know, given personnel, we could go back to that again. We just try to do what gives us the best chance to be successful, and here at Navy, trying to control the clock and run the ball makes some sense from a team standpoint and gives us the best chance to win.

SB: How big of an adjustment was it for you to coach at Navy? How difficult was it to adjust to a more rigid atmosphere than you had experienced elsewhere?

PJ: Well, certainly there’s time limits and different limitations on recruiting and academics and those types of things. But once you get on the grass, coaching is coaching, and you put in a system and your job as a coach is to try to help the guys get better and to give them something that they can believe in. You get them together as one unit, trying to fire as one person instead of 11 individuals. So that part of it is not any different anywhere you coach.

SB: Recruiting must be more challenging for you than it has been at other places, given the restrictions and also the climate we’re in right now. How do you sell recruits who are just looking to come play football in college on coming to Navy?

PJ: We’ve got a great product to sell, certainly for young men who are interested in having a chance to be ultra successful in their lives and who are high achievers. This place is really going to challenge you. And then when you graduate from here, you get some great experience and some great chances to do things that you couldn’t do at other schools. So I think the biggest part is just making sure that everybody understands what the Naval Academy has to offer. The hard part becomes that the pool is so much smaller because of the academic restrictions, because of the military commitment when you graduate, that it’s a little bit tougher to recruit here than it would be at a state university somewhere.

SB: Do you think not playing in a major football conference hurts your ability to make an impact on the national stage?

PJ: Not really. I look at it the other way. I think that we’re a national school, and it gives us a chance to play a national schedule. We have three constants each year - Army, Air Force and Notre Dame. Then after that, we can play a broad spectrum. We can play Stanford out of the Pac-10 or Wake Forest in the ACC. This year we’ve got Rutgers and Pittsburgh out of the Big East. So we can play a broad spectrum of those schools, and we’re not locked into a set conference schedule. It gives us some flexibility from the scheduling standpoint.

SB: When you start out each season at Navy, which goal is more important to you and your team - winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy or reaching a major bowl game?

PJ: Without a doubt, to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. I mean, that’s the No. 1 goal of our program and I think our alumni and everybody involved. You know, we’ve been lucky. We’ve been fortunate that since we’ve been here, we’re 9-1 against the other service academies. Hopefully we can continue to have success, but there’s no question. That’s the biggest goal of the program. [The bowl game] is also a goal. Each year, I let our seniors and our team come up with their own team goals, and we try to hold them to five or six things that we can put on a board in the locker room and see every day. And certainly, going to a bowl game and winning a bowl game is usually one of the goals. But I learned a long time ago that you have to let each team set their own goals. I think it means more to them than if I just go in there and say, Okay guys, here are the five goals for this year. Now, it’s my job to help guide them and make sure that they understand how important the CIC Trophy is and those types of things. But when you walk around and you square every corner for a year and every time you do something, it’s “Beat Army,” and every weight says “Beat Army” and the fight song says “Beat Army,” you don’t have to be real smart to figure out that’s important.

SB: Do you think there will ever be a time while you’re coaching at Navy where you guys can really compete against the top 5 schools in the nation? Will Navy ever really be able to compete against Florida and USC?

PJ: Well, I think we’ve competed with pretty much everyone we’ve played since we’ve been here. We play four, five or six BCS teams every year. I don’t know that our expectations… we don’t want to line up and play USC one week, Florida and then Ohio State. But I think in a given situation, when we’ve had a chance, we’ve beaten Rutgers. We’ve beaten Boston College. We’ve beaten Georgia Tech. We’ve beaten some of those teams - maybe not in the last two or three years, but it’s happened. We’ve beaten West Virginia. We’ve played Notre Dame down to the last play in two years since I’ve been here. So we have a chance to compete with them. I don’t know that anybody wants to play that kind of schedule one right after the other.

SB: Why do you think you guys can’t seem to get over the hump and beat Notre Dame?

PJ: They usually have better players. I jokingly told somebody, as soon as we’re favored, we’ll probably get them. It’s a challenge, and like I said, there have been some games that could have gone either way. You know, Notre Dame doesn’t have anybody on their roster that Navy recruited, I can promise you. And we don’t have anybody on our roster that Notre Dame offered or recruited. So it’s two different deals. Now does that mean we can’t beat them? Of course not. But we have to play above our head and catch some breaks. And to this point, it just hasn’t happened. The first year I was here, we were up by 8 with six minutes to go and they found a way to come back. Then two years later, they beat us on the last play of the game and kicked a 44-yard field goal. But one of these times, it’s not going to be good and you’re going to win the game, or somebody’s going to block it or tip it, or you’re the one who’s going to kick the 40-yard field goal. But we’ve just got to keep playing, and we enjoy the series, and I don’t think that we’re in awe of Notre Dame. We certainly have a great deal of respect for them, but our guys look forward to playing those games.

SB: You had a lot of success in I-AA football at Georgia Southern. What do you think is the biggest difference between I-A and I-AA football?

PJ: Depth, maybe. Size, depth… again, I think football is football. You know, any time you’ve got 85 scholarships, you’re probably going to be better than a team with 63. But from a football standpoint, there’s nothing different. The same things that work in I-AA work in I-A. The perception and notoriety that the league gets is probably not what it deserves. There are some good teams in that division, but nobody pays much attention to it unless you’re a fan of that school.

SB: Your name comes up for openings at other schools every year and you don’t have an alma mater tie to Navy. Have you been tempted to leave Navy for another job where you might not have so many restrictions on you?

PJ: I don’t know about tempted. I’m very fortunate - I have a really good job and I get to work with outstanding young people. I learned a long time ago that you never say never. Right now, I’m happy doing what we’re doing, and we love living here, and I’ve got great guys to work with. But it’s intriguing to think that you’d have a chance sometime maybe to win a championship where it might be a little easier. But right now, we’re happy where we are.

SB: When you arrive at campus in December to prepare for a bowl game, how much do you miss the weather you used to have in Hawai’i?

PJ: We miss it a lot. Actually, I just came back from Hawai’i. We were over there last week for eight days. I had forgotten how great it was to be 82 [degrees] every day. But again, Annapolis is a great place. We’re right on the water, and you have four distinct seasons. When I was in Hawai’i, as great as it was, I missed the seasons there. I think it’s what you make out of it. Certainly, we enjoy living here. We’ve got a new $59 million facility here that’ll be done in March, and that’ll make it a lot easier to practice here in December and January.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 8:22pm

Navy Men’s Track & Field: Eleven Midshipmen Named to Patriot League Academic Honor Roll

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Eleven Midshipmen Named to Patriot League Academic Honor Roll

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Navy men’s track & field team landed 11 student-athletes onto the 2007 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, it was announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.

Earning Patriot League Academic Honor Roll honors for mens track & field in all-four years with Navy is recent graduate Michael Niemi (Duluth, Minn.). A 2007 ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-American, he posted a 3.85 grade-point average during the spring semester while majoring in systems engineering.

Rising seniors Ben Kozy (Houston, Texas) and Brandon Vier (Houston, Texas) were named to their third Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in as many years with the Navy track & field team. Kozy, a systems engineering major, produced a 3.67 grade-point average last semester while Vier, an electrical engineering major, maintained a 3.84 grade-point average during the spring.

Four Midshipmen were selected to the leagues academic honor roll in mens track & field for the second time in their career on Wednesday. Recent graduates Cole Herron (Sanger, Calif.) and Cameron Lindsay (Kernersville, N.C.) and rising seniors John Kress (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Jasen Lee (San Jose, Calif.) each recorded at least a 3.60 grade-point average during the spring.

Recent graduate Nate Stein (Sandusky, Ohio), rising junior Gavin MacGarva (Bellevue, Wash.) and rising sophomores Matlack Gillin (Oreland, Pa.) and Mark Van Orden (Morris Plains, N.J.) all made their first-career appearance on the leagues academic honor roll for mens track & field. MacGarva, an aerospace engineering major, was one of eight student-athletes in the Patriot League to earn a 4.00 grade-point average last spring.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a varsity letter while maintaining at least a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester. A total of 126 student-athletes were recognized on the leagues mens track & field academic honor roll this year.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 8:24pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Duo Earns League Academic Award

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Navy’s Betsy Burnett (New Holstein, Wis.) and Margaret Knap (Chicago, Ill.) were among the 45 women’s basketball players recently named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the sport.

Student-athletes who earned a varsity letter at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season while also attaining a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 during the 2007 spring semester garnered the accolade.

An English major, Burnett posted a 3.46 GPA during the spring term, while Knap, who majored in comparative politics, compiled a 3.36 GPA. The duo graduated from the Naval Academy this May, with Burnett being commissioned as an ensign in the Navy and Knap receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 8:26pm

For: Immediate Release
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Contact: Chris Forman - 410-293-8774

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy’s 29-game regular season schedule, announced today, includes five teams that played in the postseason a year ago, six non-conference home games, a game played at the site of the 2008 Final Four, two contests in the historic Palestra and a game in San Diego three days before the Poinsettia Bowl.

“We feel this may be our most balanced and hardest schedule to date,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange, who enters his fourth year in charge of the Navy basketball program. “We are very pleased with the make-up of the schedule. The non-conference portion will challenge us every time we step on the court, and will prepare us for the Patriot League schedule adequately. This year’s league race figures to be a very competitive one, and the non-conference schedule will prepare us for January.”

Navy will open the season at Longwood on Nov. 9, 2007. The Lancers, who will be in their first Division I season after going through the reclassification process for the previous four years, finished last year with a 9-22 record. Longwood will return a trip to Annapolis on Jan. 5, 2008.

The Mids will then head to Philadelphia for a Sunday afternoon matinee with Drexel on Nov. 11. The Dragons finished last year with a 23-9 record, but were left out of the NCAA Tournament, despite a 13-5 Colonial Athletic Association mark. The Dragons lost in the first round of the NIT to N.C. State, 63-56.

Navy will open its home portion of the schedule with a Wednesday, Nov. 14, contest against Robert Morris. RMU finished last year with a 17-11 record, and will return four starters from last year’s squad. The Colonials also have a new head coach in Mike Rice, who was Jamie Dixon’s top assistant at Pittsburgh. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1982.

Navy will travel to the Lone Star State for a tilt with Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 17 in the AlamoDome. The contest will be the lone college basketball game in the facility before the Final Four gets underway in early April. It will be the first time since 1947 (New York; Madison Square Garden) that Navy will play a game in the facility that hosts the NCAA Championship and the first time since the 1985-86 season that Navy will play in a domed stadium. That year’s team played four games in the CarrierDome in Syracuse, N.Y.

“We are excited to be going to San Antonio to play UTSA, in what is obviously a fantastic venue,” said Lange. “We have three players on our team (Clif Colbert, Romeo Garcia and Jeremy Wilson) that are from Texas, so it will be nice for them to return home and play in front of some family and friends.”

Wilson, a 6-9 freshman center, grew up just 19 miles from San Antonio in Helotes. Colbert hails from Grand Prairie, which is about 280 miles from San Antonio. Lastly, Garcia is from Cypress, Texas, about 201 miles away.

Navy’s final contest before Thanksgiving will come against Canisius at Alumni Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Canisius finished last year with a 12-19 record. It will be the first meeting on the hardwood between the two teams.

Following Thanksgiving, the Midshipmen will compete in the Philly Classic, held at the historic Palestra. The Mids will battle Big East member Seton Hall on Friday, Nov. 23, before playing either Penn or Virginia on Nov. 24. Both Penn and Virginia reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, with the Cavaliers falling by three points to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. Virginia, with Sean Singletary returning to school, could be nationally ranked when the polls come out in October.

“The Palestra is another great venue we will play in this year,” said Lange. “It is an historic place that has a lot of tradition to it. We are going to be playing two good teams no matter who we play on Saturday, so it will be a challenging weekend for us.”

The Mids will play three games in six days beginning on Nov. 27, with a tilt against Howard in Washington, D.C. Navy will then host a pair of home games against Towson (Nov. 29) and Mount St. Mary’s (Dec. 3).

After two weeks off for finals, the Mids head west to battle San Diego State on Dec. 17, just three days before the Poinsettia Bowl. If the football team wins six games this year, the Poinsettia Bowl will be the reward for the team. San Diego State finished last year 22-11 and lost to Syracuse in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. The game will be the first for Navy in the state of California since the 1996-97 season when the Mids traveled to Stanford. It will also be a homecoming for senior captain Greg Sprink, who hails from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, just 25 miles north of San Diego.

Navy will conclude the 2007 portion with a pair of road games at Maryland-Eastern Shore (Dec. 22) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (Dec. 29). The final non-conference home games will come on Jan. 2 against New Jersey Tech and the Jan. 5 game against Longwood.

The Mids open Patriot League play at Bucknell on Jan. 12. The home contest with rival Army will take place on Jan. 26 as part of a women-men doubleheader with the Black Knights. Navy will return the trip to Army on Feb. 23 for the annual Star Game.

GreatAmerican · July 11, 2007, 8:28pm

For: Immediate Release
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Contact: Chris Forman - 410-293-8774

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy women’s lacrosse head coach Cindy Timchal recently announced her first full recruiting class that features eight players. The Class of 2011 is the first recruiting class that will compete in Division I, beginning next year. Last June, Navy made the decision to elevate the team to varsity status, and will begin Division I and Patriot League play in February.

“This is an exciting class for us, being that it is our first full recruiting class,” said Timchal. “We feel these players will be able to help us immediately and hope that they can contribute for us next year. It is an athletic class and we are excited to have them come as we make the transition to Division I. With what we have returning next year and these newcomers, we feel very comfortable with the team as we enter a new era.”

The class consists of players hailing from seven states, including two from Maryland and one each from California, Georgia, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

Navy will open its inaugural Division I season on Feb. 19, 2008, when it hosts St. Francis at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. All of Navy’s home games will be played at the stadium.

Name – Hometown / High School
Lexi Dauernheim – Monterey, Calif. / Santa Catalina
Meg Decker – Baltimore, Md. / Mt. De Sales
Kristin Lein – Peachtree City, Ga. / McIntosh
Caitlin Mandrin Hill – Annapolis, Md. / St. Mary’s
Katrina Nietsch – New Canaan, Conn. / New Canaan
Alison Reckenbeil – Somerville, N.J. / Somerville
Erica Sizemore – East Amherst, N.Y. / Williamsville East
Ryan Yohe – Springfield, Va. / West Springfield

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:08pm

<a href=“Team preview: Navy - ESPN”>http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/news/story?id=2920558&univLogin02=stateChanged&action=login&appRedirect=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.espn.go.com%2Fncf%2Finsider%2Fnews%2Fstory%3Fid%3D2920558%26univLogin02%3DstateChanged</a>

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:09pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Thursday, July 12, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy’s Lai Helps Headline League Academic Honor Roll

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Navy tennis team captain Adrian Lai (Tucson, Ariz.) was one of four Mids named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the sport, the league recently announced.

A total of 26 men’s tennis players in the league earned their way onto the honor roll, which required student-athletes to receive a varsity letter during the 2007 season and attain a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 during the spring term.

Lai, who helped lead the Mids to the 2007 Patriot League Tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament berth in eight years, was the lone tennis player in the league to attain a 4.00 GPA during the spring semester. The systems engineering major previously was named to the league’s honor roll following his 2006 junior season.

Jason Hill (Marietta, Ga.), Alex James (Visalia, Calif.) and Johnny Waters (Omaha, Neb.) joined Lai in representing Navy on the honor roll. James, a rising senior, attained a 3.56 GPA during the spring semester as an economics major, while rising juniors Hill (systems engineering) and Waters (English) achieved GPA’s of 3.53 and 3.47, respectively.

Both Hill and Waters also garnered the accolade last year, while James received the award for the first time in his career.

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:11pm

For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 12, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775

Phil Steele’s College Football Preseason Magazine Predicts Navy To Go 7-5

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-Phil Steele’s 2007 College Football Preseason Magazine
predicts Navy to go 7-5 this fall and play BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl in San
Diego. The Mids were ranked 75th in his preseason power rankings. Notre
Dame (34th), Rutgers (39th), Wake Forest (51st), Pittsburgh (56th) and
Northern Illinois (66th) were all ranked ahead of Navy, while Air Force
(89th), Ball State (96th), Duke (101st), Army (114th), Temple (116th) and
North Texas (118th) were all ranked behind the Midshipmen.

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:13pm

<a href=“Examiner is back - Examiner.com”>Examiner is back - Examiner.com;

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:15pm

<a href=“http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/0708-media-guide.html[/url]”>http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/0708-media-guide.html</a>

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:17pm

Navy Football Outlook

Scott Strasemeier
Associate Athletic Director
United States Naval Academy

The 2006 Navy football season was the culmination of a remarkable four-year run by a group of 34 midshipmen that made up the Class of 07, a class that will go down in history as one of the greatest to play football at the Naval Academy.

Thirty-five wins (second most in school history), an 8-0 mark against the other two Service Academies (first time in school history), four-consecutive Commander-In-Chief¹s Trophies (first time in school history), four-consecutive bowl bids (first time in school history) and two bowl wins in four years (second time in school history) leave a legacy that future classes will strive to achieve.

The first to take a crack at those marks will be this year’s group of seniors. Though not as large in number (26), the Class of 2008 will have a chance to go undefeated against the other two Service Academies, win the Commander-In-Chief¹s Trophy all four years, go to four-straight bowl games, win three bowls games (would be the first class in school history) and with 27 career wins entering this season, will have a chance to become the winningest class in school history (will need nine wins to tie the record and 10 wins to break the record).

“This year’s team reminds me a lot of the 2005 squad,” said Navy head coach Paul Johnson. "In 2005 we had to replace most of our offense, and this year we have to replace the majority of the defense. The 2005 team showed a lot of toughness by bouncing back from an 0-2 start. It will be interesting to see how tough this group is.

“This team has the athletic ability and talent to have a good year if it wants to work. We have started to build a program here and the pressure is on this year’s seniors to keep the ball rolling,” continued Johnson. “This senior class has a chance to match and even surpass last year’s senior class when you start talking about career wins and bowl wins. How bad does this group want to do that? We will find out this summer. We have to outwork people. I don’t think anybody on our schedule is going to be scared of us.”

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:18pm

For Immediate Release
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Two Midshipmen Selected to Patriot League Academic Honor Roll

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Navy baseball team placed two student-athletes onto the 2007 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, it was announced by the league office on Thursday morning.

Rising senior right-handed pitcher Mark Foris (Maspeth, N.Y.) earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll accolades for the first time in his career, as he maintained a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring. The general science major has been named to the Commandant’s List during each of his last-three semesters in Annapolis. On the mound, he logged 11.0 innings and struck out seven batters in 14 relief appearances, tied for third most on the team.

Rising junior right-handed pitcher Matt White (Yorba Linda, Calif.) was selected to the league’s academic honor roll for the second-straight year after posting a 3.39 grade-point average in the spring, while majoring in mechanical engineering. In seven starts on the hill, White went 4-1 with a 4.89 ERA in 35.0 innings with 29 strikeouts.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a varsity letter while maintaining at least a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester. A total of 51 student-athletes were recognized on the league’s baseball academic honor roll this year.

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:19pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Thursday, July 12, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Mids Place 12 on League Academic Honor Roll for Rowing

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women’s crew program placed 12 members of its varsity squad onto the recently announced 2007 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the sport.

A total of 96 student-athletes from the five rowing programs comprising the league garnered the award this year, which featured the eligibility requirements of earning a varsity letter during the 2007 spring season while also attaining a minimum 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester.

A trio of Mids were among the six rowers in the league to post a 4.00 GPA during the spring term. Recent Navy graduate Diane Cote (Worcester, Mass.) achieved a 4.00 GPA, as did rising seniors Darray Hunt (Cheyenne, Wyo.) and Catherine Ortman (Moline, Ill). Cote earned a degree in chemistry, Hunt is an oceanography major and Ortman is majoring in ocean engineering.

Now in its third year as a league-sponsored sport, Navy has seen at least 10 members of its rowing team garner the academic accolade in each season. A program-high 13 Mids earned their way onto the inaugural 2005 honor roll, with 10 qualifying for the achievement last season. Joining Cote and Ortman as Mids who have garnered the accolade during each of the three seasons are 2007 graduate Madeline Boe (Winchester Bay, Ore.), who was previously tabbed as the 2006 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the sport, and rising senior Fiona McFarland (New York, N.Y.).

Navy’s 2007 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll Members for Women’s Crew
Madeline Boe, Sr., Winchester Bay, Ore., honors oceanography major, 3.68 GPA, third appearance
Diane Cote, Sr., Worcester, Mass., chemistry, 4.00, third
Gretchen Driessnack, So., Dale City, Va., oceanography, 3.45, first
Kerry Hannon, So., Bethesda, Md., math, 3.76, second
Margaret Hollyfield, Sr., DeSoto, Texas, mechanical engineering, 3.27, second
Darray Hunt, Jr., Cheyenne, Wyo., oceanography, 4.00, first
Kristin Lyles, Fr., Fairfax Station, Va., chemistry, 3.38, first
Johanna Mahoney, Fr., Seattle, Wash., oceanography, 3.25, first
Abby Maxwell, Sr., Salina, Kan., American politics & law, 3.29, first
Fiona McFarland, Jr., New York, N.Y., honors political science, 3.68, third
Abby Mennerich, Sr., Newburgh, N.Y., economics, 3.57, second
Catherine Ortman, Jr., Moline, Ill., ocean engineering, 4.00, third

GreatAmerican · July 12, 2007, 7:23pm

Frank Edwards was an All-American 165-pounder for the Navy Wrestling Team. He has served in Iraq and now is based at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego where he commands a platoon of snipers

By Jeremy O’Kasick - The Wrestling Mall Freelance Writer

In the Marine Corps, there is a saying, Once a Marine, always a Marine.

That certainly holds true for 1st Lieutenant Frank Edwards, a 2004 Naval Academy graduate and former All-American wrestler. But he also kicks in his own motto.

Above all, I am a wrestler, says the 24-year-old Edwards. Before I identify myself as a Marine, or a surfer, or a man, I am a wrestler.

Beyond grappling and surfing, Lt. Edwards’ military expertise happens to be the stuff of warrior lore and action movie blockbusters. He is a sniper. In fact, he commands a platoon of snipers. Now stationed at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego, he had previously been deployed to Iraq working alongside Iraqi soldiers as an advisor. Edwards will be the first to tell you that his job is all about Leatherneck grit. Just forget all about the Hollywood glamour.

Edwards is just one example of the many former wrestlers serving in the military and in Iraq and Afghanistan. A recent class of Navy wrestlers alone sent 10 graduates into the Marines and another into the Navy Seals. Edwards notes that when he recruits for snipers, he often looks for people with backgrounds in wrestling.

Wrestling is the founding block for many of us, Edwards says. You get that baseline of being mentally and physically tough. It gives you a solid work ethic that you can apply later on.

A Maryland native, Edwards wrestled at Sherwood High School before going on to become a Midshipman in Annapolis. He has several older relatives who served in both the Army and Navy. He noted that wrestling kept him focused throughout college.

Academics did not always come easily to me, says Edwards, who placed 7th in the 2003 NCAA national tournament at 165 pounds. Wrestling kept me in it.

Edwards, who was unseeded, opened the 2003 NCAA tournament with a 4-2 overtime win over eighth-seeded Noel Thompson of Hofstra. He then lost to Matt King of Edinboro, 8-2. He then defeated Bill Boeh of Duquesne, 8-0, Oscar Santiago of Purdue, 3-1, and Levi Prevost of Wyoming, 10-4, before losing to John Clark of Ohio State, 10-5.

Remembering Midshipmen Who Gave Their Lives
If it had not been for Doug Zembiec, Edwards might have not ended up in the Marine Corps.

Zembiec, who wrestled for the Midshipmen and graduated in 1995, died in action in Iraq in early May.

Doug was the reason I went into the Marines, says Edwards. He was the perfect infantry man. I emulated Doug and his leadership ability.

May was a trying month for Navy wrestling, as another alumni, Travis Manion, also lost his life while fighting alongside Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah, Iraq. Manion had been one of Edwards’ main training partners in the practice room.

I think about those guys all the time. I try to make decisions and see what they would do, says Edwards. I try to guide my life and make it mean something. I want to make it so that their lives meant something. They didn’t die for nothing.

Navy head coach Bruce Burnett recalls that Manion won the team’s honorary Weems Award for determination, team spirit, sportsmanship and aggressiveness. He also says that Manion had been quite a character.

We had a difficult two weeks, says Burnett. I support these warriors 100 percent. I respect them and the fact that they put their lives on the line. What greater sacrifice can there be?

The long-time Midshipmen coach, who had formerly been an assistant at Oklahoma State, notes that there are some major differences between wrestlers at Navy and those at other colleges and universities.

Honor, courage, commitment, they mean something to these kids. They have a sense of duty, he says.

They have a different mindset. They are goal-orientated and service orientated. It is not all about them, that’s what I’ll say. Their goals about being a national champion are the same. Bottom line, they are now coming to wrestle here and go to the Academy.

The coach praises his former 165 pounder, Edwards, and says that he continues to be a big part of the program in spirit.

He was a hard worker and a gifted athlete - and he had good hips. He was a real competitor, says Burnett. He was a leader in the room and well respected in the room by his peers and teammates and coaches. He was a hard-nosed guy and a warrior.

Returning overseas and back on the mat
By the end of the year, Edwards will be deployed again, although he cannot yet say where. Perhaps Iraq, again, perhaps elsewhere. Perhaps the nature of his position necessitates that details remain clandestine. He does note that one of his fellow snipers in the platoon is a former wrestler from Adams State.

I hope to see some better places in the world like Australia or Hong Kong where I’m not getting shot at. We’ll see, says Edwards.

During his previous tour in Iraq, Edwards was able to keep up on both the college wrestling season and mixed martial arts events. He says that checking out wrestling sites, from the Navy sports site to The Wrestling Mall, are often his second task after emailing family and friends when he has free time on the computer. He also had the chance to watch UFC events with Iraqi soldiers, who had satellite television links at their homes.

I watch a lot of the UFC circuit, he says. I always cheer for the wrestlers whether I know them or not.

One wrestler turned fighter Edwards remembers vividly is Gray Maynard of recent Ultimate Fighter 5 fame. At 157 pounds for Michigan State, Maynard finished 7th at 157 in the NCAA tournament the same season Edwards was 7th at 165.

So what did Iraqi soldiers think about the UFC?

They liked watching the knockouts, he says. They were all about the strikes. For them, though, it is probably just a bunch of weird Americans in tight shorts knocking each other out.

For Edwards, following and training in mixed martial arts has given him motivation to step back on the mat one day perhaps in MMA. He says that operating day to day in the scorching desert heat even makes him nostalgic for those sweltering practices in the wrestling room.

The long practices. The training. That is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and probably the hardest thing I will ever do in my life. It just gives you that never quit mentality.

He adds that training and working out with a similar drive while deployed overseas does wonders.

I would definitely say that running or conditioning and working out. You can forget about where you are at. It is a big time stress reliever when you are deployed, and you are really not going anywhere any time soon.

GreatAmerican · July 13, 2007, 9:58am