Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · December 29, 2007, 2:51pm

[TheDay.com</a> - Academic Equivalent Of The Orange Bowl](<a href=“http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=b1589e27-6cc5-4d0f-af5e-00584f236102]TheDay.com”>http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=b1589e27-6cc5-4d0f-af5e-00584f236102)

GreatAmerican · December 29, 2007, 2:53pm

Navy Closes Out Calendar Year at St. Francis College

Game Specifics
Date and Tip Time Dec. 29, 2007 at 7:00 pm EST
Location Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
Pope Center (1,200)
Television None
Video Streaming None
Radio WNAV (1430 AM)
Webcast [1430</a> WNAV Your Hometown Station Annapolis, Maryland](<a href=“http://www.WNAV.com%5D1430”>http://www.WNAV.com)
Gametracker None

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy wraps up its non-conference road portion of the schedule, as well as the calendar year of 2007, with a battle at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday, Dec. 29, beginning at 7:00 pm. The game will be aired by WNAV (1430 AM), with Bob Socci calling the action. Coverage gets underway at 6:45 pm, with the Navy Basketball pregame show.

NAVY UPDATE
Navy’s offense has finally rediscovered its touch in the last two games, recording a 1-1 mark during the stretch, and averaging 80.5 during the two games. The Mids are coming off an 85-61 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore in a game in which they never trailed. Despite missing its first eight shots of the second half, Navy connected on 30-of-59 shots (.508), including a sizzling 14-of-25 (.560) of its three-point attempts. Navy also outrebounded the Hawks, 42-40, and if it weren’t for 20 turnovers, the victory margin would have been much more comfortable.

Senior Greg Sprink appears to have snapped out of his slump just in time, leading the squad with a 17.8 ppg average and 5.3 rpg average. Kaleo Kina (11.7 ppg) and Chris Harris (10.6 ppg) also average in double figures, while Adam Teague is contributing 8.6 ppg. Kina leads the Mids with 38 assists, while Harris and Sprink have 33 and 29, respectively. Kina has 25 steals and freshman Mark Veazey leads the way with 16 blocks.

As a team, the Mids are shooting 41.3 percent from the field, and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. Navy’s overall field goal percentage has risen 16 points, while its three-point percentage has risen 37 points in the last two games. Navy is getting outrebounded by 5.5 rebounds per game, and are committing 18.8 turnovers per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Navy leads the all-time series between the two teams, 4-2, but this will be the first meeting between the two squads in 30 years. Navy won the last meeting, 81-76, on March 2, 1977. In that contest, Kevin Sinnett scored 22 points with 14 rebounds and Hank Kuzma added 21 points with 14 rebounds to pace the Midshipmen attack.

ON THIS DATE (DECEMBER 29)
Navy is 14-20 all-time on December 29, the last game coming in 2005, an 86-54 win over Susquehanna.
Navy has played seven ranked teams on the date, including both of its games against No. 1-ranked teams. Navy lost to UNLV in 1986 (104-79) and Kentucky in 1958 (82-69).

ABOUT ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) COLLEGE
St. Francis (N.Y.) College enters the contest with a 3-9 mark, including an 0-2 record in the Northeast Conference. The Terriers have lost six games in a game, but five of them have been on the road, and St. Francis has been competitive in most of them. All three of the Terriers’ wins have come at home, posting a 3-1 record at the cozy Pope Center. Their lone loss in the facility came at the hands of a strong Ohio team, 67-63, on Dec. 2. The Terriers have also beat Hofstra and Fairfield at home. St. Francis is coming off an 86-66 loss at South Florida (USF) on Dec. 22.

Leading the Terriers is 6-5 senior Robert Hines. Hines, a 250-pound forward, averages 16.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg, while shooting 36.7 percent from the field. He was a 2007 second-team All-Northeast Conference selection after transferring from Arizona Western Community College. Senior Jamaal Womack, a 5-8 guard, is averaging 11.4 ppg and 3.4 rpg, while pacing the squad with 27 assists. He is shooting 33.8 percent from the field, including a team-best 28 three-pointers. Womack scored 17 points in the loss to USF. Marcus Williams, Ricky Cadell and Kayode Ayeni also all average at least 8.0 ppg for the Terriers.

As a team, SFC is shooting 38.3 percent from the field and averaging 64.7 ppg. It has committed 200 turnovers (16.7) on the season. Defensively, foes are shooting 46.4 percent against the Terriers and averaging 71.4 ppg. The Terriers are being outrebounded by 1.8 per game.

MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE LEFTOVERS
Navy’s 24-point victory over UMES was the largest against an NCAA Division I team since a 26-point (73-47) win over Morgan State on Dec. 8, 2005.
Navy’s four wins have all come by at least 11 points. The Mids have made 50 (12.5 per game) three-pointers in Navy’s four wins. The Mids have made 55 (6.9 per game) three-pointers in Navy’s eight losses.
Navy made 14 three-pointers, tied for the fourth most in school history. The Mids’ 29 three-pointers in the last two games are tied for the most in school history in a two-game span, also set against Fordham (9) and Mount St. Mary’s (20) on Nov. 24-27, 1990.
Navy is now 29-of-58 (.500) from three-point range in the last two games.
The Mids have shot over 45.0 percent in three of the last four games, after accomplishing the feat just twice in two of the first eight games.
Kaleo Kina recorded his fourth career 20-point game in the win over UMES. He has scored in double figures now in four straight games.
Navy has won nine straight games now when scoring at least 80 points in a game.
Navy is now 18-9 under Billy Lange when shooting 45.0 percent.
Navy is now 33-3 under Lange when leading with five minutes to play.

ROAD WARRIORS
Navy will wrap up its non-conference road schedule on Saturday night at St. Francis (N.Y.) College. The Mids will have played nine of their 13 games away from Annapolis, posting a 2-6 record so far away from home. Including this trip over the weekend, Navy’s travels will have taken them a total of 10,309.5 miles, via bus and airplane.
During the first 16 days of the season (Nov. 8-23), Navy players, coaches and staff slept in their own beds a total of eight of the 16 nights.

GUARD PLAY LEADS THE WAY
Navy’s guard play of Greg Sprink, Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris has been on fire over the last two games, averaging a combined 56.5 during that stretch.
The trio scored 59 points on 22-of-45 (.489) shooting, including 12-of-26 (.462) from three-point range, against San Diego State.
Then against UMES, the threesome scored 54 points on 18-of-36 (.500) shooting. They went a combined 9-of-18 (.500) from three-point range.
For the entire season, the trio is averaging 40.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 8.3 apg, while connecting on 62 of Navy’s 105 three-pointers. They have accounted for 100 of Navy’s 161 assists on the season.
Lastly, one of the three have led the team in scoring in every game but one (UTSA - Clif Colbert) this year.

NAVY ON A HOT STRETCH IN THE LAST FOUR
The Navy defense had kept it in games early on when the offense struggled. Now that the offense has come around, the Mids are reversing their fortunes.
Navy has now shot over 45.0 percent in three of the last four games (Towson, San Diego State, UMES), after accomplishing the feat just twice (Longwood, UTSA) in the team’s first eight games.
In the first eight games, Greg Sprink was the only player in double figures, averaging 19.1 ppg. In the last four outings, Kaleo Kina (16.0), Sprink (15.3) and Chris Harris (15.3) are all averaging 15 or more points per game.

GreatAmerican · December 29, 2007, 2:54pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Senior Aaron Recko and junior Mike Mulvey were named to the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-America teams, announced recently. Recko was a second-team selection, while Mulvey garnered honorable mention accolades. The two selections marks the second straight year, and just the third time ever, that two Navy players were named All-America in the same season, as Recko and classmate George Naughton were named to the team a year ago. Just 14 players nationally were named to either the first or second team.

Recko, a 6-2, 190-pound senior attacker from San Antonio, Texas, earned second-team accolades one year after garnering third-team mention as a junior. Recko became the first Navy player since Sean Foster in 2000 to earn second-team honors and is the first Navy player since Nick Hill (2000-02) to earn All-America citations in two straight seasons. Recko totaled 90 points (76 g, 14 a) on the season to rank second on the team in points and first in goals. His 76 goals were tied for the seventh most in school history and he finished his career with 215 points (172 g, 43 a). In addition to the All-America honor, Recko also garnered first-team All-South and All-East honors and was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Year and Southern Division Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons. He tallied at least five points in seven games as a senior.

Mulvey, a 6-2, 185-pound junior attacker from Carlsbad, Calif., earned honorable mention accolades after leading Navy with 98 points (75 g, 23 a). His 75 goals ranked ninth on the Navy single-season list and he needed just two points to become the first Navy player since 2000 to score 100 points in a season. As it stands now, Mulvey already has 208 career points (143 g, 65 a), needing just 25 points next year to move into the Navy career top 10 scoring list. Mulvey was also selected to the All-East and All-South teams. He was the CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Year in the 2005, and was a member of the United States Junior National Team following his freshman campaign. He tallied at least five points in four games this past season.

Navy finished the year with a 30-6 record and placed third at the NCAA Tournament in early December. Navy became the first Eastern team since 2002 to win an NCAA Tournament game and the third-place finish was the best ever for the Midshipmen.

GreatAmerican · December 29, 2007, 3:01pm

Mids host Air Force today

[Navy</a> women shooting for full recovery - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)](<a href=“Real Estate – Capital Gazette”>Real Estate – Capital Gazette)

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 6:35am

Women’s Basketball
Navy 72, Air Force 69 (OT)

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Wins Overtime Thriller

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After scoring on five of its final six possessions of overtime, one last defensive stand over the final seconds gave the Navy womens basketball team a dramatic 72-69 victory over Air Force, Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

I am proud of how we hung in there and kept battling back, said Navy head coach Tom Marryott. There were a number of opportunities in which we could have hung our heads, but to their credit the girls didnt and always believed they could come back. We trailed by double digits in the second half, took the lead, then had to go into overtime. We were down early in the overtime period, but came back strong. We were very resilient.

The afternoon began with Air Force taking a five-point lead on three occasions early in the game, with Navy answering by scoring nine-straight points and taking a 21-17 lead with six minutes left to play in the half. From there, however, Air Force closed the half on a 15-2 run to take a 32-23 lead at intermission.

The Falcons would extended their lead to as many as 11 points at 38-27, 41-30 and 43-32, with the latter occasion coming with 15:38 remaining in the game. Air Force would still hold a nine-point advantage at 48-39 with just over 10 minutes left to play when the Mids started to chip away at the margin. Navy would tie the game at 48-48 on a three-pointer by Whitney Davidson (Jr., New Oxford, Pa.) with 6:35 left to play, then took its first lead of the second half following a jumper from Kelly Altschul (So., Highland Village, Texas) on its next trip down the floor. Navy would slowly build a five-point advantage at 59-54 when K.C. Gordon (So., Vienna, Va.) converted a pair of free throw attempts with just over two minutes left to play.

A pair of free throws by Pamela Findlay on the ensuing Air Force possession cut the lead to three points, then a Navy turnover gave the ball back to the Falcons. Cassie Consedine (Fr., Bartlesville, Okla.) tallied her seventh blocked shot of the game to keep the Falcons from scoring on their next possession, but then a missed shot by Gordon gave the ball back to Air Force with just under one minute to play. Following a timeout, Raimee Beck drilled a three-pointer to tie the game with 54 seconds showing on the clock.

Both teams came away empty on their respective next possessions, then Consedine picked up an errant Navy missed shot and scored to give the Mids a 61-59 lead with 33 seconds to play. Beck was soon fouled while starting a drive to the basket and converted both foul shots to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining. After Navy worked the game clock down, Gordon was whistled for a loose ball foul with 1.1 seconds remaining and before the Mids could attempt a shot. Air Forces three-quarter court inbounds pass was intercepted by Consedine to send the game into the extra session.

Navy failed to score on its opening three possessions of the overtime, while Air Force managed only one free throw of its own over its first three trips down the floor. Then Consedine, after grabbing an offensive rebound, and Kim Kreke scored for the Mids and the Falcons, respectively, with Gordon next hitting a jumper to give Navy a 65-64 lead with two minutes remaining.

Findlay missed a three-point attempt for Air Force, but Navy failed to score on its next possession when Kalen Kropa (Jr., Reidsville, N.C.) missed a pair of free throw attempts. The Falcons regained the lead when Brooke Cultra scored after grabbing an offensive rebound, but it was short lived as eight seconds later Davidson connected on her second big three-pointer to give the Mids a 68-66 lead with 1:02 left in the period. Davidson then was fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound and converted both free throw attempts to allow Navy to expand its lead to 70-66 with 47 seconds remaining.

I knew I needed to knock down the shot, said Davidson of her three-pointer in overtime. Angela (Myers) drove, then she kicked it back to me and I was open.

The Navy lead was soon down to one point, however, as Kreke answered with a three-pointer of her own with 31 seconds left to play.

Following an Air Force timeout, Navy spread the floor in an attempt to run out the clock. The Mids were successful in running half of the remaining time off of the clock before an off-the-ball foul sent Gordon to the line with 15.2 seconds left to play. She sank both attempts to finish 7-of-7 from the line on the afternoon and give Navy a three-point lead.

Following the Air Force inbounds pass, the ball found itself in the hands of Findlay, who was 5-of-8 from behind the three-point arc in the game to that point, with just over nine seconds remaining. Staying behind the three-point line, she started right, went left and soon went back to her right. As she made the latter move, Consedine rolled off of a screen in an effort to help on defensive. The assistance provided from the 6-3 center to defenders Gordon and Angela Myers (Fr., San Antonio, Texas) worked as Findlay was forced to put up an off-balance shot that hit the right side of the rim and fell to the court as the buzzer sounded.

We did a great job of switching on their last possession, said Marryott. K.C. and Angela both played great defense in the time leading down to their last shot. Our defensive effort was the difference in the second half and in overtime.

Air Force knocked down 44.4 percent of its shots in taking its halftime lead, but was held to 29.6 percent shooting in the second half and 37.1 percent during the overtime period. Conversely, Navy began the game by connecting on 37.5 percent of its field goal attempts over the opening 20 minutes, but made 42.9 percent of its shots in the second half and shot 50 percent from the field in overtime.

After being outrebounded on the boards 18-12 in the first half, Navy held a 31-22 advantage in rebounding from the start of the second half through the end of the game. The Mids also converted 22-of-32 attempts from the foul line, while the Falcons were 14-of-19 from the charity stripe.

Individually for Navy, Consedine added 11 points and an equal number of rebounds to her seven blocked shots to record her sixth double-double of the season. The seven rejections breaks her own Navy freshman class record and left her two shy of tying the school standard. She was joined in double figures in scoring by Gordon with 15 points, Morgan Hill (So., Portales, N.M.) with 14 in only 21 minutes of playing time, and by 13 points from Davidson.

Although, Myers scored only a pair of points for the Mids, she finished the game with 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Findlays five three-pointers helped her to pace the Air Force offense with 23 points, while Alecia Steele, who entered the game averaging 16 points and 9.1 rebounds a game, tallied seven points and seven caroms before fouling out after playing 29 minutes.

The victory for Navy snaps a seven-game skid for the Mids and improves their record to 3-10 on the year, while the loss drops Air Forces record to 6-6 on the season and ends a two-game winning streak for the Falcons.

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 6:36am

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. - Greg Sprink scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Navy to an 85-83 victory over St. Francis. Kaleo Kina added 23 points, six rebounds and six assists as Navy moved to 5-8 on the season. The win was Navy’s second in a row for the first time this season. St. Francis falls to 3-10.

“This is a great win for us. I was really proud of the way we battled. We stayed positive and just the way we won the game was very encouraging,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange. “The evolution of this team over the last three weeks has been great. This is a game we would have lost earlier in the year, but the way we kept battling is a sign of this team.”

Navy led virtually the entire first half, with the lone exception of a 17-17 tie with about 12 minutes to play. However, the Mids reclaimed the lead with a 7-0 run to grab a 24-17 advantage 8:47 to play on a Chris Harris (Mechanicsville, Va.) three-pointer. The Mids would push the lead to 10 twice in the first half, thanks to Kaleo Kina (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Greg Sprink (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.), the last time at 40-30, before the Terriers scored the final four points to trim the margin to 40-34 at the break.

Kina connected on a pair of three-point bombs in the final three minutes, and Sprink totaled 12 points on five-of-nine shooting in the opening 20 minutes. The duo of Sprink and Kina would score 25 of Navy’s 40 first-half points, and Lange got a strong contribution from T.J. Topercer (Scottsdale, Ariz.) off the bench. Topercer was scoreless entering the contest, but scored six points on three-of-three shooting and dished out two assists in the opening half.

The Mids bumped the lead back to 10 at 46-36 moments into the second half, but the Terriers’ Rocco Rubino connected on back-to-back three-pointers to cap off an 8-0 run and tie the game at 50 with 12:51 to play.

However, just as quick as St. Francis got back into the game, Navy went on a 9-0 run of its own to take a 59-50 cushion with eleven minutes to play. Sprink started the run with a three-pointer in the corner to start the run and Kina scored on a pair of lay-ups to aid the Mids.

“There were pockets in this game, they would make a run and we could have easily folded,” said Lange. “But we responded with a run of our own after timeouts and made the plays when we needed to.”

The Terriers’ Jamaal Womack rallied St. Francis. The 5-8 senior guard connected on three consecutive three-pointers, including one from about 28 feet, to cut the Navy lead to 66-63 with 5:30 to play. Womack would hit his fourth consecutive three to tie the game at 68 with just under four minutes to play.

“We tried to guard them and a few times we got caught with our hands down on his shots,” said Lange. “But he is so quick we had to give him run. Sometimes you just have to give the opponent credit. He made some very tough shots.”

But Sprink went on his own personal 8-0 run, including a pair of three-pointers to give Navy the lead for good. The Mids then closed the game by converting nine-of-10 free throws in the final 1:17 for the two-point win.

Sprink’s 33 points are the most for a Navy player since he scored a career-best 34 against Brown on Dec. 22, 2005, during his sophomore year. He finished the game 11-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also added three assists, a block and a steal.

“Greg (Sprink) played with outstanding offensive energy tonight and really made some great plays,” said Lange. "Even better, he showed great leadership and kept us together on the floor.

“I thought Kaleo (Kina) and Chris (Harris) played well tonight too,” said Lange. “Chris’ shot was off, but he did a great job running the offense. Kaleo played within himself and was a key component in the runs we had.”

Navy finished the game shooting 30-of-61 (.492) from the field and 9-fo-26 (.346) from three-point range. Navy was guilty of just 14 turnovers and dished out 21 assists. St. Francis shot 30-of-64 (.469) from the field, but committed 19 turnovers. The Terriers outrebounded the Mids, 42-29.

Navy will be in action next on Wednesday, Jan. 2, when it hosts NJIT on the back end of a doubleheader at Alumni Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 6:38am

Collegiate Wrestling
Mids eighth after opening day of Southern Scuffle

For Immediate Release
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Pair of Top Seeds Lead Mids to Eighth After Day One at Southern Scuffle

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Six Midshipmen have wrestled their way into the quarterfinals, including top-seeded Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) at 174 pounds and heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.), leading the No. 21 Navy wrestling team to a tie for eighth alongside Kent State after day one of the two-day Southern Scuffle held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. In addition to the six who will wrestle on the championship side of the bracket, nine others will battle their way through the consolation bracket on Sunday.

Fourth-ranked Minnesota leads the tournament with a comfortable 11-point advantage over 14th-ranked Edinboro, 53.5-42.5. Meanwhile, just 6.5 points separate the third through 10th-place teams. Boise State is in third (39.5), followed by Old Dominion (38.5), Cornell and Maryland (37.5), Bloomsburg (36.0), Kent State and Navy (34.0) and Hofstra (33.0). The Golden Gophers will have eight wrestlers battling in the championship bracket, while ODU has seven. Maryland and Bloomsburg have the fewest remaining in the championship bracket with four apiece.

Six Navy wrestlers entered the Southern Scuffle seeded and five of the six will appear in the quarterfinals on Sunday, while unseeded Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) is the lone unseeded Midshipman to earn his way into the championship bracket.

After placing third in last year’s Scuffle, junior Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) has high hopes to capture the title at 133 pounds. Baker easily made his way to the quarters by defeating Maryland’s Charles Golden (10-3) and North Carolina’s Danny Lopes (12-5). Baker will face Boise State’s Andrew Hochstrasser in the quarters.

Rookie Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) continues to impress the Navy coaching staff, as he earned three wins on the opening day of competition to set up a quarterfinals matchup against the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 149 pounds. Saddoris quickly dispatched Davidson’s Scott Matthews in the opening round, pinning him in just 40 seconds. He then defeated Old Dominion’s Buffy Okigbo by decision (12-6) and just edged DJ Meagher from Cornell, 2-1. Saddoris, who is 2-3 against ranked foes this season, will face his biggest challenge on Sunday when he battles No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota who placed third at last year’s NCAA Championship.

One of two top-seeded wrestlers on the docket for the Midshipmen, Stolpinski was stopped short of the title at last year’s Scuffle. Navy’s team captain is 3-0 in the tournament, defeating VMI’s Dustin McCabe (11-6), Bloomsburg’s Brian Shaw, while just edging Virginia’s Chris Henrich, 6-5. One of the most highly-competitive weight classes in the Scuffle, eight of the nine seeds are currently ranked. Stolpinski, ranked No. 6, will face-off against Virginia Tech’s Eric Decker in Sunday’s quarterfinals. The two battle earlier this month at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with Stolpinski earning a 3-1 decision over Decker.

Perhaps the surprise performance of the tournament for Navy is that of Caldwell, a junior 184-pounder. Caldwell opened up with a 10-2 victory over Chris Daggett of Liberty before earning a 9-7 overtime decision over eighth-seeded Matt Casperson of Boise State. Caldwell, however, will face top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Rocco Caponi of Virginia in the quarterfinals.

Navy’s final two competitors in the championship bracket is the heavyweight tandem of Prendergast and Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.). Prendergast is ranked 14th nationally and was awarded the tournament’s top seed. He earned a 7-3 victory over Cornell’s Maciej Jochym and a hard-fought 4-2 overtime decision over Jason Marshall from Ohio to earn a quarterfinal matchup against eighth-seeded Justin Dobies of North Carolina. Prendergast placed fourth in last year’s Scuffle.

Meanwhile, Steele entered the tournament seeded sixth and has also won a pair of matches. He shut out Old Dominion’s Andrew Totusek, 7-0, before pinning Ohio’s Andy Hartshorn two minutes into the match. Steele, who owns a 17-2 record this season, will battle third-seeded and 16th-ranked Mike Spaid from Bloomsburg in the quarters.

Navy’s nine wrestlers competing in the consolation side of the bracket include: Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) at 133 pounds, Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) at 141 pounds, Spencer Manley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 149 pounds, Joe Butcher (Westwood, N.J.) at 157 pounds, Jason Coyne (Trafford, Pa.) and Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) at 165 pounds, Matt Parsons (Dunkirk, Md.) at 184 pounds and Robert Johnston (Satellite Beach, Fla.) and Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) at 197 pounds.

The final day of the Southern Scuffle is set to begin at 9:00 am on Sunday. Fans can purchase live video streaming through Spartan All-Access. Single day packages are priced at $9.95. Additionally, SouthernScuffle.com is your home for live stats updated throughout the tournament.

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 2:42pm

GORDON WHITE: Year in Sports: Young Man Brings Light to Dark Moments (Southern Pines Pilot in North Carolina)

[ThePilot.com</a> : GORDON WHITE: Year in Sports: Young Man Brings Light to Dark Moments](<a href=“http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20071230/sports/columns/20071230gordonwhitedarkmoments.html]ThePilot.com”>http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20071230/sports/columns/20071230gordonwhitedarkmoments.html)

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 2:45pm

Navy’s win over Notre Dame Ranked As The Fifth Biggest News Story In 2007 In Annapolis

No. 5: Mids beat the Irish

Standing outside the Navy football locker room, deep in the bowels of storied Notre Dame Stadium, Capt. Margaret D. Klein grasped the significance of the moment.

Capt. Klein, the Commandant of Midshipmen, announced to a group of reporters that classes would be canceled at the Naval Academy the following Monday.

It was a rare move that spoke volumes about Navy’s stunning 46-44 triple-overtime victory over storied Notre Dame on Nov. 3. The Midshipmen had snapped an NCAA-record 43-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish and that monumental victory would be among the most notable of the entire college football season.

Within 24 hours, the interview requests had poured in from newspapers and magazines across the country. Head coach Paul Johnson and team captain Reggie Campbell appeared on numerous national radio programs the following week.

Sophomore linebacker Ram Vela made the defining play of the game - flying like Superman over a would-be blocker to sack Notre Dame quarterback Evan Sharpley on a crucial fourth-down play in regulation. Defensive end Chris Kuhar-Pittars was another hero, recovering a fumble and returning it 16 yards for a touchdown that put Navy ahead for the first time. Then there was senior inside linebacker Irv Spencer, who led a charge of multiple Midshipmen who swarmed Irish running back Travis Thomas on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to bring an end to the marathon game.

Campbell, a senior slot back with a heart almost as big as his 5-foot-6 frame, provided the winning points by hauling in a 25-yard touchdown pass as well as a two-point conversion toss from quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada on the opening possession of the third overtime.

Navy had not beaten Notre Dame since 1963 when Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach was the quarterback and the team captain was Tom Lynch, a man who would later become an admiral and Superintendant of the Naval Academy.

Adm. Lynch was among the sellout crowd of 80,000 at Notre Dame Stadium that afternoon and saw Navy put an end to the remarkable streak that had survived so many close calls over the years. Mr. Staubach watched the back-and-forth game from his Dallas home while hosting a party for his NASCAR team.

Head coach Paul Johnson had seemingly accomplished everything during his six-year tenure at Navy, leading the once downtrodden program to five straight winning seasons capped by bowl berths. The Midshipmen also have captured the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy five consecutive years while compiling a stellar 11-1 record against Army and Air Force under Mr. Johnson’s leadership.

That long-awaited victory over Notre Dame was the final feather in the cap of Mr. Johnson, who left Navy following the regular season to become head coach at Georgia Tech.

<ul>
<li>Bill Wagner</li>
</ul>

GreatAmerican · December 30, 2007, 2:47pm

[Navy</a> women get past Air Force to snap 7-game skid : Mids put tough times in close games behind them in overtime - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)](<a href=“Real Estate – Capital Gazette”>Real Estate – Capital Gazette)

GreatAmerican · December 31, 2007, 11:00am

Mids finish ninth at Southern Scuffle

For Immediate Release
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Prendergast Wins Heavyweight Title, Leads Mids to Ninth Place at Southern Scuffle

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Senior heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) was one of five Midshipmen to place at the 2007 Southern Scuffle, while the No. 21 Navy wrestling team captured ninth place at the two-day, 28-team tournament held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Led by four individual title winners, fourth-ranked Minnesota claimed the team title with 182 points. Fourteenth-ranked Edinboro was a distant second with 130.5 points, followed by Hofstra, who jumped from 10th to third in the final standings with 121 points. Cornell, meanwhile, just edged out Maryland for fourth place, 94-93.5.

The Mids, who were tied for eighth heading into the final day of competition, finished the tournament with 79.5 points, five points behind eighth-place Boise State and five points in front of 10th-place Old Dominion, who plummeted from fourth after the opening day of action.

“I think we could have done better in the tournament, but the reality of it is that it’s a tough tournament and though we had some good performances, we need to be able to win a few of those close matches,” said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had that little holiday break in there and some of the guys weren’t quite in the condition they should have been in this weekend. Additionally, we didn’t have our full complement of of wrestlers. Joel Ahern (157 pounds) and Tyler Moyer (197 pounds) both made the trip, but were unable to compete because of the flu. But in this sport, there are no excuses.

“We use these tournaments as practice for what we will face in March at the conference and national tournaments. I’m anxious to get back into the wrestling room and work out the kinks.”

Navy sent six wrestlers into the championship bracket on Sunday and five of them came away place-winners. An additional three Mids, Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.), Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.), were just one match away from finishing among the top eight in their respective weight classes.

For the third time this season, the heavyweight title bout matched up Navy’s Prendergast and junior Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.). Steele took the titles at Eastern Michigan and the Navy Classic, but it was Prendergast who got the best of Steele at the Scuffle. Prendergast defeated eighth-seeded Justin Dobies of North Carolina in the quarters before pinning 17th-ranked Joey Fendone of Edinboro in the semis. Meanwhile, Steele edged 16th-ranked Mike Spaid of Bloomsburg, 3-2, and cruised to a 19-1 victory over No. 9 Zach Hammond of Cornell to set up the finals match. Prendergast earned his second tournament title of the year by pinning Steele at 8:19. For Steele, it was just his third loss of the year.

“Ed has really stepped it up as of late,” said Burnett. “He and Scott (Steele) are really wrestling well for us right now and pushing one another to get better.”

A pair of Midshipmen, 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.), earned fourth in their respective weight classes. Baker made his way to the semifinals after earning a one-point victory over Boise State’s Andrew Hochstrasser in the opening match of the day. Baker, though, suffered a 6-2 setback against seventh-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota, cutting short his hopes of winning the title. While Reiter went on to win the championship bout, Baker regrouped and made another run in the consolation bracket. He defeated Kent State’s Dan Mitcheff, seeded fourth, 8-5, but was tripped up by Hochstrasser in the rematch, 9-8.

Stolpinski, meanwhile, followed the same pattern as Baker. Navy’s team captain earned a 4-2 win over 18th-ranked Eric Decker of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals, but was unable to get past 14th-ranked Alton Lucas of Hofstra in the semifinals. Lucas took the bout, 7-4, and went on to beat eighth-ranked Mike Letts from Maryland in the championship match. Stolpinski dropped to the consolation bracket where he earned a 7-5 win over Edinboro’s Philip Moricone, ranked No. 12. However, 11th-ranked Steve Anceravage from Cornell kept Stolpinski out of the top three by defeating him, 5-3.

Rookie 149-pounder Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) was the final Navy wrestler to place on the afternoon, taking home seventh-place honors. Saddoris opened the tournament with a 3-0 record, but had much to think about when his head hit the pillow Saturday night. He knew he would have his hands full with his quarterfinals opponent, No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter from Minnesota. Schlatter took the match, 9-2, sending Saddoris to the consolation bracket, where he wrestled his way back into place-winner status. After defeating Ohio’s Matt Reedy, 6-0, he dropped an 8-2 decision to Hofstra’s Mitch Smith. Saddoris, though, went on to defeat Jeremy Doyle of Cal State Bakersfield, 10-5. Saddoris has now placed in four of the five tournaments in which he has competed, including three top-three finishes.

The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Texas to take part in the Lone Star Duals. Navy opens the competition against No. 19 Oklahoma at 12:00 pm Central, followed by Columbia at 2:00 pm and No. 13 Wisconsin at 8:00 pm

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:11am

By John Feinstein
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, January 1, 2008; 1:07 AM

The NCAA hired David Parry last week to coordinate college football officiating, a bold step forward that comes only 20 years after Hank Nichols was hired to do the same job in basketball.

Those folks in Indianapolis are quick thinkers.

Maybe the first thing the new coordinator can do is make sure that everyone working as a college football official actually knows the rules.

The bowl season – which is slightly longer and a good deal less meaningful than the regular season – began Dec. 20 with Navy hooking up with Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl in an entertaining, competitive and – as with all college football games – endless evening. Late in the game, with Utah up 28-25, one of the Utes fumbled the ball as he dove for the goal line and the ball bounced off the pylon.

That’s a touchback. Navy would get the ball at the 20 yard line.

I knew that. I would say a large chunk of those watching knew that. But the replay official in the press box did not know the rule. He saw the ball hit the pylon and told the officials on the field that the ball had been fumbled out of bounds and should be spotted inside the 1-yard line.

Maybe if the referee bothered to ask the replay official if the ball hit the pylon, especially since Navy’s coaches were screaming about it, the officials would have gotten the play right.

That didn’t happen. How much that poor ruling cost Navy is hard to say and isn’t the point here. You can’t have officials who don’t know the rules. The amateurish level of college football officiating has been an embarrassment for years and seems to only be getting worse.

In the Holiday Bowl – if you are looking for references to the corporate names plastered all over the bowls, go to ESPN where (corporate name) bowl week brings you the (corporate name) bowl presented by (corporate name) and brought to you by (corporate name, corporate name, corporate name) – Mack Brown’s stepson, who surprisingly enough is employed by Mack Brown, stepped onto the field during an Arizona State fumble and may or may not have touched the ball.

It took the officials twelve minutes to sort the play out and they were still confused about what down should be done after they ruled the ball had been touched.

Again, all sorts of questions come to mind: why wasn’t unsportsmanlike conduct ruled immediately for people being on the field during a play when the Texas bench had already been warned once for not being far enough back on the sidelines? Why does anything take 12 minutes to decide in a football game when you can change your car insurance in 15 minutes?

College football officiating stinks. In fact, college basketball officiating – a much harder game to call – is a lot better than football officiating in large part because Nichols has worked extremely hard to tighten the reins and make officials accountable.

Unfortunately, one thing Nichols can’t control is how much top officials work, since they are assigned by conference supervisors and not by Nichols. Most of them work virtually every night because they are in demand and no one says to them, “Whoa, you can’t work one night in Hawaii and the next night in Florida without being tired.”

That, by the way, is not hyperbole. In November, Ed Hightower, a fine official and a good man, worked the Duke-Marquette championship game in Maui on the night before Thanksgiving, got on a plane, flew through two time zones, changed planes, flew through three more time zones and then worked George Mason-Kansas State in Orlando less than 21 hours after the game in Maui ended.

There’s no way any official should be allowed to work on a schedule like that.

It is time for the NCAA to take control of officiating in both football and basketball. It needs to – gasp! – spend some money and hire a core of fulltime officials for both football and basketball. Pay them a reasonable amount of money so they don’t feel the need to overwork and then hold them accountable for their work.

The first thing the NCAA will say is it can’t afford to hire full-time officials because of benefits packages, insurance and things like that. Bologna. The NCAA and its member schools are flush, in spite of all their cries of poverty. One rule change would produce all the money needed to finance fulltime officials: forbid home football teams from staying in a hotel the night before a game.

Talk about needless expense and excess. Coaches insist that players must stay together in a hotel to get a good night’s sleep. Please. All you have to do is let the rest of the student body know it is important that the boys get their sleep and they will be left alone in their dorms. If you want to have coaches do bed checks, fine. But imagine how much money would be saved if you eliminate paying for 100 (or more) hotel rooms six or seven times each season at all 119 division I-A schools. If getting sleep for the players at home becomes difficult, some big-time coaches might even schedule an occasional non-conference road game.

Once the money is there, officials should become full-time employees. They should be required to take a test on all the rules before they are allowed to work. They should be subjected to penalties when they make a mistake, the more egregious the error, the more egregious the penalty. Not knowing the rules should be at least a one-year suspension, if not a firing offense.

In basketball, officials should be limited to working no more than four nights a week. Their travel should be set up so that they aren’t traveling all night through time zones to work the next night.

Football officials should be assigned to postseason games based on the quality of their work, not on a rotation system. In basketball, conference supervisors send reports throughout the year to Nichols, who then does the best he can to pick postseason officials based on merit.

Also, the officials should be accountable to the public. If players and coaches have to answer questions after they make a mistake, officials should have to do the same. Initially, the officials in the Poinsettia Bowl refused comment on their screw-up. Finally, after bowl officials pushed them because the mistake made was so obvious, they put out a statement admitting an error had been made.

No one was allowed to ask any questions though, like, “Did the officials on the field ask the replay official if the ball hit the pylon?” or, the simpler question: “How in the world could you not know the rule?” or, “Why didn’t you ask for help?” The same thing applies to the officials of the Holiday Bowl: “Why wasn’t Texas given an instant misconduct penalty for having people on the field during a play?”

In truth, it would help officials most of the time to be able to explain themselves. It would make them more sympathetic to the public, because we would hear their voices the way we hear the voices of players and coaches.

One other thing college football needs to change right now that won’t cost any money: the first down rule. The notion of stopping the clock after every first down is ludicrous. It should only be stopped in the last two minutes of the half and the last two minutes of the game. College football games are wildly entertaining but take way too long, especially during bowl season when ESPN doesn’t let most games kick-off until 8:10 on the east coast, meaning games drag on until midnight and beyond.

If the first down rule were changed, it would take 10 to 15 minutes off of every game. Sure, there would be fewer plays, but there are already plenty to go around.

And, if the officials ever learned all the rules and how to run a game without 12-minute delays and without going to the replay booth on every other call, we’d all enjoy the games more.

There’s no reason for officiating to be this bad in a sport this good.

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:12am

For Midshipmen running back Zerbin Singleton, faith and desire combined to turn a rough start into solid success.

[Navy’s</a> Singleton runs over obstacles - 01/02/2008 - MiamiHerald.com](<a href=“http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/363757.html]Navy’s”>http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/363757.html)

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:14am

This Week In Navy Sports Sponsored By Navy Federal Credit Union

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Overall Navy Sports Record: 136-57-6 (.698)

Men¹s Basketball (5-8)
Last Week: Defeated St. Francis (N.Y.), 85-83
This Week: NJIT (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy All-Access, 1430 WNAV); Longwood (Saturday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., 1430 WNAV and 1050 WFED)

Women¹s Basketball (3-10)
Last Week: Defeated Air Force, 72-69 in overtime
This Week: Fordham (Wednesday, 5 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy All-Access); Ohio (Saturday, 5 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy All-Access, 1430 WNAV)

Rifle (3-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Idle

Squash (8-3)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: at the Philadelphia Club Challenge (Thursday-Sunday, All Day, Philadelphia, Pa.)

Men¹s Swimming & Diving (11-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Harvard (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)

Women¹s Swimming & Diving (11-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: Idle

Men¹s Indoor Track & Field (0-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: at Princeton (Sunday, 1 p.m., Princeton, N.J.)

Women¹s Indoor Track & Field (2-0)
Last Week: Idle
This Week: at the UMES Invitational (Friday, 9 a.m., Princess Anne, Md.); at the National Pole Vault Summit (Friday-Saturday, 12 noon, Reno, Nev.)

Wrestling (0-0)
Last Week: Finished ninth out of 28 teams at the Southern Scuffle
This Week: at the Lone Star Duals vs. No. 19 Oklahoma (Saturday, 12 noon, South Grand Prairie, Texas); vs. Columbia (Saturday, 2 p.m., South Grand Prairie, Texas); vs. No. 13 Wisconsin (Saturday, 8 p.m., South Grand Prairie, Texas)

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:18am

Time to celebrate at AFA
By
David Ramsey
Colorado Springs Gazette

Paul Johnson has departed Navy to coach football at Georgia Tech.

That means it’s time to party at the Air Force Academy. Johnson owned the Falcons during his six seasons at the Naval Academy. If he had stayed in Annapolis, chances are he would have continued to own the Falcons. Johnson departs NAvy with an 11-1 record against his former service-academy brethren.

Johnson can be arrogant and paranoid. He fills his players with stories - most only vaguely based on truth - about disrespectful words spoken by opponents.

But he’s a master at building a winning football team. He converted the Midshipmen from one of the worst teams in college football to the undisputed kings of service-academy football. His triple-option offense, which borrows heavily from Fisher DeBerry, is a thing of beauty.

He fills his playes with belief. Earlier this season, Navy had apparently beaten Notre Dame in overtime before an awful interference call rescued the Fighting Irish. Johnson could have been stomping in anger, but when TV cameras found him on the sidelines, he was laughing. His players could sense his confidence, and the Midshipmen stopped the Irish on the next play to win the game.

No doubt, the man can coach. Johnson will build a winner at Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, Air Force football can celebrate the departure of the program’s greatest nemesis.

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:19am

[Bowl</a> mistake to cost official - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)](<a href=“Real Estate – Capital Gazette”>Real Estate – Capital Gazette)

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:20am

Navy 55, Fordham 45

For Immediate Release
Sent Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Late Run Gives Navy Womens Basketball Team a Victory

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A game-closing 13-0 run over the final three minutes of the contest propelled the Navy womens basketball team to a 55-45 victory over Fordham Wednesday evening in Alumni Hall.

The Rams held a 45-42 lead after Annie Zopf made 1-of-2 free throw attempts with 3:12 left to play in the game. Navys Cassie Consedine (Fr., Bartlesville, Okla.) proceeded to grab an offensive rebound and score on Navys next time down the floor to cut the margin down to one point. The Mids then forced three-straight Fordham turnovers and scored on each ensuing possession to take a 50-45 lead with 1:40 showing on the clock.

The key sequence began when Fordhams Megan Mahoney was called for a charging foul while going to the basket, which led to a second-straight Consedine jumper. Following a carry by Mahoney, Navy broke the Fordham press and Whitney Davidson (Jr., New Oxford, Pa.) found Consedine open in front of the basket for her third-straight field goal from close range to give Navy a 48-45 lead with 1:57 remaining in the game. Kalen Kropa (Jr., Reidsville, N.C.) then stripped Raina Spencer of the ball at halfcourt and the Navy point guard made a layup while being fouled by a chasing Spencer to increase the Navy lead to five points. Kropa would miss the free throw to keep the margin at 50-45, though.

The Rams would take three shots on their next possession before Davidson grabbed a defensive rebound with 1:11 left to play, then Davidson herself drilled a jumper from 15 feet out to give the Mids a 52-47 advantage with 44 seconds left to play. Mahoney, who scored 15 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out four assists for the Rams, missed a three-point attempt with 34 seconds to play, with Kropa hauling in the errant carom and being immediately fouled with 32 seconds to go. She would sink both free throws to put the game out of reach.

I was very happy we were able to pick up the victory, said Navy head coach Tom Marryott. It is our second-straight close win (the Mids posted a 72-69 overtime victory over Air Force Dec. 29), and being able to win tight games is a good experience. The way we looked down the stretch was encouraging.

Neither team started the game strong offensively. Fordham scored the first points of the game on a jumper with 15:15 left to play in the half, with K.C. Gordon (So., Vienna, Va.) drilling a three-point attempt to score the opening points of the game for the Mids 15 seconds later. The Rams would hold a lead of as many as five points in the first half before going into intermission clinging to a 23-20 advantage.

We came out flat, said Marryott. We were not vocal on defense at the start of the game, and when we are sluggish on one end we are going to be flat on the other, as well. We need to come out stronger and with more intensity and energy at the start of a game than we did tonight.

The second half saw the Rams take a lead of as many of four points at both 28-24 and 32-28. Following the latter score, Navy went on an 11-2 run to take a 39-34 lead with just over 11 minutes left to play. Fordham responded with an 11-3 run of its own over the next eight minutes to take the aforementioned 45-42 advantage.

Navy shot just 26.7 percent from the field in the first half, with Gordon accounting for three of the eight field goals tallied by the Mids over the opening 20 minutes of play. In the second half, though, Navy converted 45.2 percent of its shots from the field (14-31) while holding Fordham to just nine field goals made and a shooting percentage of 32.1 percent.

Both teams turned the ball over eight times in the first half, but Navy an equal number of turnovers in the second half while forcing the Rams into 11 turnovers after halftime.

Gordon finished the night with a career-high 17 points to pace all players in the game, with Consedine tallying all 15 of her points over the final 20 minutes of the contest. Consedine also recorded four blocked shots in the game, with Angela Myers (Fr., San Antonio, Texas) hauling in a Navy-high seven caroms. Additionally, Kropa swiped a career-best five steals and Davidson handed out a career-high five assists.

The win, the second-straight for the Mids, improves Navys record on the year to 4-10, while the loss drops Fordhams record to 0-14 on the season.

Navy will continue its homestand and close the non-conference portion of its season Saturday when the Mids play host to Ohio in a 5 p.m. game in Alumni Hall.

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:21am

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy’s four-guard lineup of Kaleo Kina, Chris Harris, Greg Sprink and Romeo Garcia combined for 70 points and the Mids shot a season-best 55.6 percent from the field in cruising past NJIT, 84-55, on Wednesday night. The win, which was Navy’s third in a row, improved the Mids to 6-8 overall, while NJIT drops to 0-16.

Navy, which struggled from the field for most of November, has clicked on the offensive end in the last month. Navy shot at least 49.0 percent in its fourth straight game and for the fifth time in six games, a stretch in which Navy is 4-2. In addition, the Mids scored at least 84 points for the third straight game for the first time since Jan. 31 - Feb. 8, 1998.

“We are continuing to play better and learning how to play with each other. The guys are getting comfortable with each other and understanding how everyone plays,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange, who coached his 100th game at Navy in the victory. “We have some deficiencies that we know we need to work on, but this group as a whole is responding with a positive attitude and it has made a difference.”

Navy led by two early on at 14-12, but soon stretched the lead to double figures at 28-17 with 8:42 to play on a Kina three-pointer. The lead didn’t dip below nine for the rest of the half, with Navy surging to a 45-31 halftime lead.

The Mids led by 14 at the break, despite committing 11 turnovers and NJIT’s Nesho Milosevic controlling the inside for 19 points. Milosevic shot 7-of-8 from the field in the first 20 minutes, but the rest of the Highlanders went 5-of-19 for just 12 points.

Lange, however, insists that the Mids don’t aim to stop just one player.

“Milosevic had a strong first half, but our defense isn’t controlled to stop just one player. We look to stop the whole team,” said Lange. "If a player goes for 19 of their team’s 31 points, I feel we did a pretty good on the other four guys on the floor.

“We didn’t make any adjustments on Milosevic in the second half. We just played with more defensive focus and worked harder,” said Lange.

Milosevic scored just six points in the second half, thanks in large part to the defensive play of Garcia. Garcia, a 6-4 freshman who was six inches shorter than Milosevic, limited his touches in the paint as the Highlander center managed just three shots in the final 20 minutes.

“Romeo (Garcia) had a fantastic game tonight,” said Lange. “He just brings so much energy, focus and intensity to the floor. He was working very hard in there and others fed off that.”

Navy quickly expanded its lead in the second half, leading by at least 14 points for the final 10 minutes. The final score of 84-55 was Navy’s largest win over a Division I opponent since beating Mount St. Mary’s, 95-54, on Dec. 30, 2001.

The Navy defense held NJIT to just 24 second-half points and a season-low 55 points, while forcing 23 Highlander turnovers. NJIT shot just 35.7 percent in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Navy offense is on a red-hot tear of its own. In the last six games, the Mids are shooting 48.0 percent (165-of-344), including 40.9 percent (61-of-149) from three-point range. The result has been wins in four of the last six games.

“I think we were a little unlucky in the first few games with our shots. We were taking some bad shots and missing some open ones,” said Lange. “In the last six games, we haven’t been fouling as much, so we have been in a better offensive flow. Chris Harris has been getting more comfortable at the point and the result is getting better looks. We are shooting the ball better obviously, but feel we can still get better looks.”

Kina led the Mids with 23 points, his third straight 20-point performance. Sprink added 19 points in just 23 minutes, sitting out the final 10 minutes with four fouls. Harris added 18 points, while Garcia had 10. With Garcia’s double-digit effort, Lange has now had 10 players record double-digit scoring games this season.

Harris continues to sizzle from the outside, converting on five-of-six three-point tries. In his last five games, Harris is 19-of-36 (.528) from beyond the arc.

“I’m just feeling good about my shot, but it can always get better,” said Harris. “We are just getting a lot of reps in practice and we are starting to get results. Our offensive chemistry has come a long way and we are figuring out what Coach (Lange) wants. We are figuring out each other on the floor.”

The Mids outrebounded NJIT, 33-29, and finished with 18 turnovers. Kina led the Mids with six rebounds and four assists. Harris totaled five steals, while Garcia blocked two shots.

The Mids will host Longwood at Alumni Hall in their final non-conference contest of the season, on Saturday night. The women host Ohio University at 5:00 pm, and the men’s game with Longwood will follow at 7:00 pm. For ticket information, call 1-800-US4-NAVY.

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:23am

Former Navy Assistant Bill Stewart To Be Named Head Coach At West Virginia (Associated Press)

Stewart Selected West Virginia Coach

By Associated Press
7:42 AM EST, January 3, 2008

Click here to find out more!

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia’s Bill Stewart has been selected as head coach.

The school dropped the interim tag from Stewart’s title after the 11th-ranked Mountaineers’ 48-28 win over No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday night.

Stewart will be officially introduced Thursday at an 11 a.m. EST news conference at the team’s hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., athletic department spokesman Mike Fragale confirmed in a phone call with The Associated Press.

Stewart was promoted from associate head coach to interim coach after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan last month.

Mountaineers quarterback Pat White, who ran for 150 yards and threw for 176 and two touchdowns in the Fiesta Bowl victory, began stumping for Stewart on the field after the game.

“He deserves it,” White said. “A great man. A great coach. All the players respect him and all the players love him. You couldn’t ask for a better man to lead us to victory today.”

Fullback Owen Schmitt, who scored on a 57-yard run, called Stewart the “glue” that kept the Mountaineers together during a rocky month.

“We’re a family,” Schmitt said. “That’s why we prevailed.”

Stewart came to West Virginia as quarterbacks coach in January 2000 after two seasons as offensive coordinator in the Canadian Football League.

Don Nehlen, the former Mountaineers coach who hired Stewart, said Thursday he was glad his former assistant had landed the job.

“He’s just such a good person and the kids love him,” Nehlen said. “It’s such a good fit with the program.”

A message left for Rodriguez early Thursday was not immediately returned.

Steward, a New Martinsville native, was head coach at VMI from 1994-96, compiling an 8-25 record. He also had stints as an assistant at Salem College, North Carolina, Marshall, William & Mary, Navy, Arizona State and Air Force.

Stewart was a three-year letterman and team captain for Fairmont State, which won the West Virginia Conference championship in 1974. He graduated from Fairmont State in 1975 and received a master’s degree in health and physical education from WVU two years later.

Stewart began his coaching career at Fairmont as a student assistant coach for one season before becoming an assistant coach at Sistersville High School in 1975.

GreatAmerican · January 3, 2008, 9:59am

For Immediate Release
Sent Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Swimming Programs Garner High National Rankings

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy swimming programs both received high placements in the latest CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Power Rankings. The Navy women’s team is ranked second nationally in its ranking, while the men’s squad placed sixth in its poll.

Both Navy programs enter the new year with 11-0 records in dual meets.

Rankings are based on each team’s best dual meet lineup as judged and submitted by participating teams. Rankings are compiled four times during the season, with the current ranking including all meets up until the recent holiday break.

Institutions from the following conferences are eligible to participate: America East, Atlantic 10, Big West, Colonial Athletic Association, EISL, Horizon League, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-America, Mid-Continent, Missouri Valley, North Eastern, Patriot, and Sun Belt conferences.

The Navy women’s team totaled 187.70 points in the poll to finish less than six points in back of top-ranked Harvard (193.40). The Mids outdistanced third-place Columbia (183.57), No. 4 Denver (183.49) and fifth-ranked William & Mary (183.35) by a little more than four points.

Joining Navy in the latest ranking are UMBC at No. 12 and Bucknell at No. 16, two teams the Mids have previously defeated this season.

On the men’s side, Navy accrued 183.48 points to finish roughly one point in back of both fourth-place Missouri State (184.69) and No. 5 Western Kentucky (184.39). As in the women’s poll, Harvard led all men’s programs with a total of 194.22 points. The Crimson were followed by Princeton in second place (188.00) and Denver in third (186.98).

The Mids have already recorded victories over No. 13 UMBC, No. 14 Army and No. 24 Bucknell, and will compete later this season against Harvard (Jan. 5), Princeton (Feb. 9) and No. 11 Cornell (Jan. 12).

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