Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · September 13, 2007, 9:20pm

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

The Navy Sports Magazine Show will also air on 1050 WFED (<a href=“http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5B/url%5D”>www.federalnewsradio.com</a>) in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia leading up to the football pre-game show. This week the show will air on WFED at 3:30 p.m. Navy All-Access will also archive the show and it will be available for subscribers every Friday (<a href=“http://navysports.cstv.com/)%5B/url%5D”>http://navysports.cstv.com/)</a>.

Navy head football coach Paul Johnson, senior guard Ben Gabbard and water polo coach Mike Schofield will be featured this week.

GreatAmerican · September 14, 2007, 5:30pm

by Ray Feldmann

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Friday, September 14, 2007) – The ice hockey season for the
U.S. Naval Academy officially gets underway tonight when the 2007-08 squad
plays its first ever game in the new McMullen Rink, as the Blue meets the
Gold in an intra-squad clash similar to the football team’s Blue-Gold spring
skirmish.

The opening face-off tonight is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For those unable to get to McMullen Rink tonight, the game will be broadcast
on the Navy Hockey web site (<a href=“http://www.usna.edu/navyhockey)%5B/url%5D”>www.usna.edu/navyhockey)</a>. Just click on the
TEAMLINE link at the bottom right corner of the home page and follow the
instructions to listen to all the action, with Josh Martinelli calling the
play-by-play again this season.

The Midshipmen return several key players this season from last year’s
20-win club, including seniors Brian Gleason, Donnie Horner, Derek Johnson,
Nick Schwob, Adam Shields, and Drew Stoner. Also among the top returnees
are sophomore goalies Eric Anderson and Jeremey Estevez.

New Navy head coach Mike Fox is hoping a promising group of plebes can shore
up some areas left a little barren by graduation, particularly on defense,
where the Mids lost four starters. Several of those plebes are expected to
see action tonight, as the coaches determine which of the 35 players on the
roster are likely to be among the 21 who dress for regular season games.

The Mids open their intercollegiate season next Friday, September 21, when
they face the University of Maryland Terrapins, also at the McMullen Rink at
7:30 p.m.

The McMullen Rink is located immediately adjacent to the U.S. Naval Academy
Golf Course at the end of Greenbury Point Road, approximately a half mile
past the turn-off into Naval Station Annapolis.

GreatAmerican · September 14, 2007, 8:19pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, Sept. 14, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Lemaich Wins Two Matches During Navy Tennis Opener

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy sophomore Ramsey Lemaich (Danville, Calif.) won both of his matches Friday on the first day of the squad’s season-opening Navy Invitational tournament. The Mids faced a combined team of players from Arkansas and Oklahoma to begin the three-day tournament being held at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Lemaich first teamed with Alex James (Sr., Visalia, Calif.) to record an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles over the Arkansas tandem of Taylor King and Bradwin Williams. Lemaich, the 2007 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, then went on to post a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles over King.

“Ramsey worked hard all summer and has a lot of confidence right now,” said Navy head coach John Officer. "He plays aggressive, but stays under control. He serve has also become bigger.

“He is playing an important spot for us in the middle of our lineup. We need someone to step up and take control of that position. Ramsey seems as if he is capable of doing just that.”

Lemaich’s wins were the only two recorded on the day by the Mids in the nine contested matches. Navy did have several additional opportunities to post victories, however. The No. 3 doubles team of Jason Hill (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) and Jarrad Smoke (So., Belmar, N.J.) served for its match against Sergey Avdeyev from Arkansas and Oklahoma’s Jorge Villanueva at 7-6, but were broken and lost the next two games, as well, to lose the match by the score of 9-7.

In singles, both Johnny Waters (Jr., Papillion, Neb.) and Hill won the first set of their matches at Nos. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, but ended up losing their matches. Waters dropped a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision to Williams, while Hill suffered a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 setback to Oklahoma’s Frederico Chavarria.

“It was a competitive day of tennis for us, especially with it being the first matches of the season and against the caliber of players we faced today,” said Officer.

Play will continue Saturday at the Navy Invitational with the Mids playing members of the combined team of Maryland and Princeton at 9 a.m., with St. Joseph’s taking on Arkansas and Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the match will be played outdoors on The Yard. Should poor weather force the match indoors, they will be moved to the Severn Valley Tennis & Fitness Club.

Singles
1 - Sergey Avdeyev (O) def. Nate Nelms (N), 7-5, 6-2
2 - Bradwin Williams (A) def. Johnny Waters (N), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3 - Frederico Chavarria (O) def. Jason Hill (N), 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
4 - Ramsey Lemaich (N) def. Taylor King (A), 6-4, 6-4
5 - Ryan Thomas (O) def. Alex James (N), 6-1, 6-4
6 - Jorge Villanueva (A) def. Jarrad Smoke (N), 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
1 - Thomas/Chavarria (O) def. Nelms/Waters (N), 8-2
2 - James/Lemaich (N) def. King/Williams (A), 8-6
3 - Avdeyev (O)/Villanueva (A) def. Hill/Smoke (N), 9-7

GreatAmerican · September 14, 2007, 8:21pm

William & Mary def. Navy, 4-0

For Immediate Release
Friday, Sept. 14, 2007
Women’s Soccer Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Navy Women’s Soccer Suffers First Loss of 2007

RICHMOND, Va. - Junior forward Claire Zimmeck, the 2006 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, and sophomore midfielder Sarah Quinlan each scored a pair of goals to lead William & Mary to a 4-0 victory over the Navy women’s soccer team (3-1-2) Friday afternoon at VCU’s SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Va. The 4-0 decision marked the Mids’ first loss of the 2007 campaign, while William & Mary improved to 3-2-0.

The Tribe peppered the Midshipmen in the opening half where they owned an 8-0 advantage in shots, including putting three on goal. With just under 11 minutes remaining in the first stanza, Zimmeck was able to gather a loose ball in the box and fired off a shot from 25 yards out that rippled the lower left corner of the net.

Navy, meanwhile, finally got off its first shot of the afternoon when second-year midfielder Brittany White (Carmel, Ind.) sent a shot over the goal in the 47th minute. Senior forward Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.), whose five-game point streak was snapped, launched the Mids’ only shot on goal in the 57th minute.

William & Mary scored its three second-half goals over the course of five minutes, including back-to-back blasts by Quinlan. Scoring her first two goals of the season, Quinlan drew Navy keeper Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.) out of the goal and lofted a 40-yard shot over her head in the 61st minute. Fifty-one seconds later, Quinlan took advantage of a breakaway opportunity down the right sideline and stuck the ball out of Barnes’ reach.

William & Mary finished the game with a 14-6 advantage in shots, putting seven on goal.

Navy will be back in action on Sunday when it faces the host VCU Rams (1-2-1) at 12:00 pm at SportsBackers Stadium.

GreatAmerican · September 15, 2007, 7:22am

Fourth-Ranked Stanford Too Much For Mids

PALO ALTO, Calif. – No. 4-ranked Stanford outscored 10th-ranked Navy, 5-1, in the fourth quarter to grab a 17-8 decision in water polo action on Friday night. The Mids led early, but Stanford went on a 7-2 run to close out the first half, before putting the game away in the fourth quarter. The Mids saw its five-game win streak end and drop to 6-2 overall.

“The big difference was that Stanford’s centers really tore us up inside. We had three guys foul out and just couldn’t match up with them inside,” said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. “But on the plus side, we played them a whole lot better than we did last year and we did a very nice job of creating chances for us. We just couldn’t put them away. They probably have the best goalie in the country, so we knew it would be tough to score on them, but I thought we put a little offensive pressure on them. It was a decent performance for us.”

Navy surged out to a 3-2 lead early in the first quarter and had a chance to take a 4-3 lead on a breakaway that failed. Stanford then led 7-4 after one quarter, 9-5 at halftime and 12-7 after three quarters. The Mids subbed liberally in the fourth quarter in falling, 17-8.

Mike Mulvey led the Mids with three goals, his team-leading 19th of the season. Bram Arnold tallied two goals and Reed MacKenzie, Aaron Recko and Kevin Bell scored once each for the Mids. George Naughton and Steve Craney each played a half in the goal.

Navy will compete in the prestigious NorCal Tournament hosted by the University of California, beginning Saturday at noon (PDT) against fifth-ranked UC Irvine.

GreatAmerican · September 15, 2007, 7:23am

Cornell def. Navy, 3-2 (24-30, 30-23, 24-30, 30-21, 15-11)
Navy def. Columbia, 3-0 (30-19, 30-25, 30-28)

For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, Sept. 14, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy volleyball split a pair of matches Friday on the opening day of the American Volleyball Tournament in Washington, D.C., losing an emotional five-game decision before posting the team’s fifth three-game victory to end the day.

The results of the matches moves Navy’s record on the season to 8-3.

In Navy’s opening match of the day, the Mids let a two-games-to-one advantage disappear in a five-game loss to three-time defending Ivy League champion Cornell. The Big Red edged the Mids in a two-hour match by a score of 24-30, 30-23, 24-30, 30-21, 15-11.

The decisive game five was tied at 7-7 when Cornell ran off three-straight points on a Navy service error, Navy ball-handling error and Cornell service ace. The Mids climbed back to within one point at 10-9 following back-to-back kills from Krista Eschelman (So., Germantown, Md.), but another ball-handling error by Navy and a Cornell kill boosted the Big Red’s advantage back to three points at 12-9.

Navy tallied seven kills to just six for Cornell in the fifth game, and both teams dropped in one service ace. The Mids however, totaled three ball-handling errors to none for the Big Red in the final game.

“We have to learn how to close games and matches,” said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. “We had a lead and the chance to end the match, but we let Cornell right back into it in game four.”

The statistics were very even for the two teams. Cornell totaled 60 kills, 12 service, 58 digs and 10.0 blocks, while Navy finished the match with 59 kills, 11 aces, 53 digs and 7.0 blocks. The Big Red outhit the Mids in the match by a .225-.194 count.

Individually, Rachel Dougherty (Sr., Derwood, Md.) tied her career high with 22 kills in the match and totaled a .327 hitting percentage on 49 swings. She knocked down three kills on six attempts in the fifth game.

Also for Navy, Jessie Sims (Sr., Etowah, N.C.) recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 17 digs, while Aimee’ Burns (Sr., Dallas, Texas) grabbed a career-best 21 digs.

The Mids bounced back later in the day to record a 30-19, 30-25, 30-28 victory over Columbia.

The Mids slowly opened up a double-digit lead in game one, using a 6-1 run to take a 16-8 lead before building a 24-15 advantage. Navy again gradually took a large lead in game two and survived a late scare before sealing the win. The Mids lead by 14 points at 24-10 and held advantages of 27-18 and 29-22 before the Lions closed to within four points at 29-25. A block by Eschelman and Jenny Rudewicz (Fr., Winter Garden, Fla.), however, ended the game.

Game three forced the Mids to play from behind as Columbia took leads of 20-15 and 23-18 over Navy. Alexa Gibbs (Jr., Springfield, Ill.) knocked down a kill, Dougherty dropped in her fourth ace of the match and eighth of the day and an attack error by the Lions allowed the Mids to close to within two points at 23-21.

Dougherty gave the serve back to Columbia on a service error, but then Gibbs Knocked down another kill and Lizzie Grider (Sr., Marion, Ind.) proceeded to tally back-to-back aces to tie the game at 24-24. Navy made it five-straight points and took a 26-24 advantage when Sims and Eschelman teamed up for a block and Eschelman added another kill.

Navy soon found itself trailing by a score of 28-27 when Abbie Merkl (So., Upper Marlboro, Md.) tied the score on a kill. She then stepped to the service line and took the Mids to game point when Eschelman and Marissa Watson (Jr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) teamed for a block, then Merkl tallied a service ace of her own to end the game and the match.

Navy posted a .245 hitting percentage and while tallying 41 digs and 7.0 blocks to hold Columbia to a .030 attack percentage.

Gibbs (Jr., Springfield Ill.) led the Navy offense with 10 kills and a .438 hitting percentage, while Dougherty tallied nine kills and hauled in 11 digs to pace the Navy defense. Eschelman finished the match with five kills and just one hitting error on 11 attempts, as well as with five blocks.

“It was an emotional match against Cornell, but I think the team really came together after it and was united in wanting to have a strong performance against Columbia,” said Schwob. “One of the keys to the win was having very good distribution of our offense between the outside hitters, the middle blockers and our right-side hitters. We didn’t have to rely too heavily on any one part.”

Navy will continue play at the tournament Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. match against Penn and a match later in the day against an Ivy League opponent to be determined. The Quakers won both of their matches Friday, defeating both Lafayette and Army in three games.

GreatAmerican · September 15, 2007, 1:44pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Mids Win Four Singles Matches at Navy Invite

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy tennis team totaled four singles victories over the combined team of Maryland and Princeton Saturday morning as part of the Navy Invitational being held on The Yard.

“We had a better day than we did Friday,” said Navy head coach John Officer in comparing the day’s results to the opening day of the tournament when the Mids tallied just one singles and one doubles victory against the combined team of Arkansas and Oklahoma. “We started slow in doubles today, but came back to play strong in singles.”

Picking up singles victories on the day were Nate Nelms (Jr., St. Mary’s, Ga.) at No. 1 singles, Jason Hill (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) at No. 3, Ramsey Lemaich (So., Danville, Calif.) at No. 4 and Nick Birger (Fr., Belleville, Ill.) at No. 8. Nelms, Hill and Lemaich all won their matches in straight sets, while Birger won a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2) match against Princeton’s Jeff Luse.

Lemaich was the lone Mid to win a singles match Friday.

Additionally in singles, Navy players had opportunities to win the first set of a pair of other matches. Both Johnny Waters (Jr., Papillion, Neb.) and Jarrad Smoke (So., Belmar, N.J.) served to win the first sets of their matches at the Nos. 2 and 6 flights, respectively. Waters would end up losing the first set to Nicolai Nielsen of Maryland by a score of 7-5, then dropped the second set and the match by a score of 6-1. Smoke too served for the first set of his match to Maryland’s Alex Aksanov, but was broken before going on to lose the opening set in a tiebreaker. Aksanov would go on to close out Smoke in the second set by the score of 6-0.

The singles matched followed the doubles portion of the day, which saw Navy drop each of the four matches.

The three-day tournament ends Sunday with Maryland/Princeton playing Arkansas/Oklahoma at 8 a.m. and Navy taking on St. Joseph’s at 2 p.m.

Singles
1 - Nate Nelms (N) def. David Kwon (MD), 6-4, 6-2
2 - Nicolai Nielsen (MD) def. Johnny Waters (N), 7-5, 6-1
3 - Jason Hill (N) def. Jonathan Leslie (P), 6-1, 6-4
4 - Ramsey Lemaich (N) def. Mark Gober (P), 7-5, 6-4
5 - Aaron Carr (MD) def. Alex James (N), 6-1, 6-1
6 - Alex Aksanov (MD) def. Jarrad Smoke (N), 7-6 (7-2), 6-0
7 - Ilya Trubov (P) def. Owen Bullard (N), 6-4, 6-4
8 - Nick Birger (N) def. Jeff Luse (P), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4)

Doubles
1 - Kwon/Nielsen (MD) def. Nelms/Waters (N), 8-6
2 - Gober/Leslie (P) def. James/Lemaich (N), 8-5
3 - Aksanov/Mike Coleman (MD) def. Hill/Smoke (N), 8-5
4 - Luse/Trubov (P) def. Bullard/Joseph Wiggins (N), 8-1

GreatAmerican · September 15, 2007, 2:15pm

For Immediate Release
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Midshipmen Place Second in Navy Invitational

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy men’s cross country runner John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.) produced the ninth-fastest time in USNA Cross Country Course history and the third-best clocking on the day to lead the Midshipmen to a second-place finish out of 11 scoring teams in front of more than 1,000 fans at the Navy Invitational on Saturday morning.

Louisville, the 15th-ranked team in the nation, won the team title with a team score of 34 points, 23 fewer than Navy’s tally. La Salle placed third with 95 points, followed by preseason Patriot League champion favorite American’s 108 points and Richmond’s 115 points to round out the top-five teams.

Louisville runner Wesley Korir shattered a 25-year course record in winning the race, finishing in 23:30.0. The time was 12.6 seconds better than the previous mark held by Syracuse’s Jim O’Connell on Oct. 2, 1982. All told on Saturday, four times ranked among the 25-fastest in course history.

“(Wesley Korir) outran the golf cart at one point during the race,” stated Navy head coach Al Cantello. “Most of the course’s all-time top times have come later in the season, when the weather is cool and the teams are better conditioned. For John (Olsen) to do what he did today, with the numerous hairpins, was simply phenomenal. The conditions were ideal, as there was a nice breeze and the temperature was around 75 degrees at the start of the race.”

Olsen, last weeks Patriot League Runner of the Week, averaged 4:48.24 per mile and completed the course in 24:01.2, only 0.9-second off Louisvilles Soimo Kiplagats time for second place. Olsens effort on Saturday represented the third-fastest showing by a Navy runner in course history, only 14.0 seconds shy of Ronnie Harris 23:47.8 clocking in 1986.

Classmate and team captain John Kress (Sr./Colorado Springs, Colo.) also had a memorable race, placing fifth with a time of 24:14.9. Kresss performance ranks as the 14th-quickest time by a Navy runner on his home course in program history. Bill Prom (Jr./New Berlin, Wis.) finished 11th with a blistering time of 24:56.1, followed by Chris Horels (So./Belford, N.J.) 25:02.7 clocking for 17th place and Ben Kozys (Sr./Houston, Texas) 21st-place time of 25:14.5.

This year’s invitational field of 12 teams was the fourth largest in course history, only behind the 2002 Navy Invitational (15 teams), 1989 Navy Invitational (17 teams) and 1989 NCAA Championships (22 teams).

Navy will return to action when it heads back to Bronx, N.Y., to partake in the Iona Meet of Champions on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 10:15 a.m.

GreatAmerican · September 15, 2007, 2:34pm

For Immediate Release
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Finish Third in Salty Seadog Invitational

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy women’s cross country runner Arwyn Becker (Sr./Vail, Colo.) produced a ninth-place performance to help the Midshipmen to a third-place finish out of nine teams in front of more than 1,000 fans at the Salty Seadog Invitational on Saturday.

Despite a new course design, weather conditions were favorable for six performances ranking among the 10-fastest times in USNA Cross Country Course history, as temperatures hovered around 75 degrees at race time with a slight breeze.

Louisville claimed the team title with a score of 39 points, followed by Richmonds 54 points, Navys 79 points, La Salles 127 points, Americans 133 points, Marylands 150 points, Loyolas 184 points, Maryland-Baltimore Countys 208 points and Christopher Newports 216 points.

We got off to a slow start, back a little further in the pack during the first loop, stated Navy head coach Karen Boyle. However, I do believe that this was the most focused our team has been throughout an entire race. With a new course design and hills involved during each mile, it was extremely challenging and did not provide any lulls.

Becker, who led the team across the finish line one week ago at the Dartmouth Invitational, paved the way for the Mids on Saturday with a blistering 22:47 showing, ranking third by a Navy runner in course history.

Team captain Kyleigh Millhouse (Sr./Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Katie Rentz (Fr./San Diego, Calif.) both crossed the finish line in 23:20 to finish for a tie of 15th place. Erica Ziel (So./Saginaw, Mich.) placed 18th with a time of 23:24 and Amy Watson (So./Hampstead, Md.) rounded out the scoring five with a 23:33 showing for 21st place.

For the third time in as many races in 2007, the Midshipmen posted a spread of less than a minute among its five scoring runners, boasting a 46-second mark during Saturdays action.

Navy (3-0) will return to action when it heads to the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sept. 28, at 2:45 p.m.

usna09mom · September 15, 2007, 10:47pm

Letter to Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler 
Open Letter to Rutgers Students
September 11, 2007

Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler
Superintendent
United States Naval Academy
121 Blake Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5000

Dear Vice Admiral Fowler:

Let me offer my apologies on behalf of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, for the disrespectful and disgraceful behavior exhibited by some of our fans at the Rutgers-Navy game last Friday. I was at the game but did not hear the offensive chants, which came from a relatively small number of fans, and I learned about them only later. What I witnessed was actually quite the opposite: a large number of Rutgers supporters standing to applaud the Navy players as they left the field at halftime.

No student-athlete should ever be subject to profane language directed at them from the crowd, and certainly not the young men of the Naval Academy who have made a commitment to serve our nation in a time of war. Your Midshipmen conducted themselves with dignity throughout the game and have my admiration.

You have my best wishes and, again, my apologies.
Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

<a href=“Rutgers University”>Rutgers University;

GreatAmerican · September 16, 2007, 7:52am

Penn def. Navy, 3-0 (30-23, 30-18, 30-22)
Navy def. Harvard, 3-0 (30-21, 30-23, 30-23)

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Falls to Penn, Defeats Harvard at AU Tournament

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Navy volleyball team closed play at the American University Tournament Saturday the same way it began the tournament Friday by losing its first match of the day and bouncing back to win its second match.

Friday, Navy lost a two-hour, five-game match to Cornell before bouncing back to sweep Columbia. Navys opening match Saturday saw the Mids fall in three games to Penn, with the game scores being 30-23, 30-18, 30-22.

The Quakers outhit the Mids in the match .358-.065 and totaled 41 digs to Navys 29.

Rachel Dougherty (Sr., Derwood, Md.) led Navy with eight kills, five service aces and two blocks.

We were able to stay with Penn for the first part of every game, but they managed to separate themselves from us, said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. Our offense really struggled. We played hard, though, and I think we could take a lot of positives away from the match.

The loss gave the Mids a 1-2 record during pool play at the tournament, while Penn improved to 3-0 with the win and advanced to face American in the championship match. Navy, meanwhile, placed third on its side of the pool and would go on to play Harvard, the No. 3 team from the other side of the bracket.

Navy closed the tournament strong by posting a 30-21, 30-23, 30-23 win over the Crimson.

The Mids held a 21-19 lead late in game one before scoring nine of the final 11 points of the game. It was a similar story in game two as Navy trailed 22-21 but scored nine of the final 10 points of the game. Game three was a bit easier for Navy as the Mids jumped out to a 14-9 lead and held a lead of at least four points over the remainder of the contest.

Navys offense totaled a .278 hitting percentage in the match, while its defense held the Crimson to a .151 percentage. The Mids tallied 57 digs, eight service aces and 8.0 team blocks, with the Crimson finishing the match with 36 digs, two aces and 4.0 blocks.

Individually, Dougherty again paced the Navy offense with 16 kills a .371 hitting percentage. She also added two more aces bringing her four-match total to 15, which gave her the Best Server Award at the event.

Also for the Mids against the Crimson, Aimee Burns (Sr., Dallas, Texas) hauled in 19 digs, with Marissa Watson (Jr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) finishing with 38 assists, six kills and 11 digs.

I think the Harvard match may have been our most complete match of the year, said Schwob. The girls worked hard all weekend and it was nice for them to end with such a solid performance.

Navy will play Tuesday at Howard before opening Patriot League play with matches at Holy Cross (Sat., Sept. 22) and at Army (Sun., Sept. 23).

GreatAmerican · September 16, 2007, 7:54am

BERKELEY, Calif. – The 10th-ranked Navy water polo team dropped a pair of hard-fought decisions on day one of the NorCal Tournament on Saturday, falling to fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 13-12, and No. 16 Pacific, 15-11. The losses send Navy into the 13-16th place games on Sunday and drops Navy’s record to 6-4 overall.

In the first game, a tight 13-12 loss to UC Irvine, Bram Arnold, Mike Mulvey and Reed MacKenzie led Navy with three goals each, while Andrew Bingham, John Connors and Kevin Bell scored once. George Naughton recorded 10 saves and three steals in goal.

“We did a lot of good things against UC Irvine, one of the best teams in the country. We competed very hard against them,” said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. “But we gave up too many goals and made too many mistakes in the end. We aren’t good enough yet to overcome some of the mistakes we make.”

In the second game, Navy led 5-3 after one quarter, but Pacific outscored Navy, 12-6, the rest of the way and the Mids were dealt a 15-11 setback. Bingham scored four times, Mulvey added three, Chuck Baker scored two goals and Arnold and Aaron Recko scored a goal each. Naughton made nine saves in goal for Navy.

“Our problems against UC Irvine were about tripled against Pacific,” said Schofield. “Our hat goes off to them. They made the right adjustments and beat us at our own game. They did a great job coutering off our mistakes.”

Navy will play UC Santa Cruz at 8:00 am on Sunday.

GreatAmerican · September 16, 2007, 3:17pm

By
Ray Feldmann

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Friday, September 14, 2007) – Senior Nick Schwob recorded a three-goal hat trick to pace a more seasoned Gold team to a 6-2 victory over the Blue squad in Friday night’s Blue-Gold hockey game at the brand new McMullen Rink in Annapolis.

The Midshipmen will officially open their 2007-08 season next Friday, September 21, against the University of Maryland. The opening face-off will be at 7:30 p.m.

Senior defenseman Adam Shields got the Gold team off to a quick start with a wrist shot past sophomore goaltender Eric Anderson at 8:17 of the first period. Senior Drew Stoner knotted the score at 1-1 just 51 seconds later, at the 9:08 mark, on a nice solo effort that resulted in a wrister past sophomore netminder Jeremey Estevez.

Before the first period ended, Schwob tallied his first goal of the night at 14:45, assists going to linemates Jon Westerman and Jack Culliton.

The Gold team extended its margin to 4-1 with a pair of tallies in the second stanza, the first coming from senior team captain Derek Johnson at 4:38 and the second from junior Charlie Hymen at 13:21.

In the third period, the Gold squad took a 5-1 lead on Schwob’s second goal of the night, at the 4:18 mark. Junior Nolan Anliker pulled the Blue team within three goals, 5-2, with a goal at 6:50, and Schwob closed out the scoring for the Gold at 17:30.

Anderson finished with 19 saves on 23 shots in 40 minutes of action. Estevez registered 17 saves on 18 shots in his 40 minutes, while sophomore Alex Tidei turned aside 28 of 31 shots during his 40 minutes between the pipes. Anderson played exclusively for the Blue team and Estevez played only for the Gold, but Tidei played one period for each team so all three goalies could each see an equivalent 40 minutes of playing time.

Referee Bob Payne called only three penalties, two against the Gold and one infraction agsinst the Blue.

Puck Points: Friday night’s game marked the return of two Midshipmen who had previously seen action in a Navy uniform, Jeff Dubinsky and Jack
Culliton…Dubinsky, who had been a member of the class of '07, took a two-year sabbatical and has returned to the Academy as a member of the class of '09…he wore #21 for the Gold Team…Culliton, who played for the Mids as a plebe, took a year off from hockey last season but returned to the ice for his junior year…he wore #24 for the Gold…the Culliton-Schwob-Westerman combo will likely emerge as Navy’s #1 forward line when the season gets underway next Friday…Alex Tidei, who last year was a manager for the hockey team, played well in goal for the Mids, finishing with 28 saves on 31 shots…playing for the Blue squad in the second period, he was sorely tested as Gold outshot the Blue in that period, 19-7…because this is “Firstie Parents Weekend,” a lot of parents and friends of Navy’s seniors were among the nice opening night McMullen Rink crowd…the only major glitch of the night came when the rink lost total power early in the second period, plunging the building into near total darkness…it turns out it was not a rink problem but a neighborhood power outage which affected a much larger area than just the new rink facility.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Period
G - Shields (Westerman) 8:17
B - Stoner (unassisted) 9:08
G - Schwob (Westerman, Culliton) 14:45

Second Period
G - Johnson (unassisted) 4:38
G - Hymen (Daniel, Keller) 13:21

Third Period
G - Schwob (unassisted) 4:18
B - Anliker (unassisted) 6:50
G - Schwob (Westerman) 17:30

SHOTS ON GOAL
Blue 11 - 7 - 12 – 30
Gold 12 - 19 - 11 – 42

GreatAmerican · September 16, 2007, 3:37pm

VCU def. Navy, 3-0

For Immediate Release
Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007
Women’s Soccer Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

VCU Shuts Down Navy Offense

RICHMOND, Va. - Sophomore forward June Hartman produced her first collegiate hat trick to lead VCU (2-3-1) to a 3-0 victory over the Navy women’s soccer team (3-2-2) Sunday afternoon at the VCU/Ewing Sports Invitational in Richmond, Va.

After a hard-fought first half, Navy and VCU went into the locker room at halftime with the game scoreless. Navy took four shots in the opening half, including three on goal. Perhaps the Mids’ best opportunity was a shot by senior forward Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.) whose shot off a corner kick was booted out of the goal by a VCU defender. Navy also had an opportunity just before the end of the half when the Rams were called for a foul and junior forward Sam Schroth’s (Chester Springs, Pa.) last second shot sailed above the cross bar.

VCU showed great teamwork in scoring its first goal of the game just past the 50-minute mark. Megan Flanagan put the ball in play on a corner kick with Myriam Bouchard heading it to Hartman who headed it into the bottom right corner of the net.

Navy nearly tied the game up in the 65th minute when rookie midfielder Katie Kelly (Reston, Va.) sent her shot towards the goal, but VCU keeper Emily Niman intercepted the shot to preserve the lead.

Hartman tacked on her second goal in the 80th minute when she was able to slide past the Navy defender and her 10-yard shot made it past Navy keeper Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.). VCU’s third goal of the game came when Hartman gathered a loose ball and with Barnes pulled out of goal, she fired off a shot from 15 yards out.

“VCU was just better than us today,” said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "We built some momentum at times, but we weren’t really able to create any scoring opportunities from that momentum. We need to go back and figure out how to create scoring chances. If we are only going to have a few chances a game, we’ve got to figure out how to make the most of the momentum.

“Last year we gave up only two goals on set pieces and this year we’ve given up three already,” added Gabarra. “We have to do a better job of defending set plays.”

Navy defender Jenn Dunbar (Crofton, Md.) and midfielder CiAnna Weikle (Lakeville, Minn.) were named to the all-tournament team for there efforts over the weekend.

After dropping a 4-0 decision to William & Mary in the opening round of the invitational Friday, Navy has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since losing to Bucknell and Penn State to end the 2005 campaign. Additionally, it’s the first time since October of 2005 (Army and American) that Navy has been shut out in back-to-back contests.

Navy will be back in action on Thursday when it plays host to Wagner. Action is set for 7:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Break out your Navy blue and gold apparel and pay an admission fee of only $2 (tickets are normally $5 for adults and $3 for kids).

GreatAmerican · September 17, 2007, 6:39am

Mids Win Pair on Final Day of NorCal Tournament

BERKELEY, Calif. – The tenth-ranked Navy water polo team breezed to two
victories on the second day of the NorCal Tournament, finishing the prestigious tournament in 13th place. The Mids defeated UC Santa Cruz, 11-5, and No. 17-ranked Air Force, 11-4. The wins move Navy’s record to 8-4 overall.

In the first game against UC Santa Cruz, the Mids jumped out to a 6-2 halftime advantage, then pushed the margin to 9-3 after three quarters, in cruising to the victory. Chuck Baker led the Mids with three goals, Joe Moffit added two and six other players scored one goal each. Steve Craney stopped seven saves in goal.

In game two on Sunday, an 11-4 win over Air Force, the Mids jumped out to an 8-2 halftime lead and didn’t let up in the second half, defeating the Falcons, 11-4. Bram Arnold scored four goals, while Aaron Recko and Mike Mulvey scored a pair each. Andrew Bingham, Eric Gardiner and Tyler Hill scored one each. George Naughton played the majority of the game in goal for Navy, registering 12 saves, while Craney made two saves in relief.

“The game with Air Force was easily our most-consistent performance of the
weekend,” said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. “It was a good game to end the weekend on and will give us something to build on. Everyone that was available played today and it was nice to bounce back the way we did after a tough day on Saturday and get a pair of wins.”

The Mids will have next weekend off, before competing in the ECAC Tournament on Sept. 29-30 in Lewisburg, Pa.

GreatAmerican · September 17, 2007, 8:50pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Sweeps St. Joe’s; Mids Win Four Flight Titles

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy tennis team won all 13 contested matches against St. Joseph’s Sunday on the final day of competition at the Navy Invitational. In addition to closing the tournament with a strong performance against the Hawks, the Midshipmen also claimed four of the 12 individual flight titles at the three-day invite.

“We ended a good first weekend of competition with a very nice performance today,” said Navy head coach John Officer. “We had a very strong field at the tournament, but being able to win four titles against teams who were nationally ranked last year shows we were able to hold our own against them. We have a very determined and hard-working team and this was a nice start to the year.”

After sweeping Sunday’s four doubles matches from St. Joseph’s, the Mids proceeded to win each of the nine singles matches against the Hawks. Recording straight-set singles victories were Nate Nelms at No. 1 (Jr., St. Mary’s Ga.), Jason Hill (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) at No. 3, Ramsey Lemaich (So., Danville, Calif.) at No. 4, Jarrad Smoke (So., Belmar, N.J.) at No. 6 and Owen Bullard (Fr., Concord, N.C.) at No. 7.

Lemaich won each of his three singles matches this weekend to win his flight, Hill won the No. 3 flight with a 2-1 record, Nick Birger (Fr., Belleville, Ill.) won the No. 8 flight with a 2-0 record and Navy’s No. 2 doubles team of Lemaich and Alex James (Sr., Visalia, Calif.) won its flight with a 2-1 record.

Navy will continue its fall season Sept. 28-30 at the North Carolina Invitational.

Singles
1 - Nate Nelms (N) def. Patrick Adams, 6-2, 6-4
2 - Johnny Waters (N) def. Nick Tuxen, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
3 - Jason Hill (N) def. Phil Bayliss, 6-2, 6-1
4 - Ramsey Lemaich (N) def. Pat Ceruti, 6-1, 6-1
5 - Alex James (N) def. Phil Garabedian, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
6 - Jarrad Smoke (N) def. Brian Costello, 6-1, 6-0
7 - Owen Bullard (N) def. Will Pearson, 6-4, 6-0
8 - Nick Burger (N) def. Matt Prusack, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
9 - Jeremy New (N) def. Michael Stauble, 8-5

Doubles
1 - Nelms/Waters (N) def. Bayliss/Pearson, 8-6
2 - James/Lemaich (N) def. Ceruti/Garabedian, 8-4
3 - Hill/Smoke (N) def. Adams/Tuxen, 8-6
4 - Bullard/Wiggins (N) def. Costello/Prusack, 8-5

Flight Champions
Singles
1 - Sergey Avdeyev, Oklahoma
2 - Bradwin Williams, Arkansas
3 - Jason Hill, Navy (tiebreaker: fewest games lost)
4 - Ramsey Lemaich, Navy
5 - Ryan Thomas, Oklahoma
6 - Jorge Villanueva, Arkansas
7 - Ilya Trubov, Princeton
8 - Nick Birger, Navy

Doubles
1 - Federico Chavarria/Ryan Thomas, Oklahoma
2 - Alex James/Ramsey Lemaich, Navy (tiebreaker: head-to-head match result)
3 - Sergey Avdeyev, Oklahoma/Jorge Villanueva, Arkansas
4 - Jeff Luse/Ilya Trubov, Princeton

GreatAmerican · September 17, 2007, 9:13pm

For Immediate Release
Sent Monday, Sept. 17, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Mids to Play Tuesday at Howard Before Opening League Season this Weekend

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy volleyball team will close out its pre-season slate of matches Tuesday night when the Midshipmen play at Howard in a 6 p.m. match in Washington, D.C.

Navy enters the match with a 9-4 record on the season and following a strong showing at last weekend’s American Volleyball Tournament. The Mids lost a five-game match to three-time defending Ivy League champion Cornell, lost in three games to Penn (the eventual winners of its side of the tournament’s pool), and posted three-game sweeps of both Columbia and Harvard.

Individually for Navy last weekend, Rachel Dougherty (Sr., Derwood, Md.) averaged 3.93 kills, 1.07 service aces and 2.29 digs per game over the four matches and won the Best Server Award at the tournament. Setter Marissa Watson (Jr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) also played well, averaging 9.14 assists and 1.57 digs against the four Ivy League schools.

Howard is 0-11 on the season, with some of their losses coming to prominent programs in American, George Mason, Georgetown, East Carolina and George Washington. The Lady Bison also dropped a five-game decision to Lehigh.

The Mids recorded a 30-19, 30-25, 30-28 victory over the Lady Bison last year in Macdonough Hall. Navy totaled a .216 attack percentage and held Howard to a .055 mark during the victory. Navy’s Nikki England (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) led all players with 14 kills and a .429 hitting percentage in the match.

“I thought our final match of the tournament against Harvard may have been our best match of the year,” said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. “We not only want to maintain that high level of play Tuesday against Howard, we want to improve upon that as we get started with our league season this weekend.”

Following the contest against the Lady Bison, Navy will make final preparations to open its Patriot League season this weekend with matches Saturday at Holy Cross and Sunday at Army. The latter match will serve as the Star Match between the Mids and the Black Knights and will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.

GreatAmerican · September 17, 2007, 9:16pm

This Week In Navy Sports

Overall Navy Sports Record: 28-13-3 (.670)

Men’s Cross Country (0-0)
Last Week: Finished second out of 11 teams in the Navy Invitational
This Week: at the Iona Meet of Champions (Saturday, 10:15 a.m., Bronx, N.Y.)

Women’s Cross Country (3-0)
Last Week: Finished third out of nine teams in the Salty Seadog Invitational
This Week: Idle

Football (1-2)
Last Week: Lost to Ball State, 34-31 (OT)
This Week: Duke (Saturday, 1 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy Radio Network, CSTV)

Sprint Football (1-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: vs. Army in the Allegiance Bowl (Saturday, 12 noon, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.)

Golf (0-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate (Friday-Sunday, Sunset Beach, N.C.)

Intercollegiate Sailing (0-0)
Last Week: Finished sixth out of 20 teams at the New York Maritime Open; fourth out of 18 teams at the Central No. 2; 10th out of 18 teams at the Hatch Brown Regatta
This Week: Laser Qualifier South (Saturday-Sunday, Annapolis, Md.); St. Mary’s College Open for the Senators’ Cup (Saturday-Sunday, St. Mary’s City, Md.) Princeton Women’s Fall Open (Saturday-Sunday, Princeton, N.J.)

Offshore Sailing (0-0)
Last Week: J105 Class (10th, 11th); Class A2 (5th, 7th) Class A0 (5th, 6th) at NASS Race to Oxford; sixth at the Shields Trophy Regatta
This Week: Idle

Men’s Soccer (2-1-1)
Last week: Idle
This week: at Florida Gulf Coast (Friday, 7 p.m., Fort Myers, Fla.); at Florida International (Sunday, 12 noon, Miami, Fla.)

Women¹s Soccer (3-2-2)
Last Week: Lost to William & Mary, 3-0; lost to VCU, 3-0
This Week: Wagner (Thursday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md.); at James Madison (Sunday, 1 p.m., Harrisonburg, Va.)

Tennis (0-0)
Last Week: Competed as individuals at the Navy Invitational
This Week: at the North Carolina Invitational (Friday-Sunday, all day, Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Women’s Volleyball (9-4)
Last Week: Defeated St. Francis (Pa.), 3-0; lost to Cornell, 3-2; defeated Columbia, 3-0; lost to Penn, 3-0; defeated Harvard, 3-0
This Week: at Howard (Tuesday, 6 p.m., Washington, D.C.); at Holy Cross (Saturday, 2 p.m., Worcester, Mass.); at Army-Star Match (Sunday, 3 p.m., West Point, N.Y., ESPNU)

Water Polo (8-4, ranked 10th in the country)
Last Week: Lost to No. 4 Stanford, 17-8; lost to No. 5 UC Irvine, 13-12; lost to No. 16 Pacific, 15-11; defeated UC Santa Cruz, 11-5; defeated No. 17 Air Force, 11-4
This Week: Idle

GreatAmerican · September 18, 2007, 9:36pm

Overall Club Sports Record: 6-2 (.750)

Hockey (0-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Maryland (Friday, 7:30 p.m., Annapolis, Md.);

Men’s Rugby (2-0)
Last Week: Defeated Virginia, 62-10; defeated Maryland, 58-0.
This Week: Delaware (Friday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md.);

Women’s Softball (1-1)
Last Week: Defeated Hartford Community College, 3-2; lost to Hartford Community College, 3-2
This Week: Schedule not available

Men’s Soccer (3-1)
Last Week: Defeated George Mason, 1-0; lost to Radford, 2-0; defeated Virginia Tech, 2-0; defeated UMBC, 3-2
This Week: Schedule not available

GreatAmerican · September 18, 2007, 9:57pm

Navy Volleyball
Navy def. Howard, 3-0 (30-18, 30-25, 30-25)

For Immediate Release
Sent Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Volleyball Tops Howard in Seventh Sweep of the Season

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Navy’s offense totaled a .389 attack percentage in posting a 30-18, 30-25, 30-25 victory over Howard Tuesday night at Burr Gym in Washington, D.C. The victory, Navy’s seventh in a three-game sweep this year, improves its record to 10-4 on the season.

“We are happy to record the win, in three games, with everyone who played contributing,” said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. “Our starters played well and our bench continued that high-level of play when they entered the match.”

The Mids hit a sizzling .423 in the opening game, while holding Howard (0-12) to a .120 percentage. Navy trailed 12-11 in the first game before going on a 14-2 run to break the game open.

Navy was not able to separate itself from Howard until late in game two. Navy held a 24-23 lead when Lindi Conner (Sr., Kingman, Kan.) knocked down a kill to return the serve to the Mids with a two-point advantage. Abbie Merkl (So., Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Alexa Gibbs (Jr., Springfield, Ill.) then combined on a block to give Navy a three-point cushion. After the lead was reduced to two points on a Navy attack error, Howard’s Elyssa Lee committed back-to-back attack errors to give the Mids a 29-24 lead.

The Mids held just a 21-20 lead in game three when a Howard service error started a 4-0 Navy run. Following the error, Conner tallied another kill, Aubrey Manes (So., Pratt, Kan.) recorded a kill and Howard’s Lee had another hitting error to give the Mids a 25-20 lead. From there, the teams split the next 10 points to end the match.

While Navy’s offense totaled a .389 hitting percentage, its defense held Howard to a .239 percentage for the night. The Lady Bison outblocked Navy 7-2, but the Mids hauled in 36 digs on the night while the Howard grabbed 29.

Three players reached double figures in kills for the Mids, with Rachel Dougherty’s 13 pacing the offense. Joining her in double digits was Jessie Sims (Jr., Etowah, N.C.) with 11 kills and Gibbs with 10. The trio combined for just eight attack errors on 61 swings in the match. Individually, Sims posted a .500 hitting percentage, Dougherty hit .400 and Gibbs notched a .389 percentage.

Navy’s starting setter, Marissa Watson (Jr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) tallied 23 assists during games one and two and Jenny Rudewicz (Fr., Winter Garden, Fla.) added 14 assists in game three.

Defensively for Navy, Dougherty and Meredith Biri (So., San Antonio, Texas) both hauled in seven digs.

Navy will not open its Patriot League season this weekend with matches Saturday at Holy Cross and Sunday at Army. The latter match will serve as the Star Match between the two teams and will be televised live on ESPNU starting at 3 p.m.

Navy Sports

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