Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:37pm

Kina emerging for Midshipmen
by Ron Snyder, The Examiner

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Navy guard Kaleo Kina could have stayed on the West Coast three years ago after receiving scholarship offers from Pepperdine, Santa Clara and Northern Arizona.

But when he visited the Naval Academy, he discovered there was more to college than just playing basketball. So the kid who never envisioned a career in the armed forces while being raised by a single mother decided to attend a school predicated on turning teenagers into military leaders.

“Before, I was just thinking about basketball,” said Kina, the oldest of Wanda Watts’ four kids and who never met his father. ³But as you mature, you realize this place is good for you down the road because going into the military you know you will have a job. It sets you up for life."

But first, the junior hopes do his job on the court, where the 6-foot-3, 204-pounder has emerged as a leader for the Midshipmen (7-8). Navy opens Patriot League play at two-time defending champion Bucknell (5-9) at Sojka Pavilion in front of a national audience on ESPNU tonight at 7.

The Midshipmen have won their past four games, but have lost nine of the past 10 against Bucknell (5-9), including six straight.

It will be imperative Kina, who averages 13.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists plays well, since he teams with sophomore guard Chris Harris (11.3 ppg, 3.2 apg) to complement senior guard Greg Sprink (19.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg).

“Kaleo, Chris and Greg are playing with great confidence right now,” Lange said. “We want them to play with that confidence so our young guys can feed off that confidence and play their roles.”

Kina has emerged as one of the Midshipmen¹s most improved players, as he has 53 assists against 53 turnovers this season not bad for a player who had a combined 46 more turnovers than assists over the previous two years.

“We’re feeling really good where we’re at,” Kina said. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of improvement to do, but as far as team chemistry, team attitude and practices, they are all going well and it¹s showing on the court. Bucknell is a tough one to open up with, but in Patriot League everyone knows everyone so it¹s important to perfect what we do in order to beat them.”

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

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:39pm

Sources: Hawaii defensive coordinator McMackin may be new coach

ESPN.com news services

Former Hawaii coach June Jones went across the country to find his newest coaching opportunity, but the Warriors may not have to look as far for their next football coach.

Hawaii, which had its coaching job come open when Jones left on Jan. 7 to accept SMU’s coaching vacancy, would like to fill its coaching position by next week.

ESPN’s Joe Schad reports that two sources briefed on Hawaii’s plans to replace Jones said current defensive coordinator Greg McMackin is a strong leading candidate to fill Jones’ post.

McMackin is expected to soon decide between staying at Hawaii or heading to SMU as Jones’ defensive coordinator.

McMackin was named as Hawaii’s defensive coordinator in April of 2007, returning to a position he held in 1999. He succeeded Jerry Glanville, who left to become Portland State’s coach.

McMackin helped the Warriors win a share of the Western Athletic Conference title during coach June Jones’ first year at Hawaii. The defense finished the season 35th in the nation that year, compared to 109th in 1998.

Hawaii’s defense was ranked 34th overall last season as Hawaii went 12-0 in the regular season and claimed its first outright WAC title before being crushed by Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Prior to returning to Hawaii last season, McMackin’s last job in football was as the San Francisco 49ers’ linebackers coach from 2003-05. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator for three seasons at Texas Tech.

Before joining Hawaii in 1999, he was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and several colleges including Miami, Navy, Utah and Idaho.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:42pm

By Chris Dufresne
Los Angeles Times

From A (Appalachian State) to Z (Zook, Ron), the 2007 college football season will be remembered as the year everything happened. So many things, in fact, that when Times reporter Chris Dufresne compiled his top 10 moments, some great ones didn’t make the final cut, including Kansas’ rise from a hayseed program to Orange Bowl glory and Trinity University’s 15-lateral, miracle win over Millsaps College. Dufresne’s list:

<ol>
<li>The Appalachian upset:</li>
</ol>

The boys from Boone, N.C., kicked off the season Sept. 1 with an almost inexplicable, 34-32 victory over No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The stunner was sealed when Corey Lynch blocked a 37-yard field-goal attempt on the final play. Appalachian State became the first lower division team to beat a top 10 team and the shock waves set the tone for a season of unexpected twists and turns.

The win prompted the Associated Press to change its rules and allow pollsters to cast votes for lower-division schools.

<ol>
<li>Stanford 24, USC 23:</li>
</ol>

Date: Oct. 6. Backup quarterback Tavita Pritchard’s 10-yard scoring pass to Mark Bradford with 49 seconds left at the Coliseum lifted Stanford to a win that matched Appalachian State’s on the improbability meter. News of the upset nearly stopped play miles away at the Rose Bowl, where USC rivals UCLA and Notre Dame were playing.

For the second straight year, a loss to an inferior team kept USC from playing for the national championship. In 2006, UCLA shocked USC, 13-9, at the Rose Bowl, which denied USC a title-game matchup against Ohio State.

<ol>
<li>Louisiana State wins:</li>
</ol>

LSU spotted Ohio State an early 10-0 lead and then scored the next 31 points on its way to a 38-24 win in the Bowl Championship Series title game. LSU became the first school to win two BCS national titles and the first two-loss team to do it.

LSU and Ohio State were the last teams standing Dec. 2 after a wild weekend that saw No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia lose. Ohio State moved from No. 3 to No. 1 and LSU jumped from No. 7 to No. 2.

<ol>
<li>Hell meets almost Heaven:</li>
</ol>

Almost as shocking as Appalachian State over Michigan and Stanford over USC: West Virginia, a 28-point favorite, needed only to beat lowly Pittsburgh at home Dec. 1 to earn a trip to the national title game. But the Panthers prevailed, 13-9 (what is it about shocking upsets, USC, and that score?). That started a chain reaction that led to Coach Rich Rodriguez leaving Morgantown for Michigan.

Bill Stewart was named West Virginia’s interim coach and led the Mountaineers to a Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, after which Stewart was named head coach.

<ol>
<li>Dennis Dixon’s injury:</li>
</ol>

One-loss Oregon’s very real chances of winning the national title and crowning its first Heisman Trophy winner were crushed Nov. 15 in Tucson when superstar quarterback Dennis Dixon was lost to a season-ending knee injury against Arizona. Dixon, a senior, had injured his knee in Oregon’s previous game against Arizona State, but he asked the school to keep the news secret in an effort to continue playing.

Despite wearing a knee brace, Dixon’s left knee buckled when he made a cut with 6:01 left in the first quarter. Oregon finished 9-4.

<ol>
<li>Flynn to Byrd:</li>
</ol>

It may have been the play that best defined the tenuous nature of this year’s race to the national title. Louisiana State needed only a field goal to beat Auburn on Oct. 20 in Baton Rouge but tempted fate (and the clock) with a bold, if not insane, call in which Matt Flynn hit receiver Demetrius Byrd for the game-winning touchdown pass with one second left.

Had Flynn not been able to get off the pass in time, or taken a sack, LSU would have lost and never played in the national title game.

<ol>
<li>Navy beats Notre Dame:</li>
</ol>

Well, it couldn’t last forever. Notre Dame had defeated Navy an NCAA-record 43 straight times before the Midshipmen righted the ship with a triple-overtime win over the Irish in South Bend on Nov. 3. How long had it been? Roger Staubach, in 1963, was the Navy quarterback the last time Navy had prevailed. The loss dropped Notre Dame to 1-8. Navy had a winning season again under Paul Johnson, who was hired to succeed Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech.

<ol>
<li>Hawai’i arrives; Jones leaves:</li>
</ol>

Hawai’i spent the whole season trying to prove it was worthy of a BCS bid and earned it by finishing the regular season as the nation’s only unbeaten team. The Warriors finished 12-0 and No. 10 in the final BCS standings to earn a Sugar Bowl bid, but the fun ended there.

Georgia crushed Hawai’i, 41-10, in New Orleans and then Coach June Jones crushed Hawai’i fans by taking the job at Southern Methodist.

<ol>
<li>UCLA fires and hires:</li>
</ol>

This was supposed to be Karl Dorrell’s statement year, as the Bruins returned 20 starters on a squad that was ranked No. 14 in the AP preseason poll. But ugly losses to Utah and Notre Dame, plus a rash of injuries, led to a 6-6 finish and Dorrell’s firing Dec. 3.

After an extended search, UCLA hired Rick Neuheisel, who once threw passes to Dorrell when they were Bruins teammates in Westwood.

<ol>
<li>Sophomore wins the Heisman:</li>
</ol>

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win college football’s most coveted award after a season in which he became the first major college player to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns. Tebow then became the third straight Heisman winner to lose his bowl game, following Reggie Bush in 2005 and Troy Smith in 2006.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:46pm

University presidents respond to Adams’ proposal

By JEFF D’ALESSIO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/10/08

Several of Michael Adams’ fellow university presidents say they’re at least willing to have an open discussion about implementing a playoff in college football.

Of the 30 university CEOs reached by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since Georgia’s Adams went public with his proposal for an eight-team, seven-game playoff in Tuesday’s AJC:

<ul>
<li>Five fully embraced his plan, which calls for a selection committee to seed the eight-team field.</li>
<li>Five believe college football should have some sort of playoff but aren’t sure Adams’ format is best.</li>
<li>Six remain undecided but say they’re willing to discuss Adams’ plan and others.</li>
<li>Fourteen rejected Adams’ idea.</li>
</ul>

Adams said earlier this week he believes chances are “at least 50-50” his plan will pass, and believes more than half of the 119 Division I-A presidents believe some changes must be made to the current system.

His plan isn’t likely to come up for formal discussion when the NCAA Convention begins this week in Nashville, but it’s been a hot topic of debate among fans, coaches and media members since LSU beat Ohio State in Monday night’s national championship game.

NCAA President Myles Brand told the AJC it’s too early to say how long it would take to enact a playoff, what the odds are that one will come about or what procedural steps would follow the formation of the discussion group. But he said there has been enough conversation about possible changes to the Bowl Championship Series which attempts to create a national championship game each year between the nation’s top two teams - that the subject of how major college football chooses its champion is ripe for review.

Brand said he will speak with the Division I board of directors on Monday about forming a discussion group on the topic.

Of the 30 presidents reached by the AJC, Adams’ greatest allies on the issue all come from outside his own conference, the SEC.

New Mexico State’s Mike Martin, Florida State’s T.K. Wetherell, Air Force’s John Regni, Boise State’s Robert Kustra and Akron’s Luis Proenza were the most enthusiastic about Adams’ playoff pitch. Martin “strongly” endorsed it. Regni called it “a solid working model.”

Added Kustra: “I would want it to come as close as possible in copying the underlying theme of the NCAA basketball tournament that everyone gets a chance who qualifies. That makes the membership of the selection committee critical so it doesn’t become just another version of the current BCS monopoly. The devil is in the details.”

Here is how the other presidents responded when asked which of four categories best summarized their stance:

It’s time for a playoff but I’m not sure about this particular model.

*Henry Bienen, Northwestern

*Richard Brodhead, Duke

*Jack Hawkins, Troy

*Robert Khayat, Ole Miss

*Steadman Upham, Tulsa

Upham said, “It’s time to implement a playoff system,” but doesn’t like one that spills into the second academic semester, as Adams’ plan does.

Brodhead said an eight-team playoff “makes the season too long” but “we might well support a four-team playoff.”

I’m not sure what the right answer is but it’s time to at least talk about a playoff.

*James Barker, Clemson

*Scott Cowen, Tulane

*Robert Foglesong, Mississippi State

*Judy Genshaft, South Florida

*James Ramsey, Louisville

*Martha Saunders, Southern Miss

Echoing a familiar sentiment among presidents and coaches of teams who aren’t in the six major BCS conferences, Southern Miss’ Saunders said her school might be supportive of a plan that “provides more opportunities.”

Added Ramsey: “On the surface, I think there needs to be careful analysis of a playoff and if the analysis supports such a playoff, I would be in full favor.”

I think college football should stick with the BCS.

*David Ashley, UNLV

*Ray Authement, Louisiana-Lafayette

*Brady Deaton, Missouri

*Dave Frohnmayer, Oregon

*Jo Ann Gora, Ball State

*John Hennessy, Stanford

*Richard McCormick, Rutgers

*Sean O’Keefe, LSU

*Graham Spanier, Penn State

*Marlene Strathe, Oklahoma State

*Lee Todd, Kentucky

*John White, Arkansas

*John Wiley, Wisconsin

*Robert Witt, Alabama

Adams is sure to meet the most resistance from his fellow presidents at Big Ten and Pac-10 schools, who prefer their traditional arrangement with the Rose Bowl.

“I doubt it would receive much support from university presidents or from those of us on the BCS oversight board,” Penn State’s Spanier said.

Adams also could face an uphill battle in his own conference. Among the naysayers were four SEC leaders, including Arkansas’ White, who said, “I’m very disappointed Dr. Adams has taken this position.”

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:49pm

For a complete set of game notes in a pdf file, please visit [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.navysports.com)

Navy Women’s Basketball Game Information
Bucknell (5-9, 0-0 Patriot League) at Navy (4-11, 0-0 Patriot League)
Saturday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m.
Annapolis, Md. (Alumni Hall)
Live on WNAV-AM 1430 and Navy All-Access

Saturday’s Game
Navy opens its 17th season in the Patriot League Saturday night when the Midshipmen play host to Bucknell in a 7 p.m. game in Alumni Hall.

Broadcast Information
The broadcast of Saturday’s game against the Bison will be aired locally on WNAV-AM 1430, with streaming audio and video also available to Navy All-Access subscribers. Fans can subscribe to Navy All-Access via [NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics](<a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5DNavySports.com”>http://www.navysports.com) for $6.95 a month or an annual fee of $49.95.

A subscription to Patriot League All-Access, which provides streams to league games not involving Navy, costs $7.95 a month and is available at <a href=“http://www.patriotleague.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.patriotleague.com(.)</a>

Additionally, live statistics from the game will available for free via the Gametracker feature found on <a href=“http://www.navysports.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.navysports.com(.)</a>

Promotions
2007 Navy Basketball Camp participants who register prior to the game can receive up to four free tickets to the game. Former campers can register by calling 410-293-8786.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:50pm

For Immediate Release
Friday, January 11, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy to Host Four-Team Meet on Saturday

ANNAPOLIS, Md. The Navy mens track & field team will compete in Halsey Field House for the first time in more than a month when it hosts American, Penn and VCU on Saturday, starting with the field events at 11 a.m. and track events at 12 noon.

The Midshipmen saw their first action in a month last Sunday in a 96-85 dual-meet loss at Princeton. Navy won eight events, seven of which were on the track, and produced six IC4A-qualifying marks.

John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.), this weeks Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week, won the 3,000-meter run with a career-best, IC4A-qualifying time of 8:21.06. Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.) qualified for championship action in the 500-meter run with a first-place time of 1:03.08, while Craig Meekins (Sr./Baldwin, N.Y.) met the IC4A standard in the 800-meter run with a 1:53.28 clocking.

In the field portion of last Sundays meet, Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) and Andre Barber (Sr./Carrollton, Texas) went 1-2 in the shot put with IC4A marks. Hunter, the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, won the event with a toss of 544-3/4 (16.58 meters) in his first action of the indoor season. Barber followed with a distance of 517 (15.72 meters) to surpass the IC4A standard for the second time in as many competitions this year.

Christopher Bordino (Jr./Gastonia, N.C.) also etched his name onto the IC4A qualifier list for Navy in the weight throw last week. Bordino placed third with a career-best effort of 561-1/4 (17.10 meters), more than three feet longer than her previous personal record against Army last winter.

Already in this young 2007-08 indoor slate, Navy has qualified for the IC4A Championship in eight different events with a total of nine entries.

Navy competed against this same field nearly a year ago to the date in Halsey Field House, defeating the three visiting squads with a team score of 201 points. Penn edged VCU by 10 points for second place and American rounded out the field with 57 points.

American, Penn and VCU will be making their 2008 debuts this weekend in Annapolis, as each team has not competed since the first week of December. American and VCUs last action came in the Navy Invitational on Dec. 5, while Penn has been off since the Princeton Holiday Classic on Dec. 8.

Following this Saturdays action, the Midshipmen will remain in Annapolis to host Mount St. Marys, UNC-Wilmington and William & Mary on Saturday, Jan. 19.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:51pm

For: Immediate Release
Sent: January 11, 2008
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775

Mids Fall At Bucknell, 85-77, In Patriot League Opener

LEWISBURG, Pa.-Bucknell (6-9, 1-0 in the Patriot League) outscored Navy (7-9, 0-1 in the Patriot League), 46-31, in the second half to rally for an 85-77 victory on Friday night in front of 4,126 fans at Sojka Pavilion in the Patriot League opener for both teams. The win was Bucknell’s 36th straight on its home floor against Patriot League foes, while Navy dropped its eighth-straight game in Lewisburg.

“It was a good college basketball game played by two teams that came ready to play,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange. “Bucknell hadn’t been making shots recently, but they made them tonight and I wasn’t surprised.”

Justin Castleberry led four Bison in double figures with 19 points, while Jason Vegotsky added 14 points. Greg Sprink led Navy with 26 points, while Kaleo Kina added a career-high 24.

Navy (7-9, 0-1 in the Patriot League) played a terrific first half despite playing without the services of starting point guard Chris Harris for most of the first stanza. Harris picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game, his second on a silly offensive foul 45 feet from the basket, and was limited to eight first half minutes.

The Mids, however, didn’t let Harris’ early foul trouble bother them jumping out to a 28-18 lead and taking a comfortable 46-39 lead into the locker room as Kina and Sprink combined for 33 points. The 46 points was the most points scored in a half by a Bucknell opponent in the seven-year history of Sojka Pavilion.

The game turned in Bucknell’s favor at the start of the second half when Sprink picked up two fouls in the first 110 seconds, the second one coming when he reached in on John Griffin 35 feet from the basket and just 16 seconds after hitting a jumper that put Navy up 48-40.

Bucknell cut Navy’s lead to three at 55-52 with 12:49 left on lay-ups by G.W. Boon and Todd O’Brien. After O’Brien’s basket, Harris committed an offensive foul on Navy’s next possession and then picked up his fourth foul on the defensive end 24 seconds later sending him to the bench with 12:20 remaining in the contest.

With both Harris and Sprink on the bench with four fouls, the Bison went on a 10-1 run over the next 5:12 to take a 63-56 lead. The run was capped by John Griffin’s four-point play. 
Lange got Harris and Sprink back in the game after Griffin’s basket, but a Vegotsky three-point field goal increased Bucknell’s lead to 10 and Navy never got closer than five points the rest of the contest.

“I knew at the half that the only way we could get back in the game was to play better defense and I think we did that,” said Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery. “They had trouble guarding us on the other end.”

Navy returns home to take on Lehigh on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Patriot League home opener. Bucknell travels to Worcester next Friday night for a 9 p.m. contest at Holy Cross.

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GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:55pm

College basketball: Bison take advantage of Midshipman’s absence

By Tom Housenick
The Daily Item

LEWISBURG – Navy’s Greg Sprink can be a scoring machine.

Inside. Outside. Postup. Long-range three-pointers. In transition.

The Patriot League’s second-leading scorer found out during Friday night’s Patriot League opener at Bucknell that there is one place he can’t score from – the bench.

The Bison used a 15-point run when Sprink sat out with four fouls for a stretch of more than 10 minutes in the second half and reversed their recent late-game finishing problems to pull out an 85-77 victory in front of 4,126 fans at Sojka Pavilion.

With Sprink, the Midshipmen (7-9 overall, 0-1 PL) used a free-flowing offense to open up a 10-point first-half cushion.

Navy still led 48-40 until Sprink picked up his fourth foul at the 17:55 mark of the second half.

Bucknell (6-9, 1-0) methodically put together a strong effort and solid execution at both ends of the floor to seize control.

The Bison scored nine in a row, the last coming on a Darryl Shazier basket from Justin Castleberry at the 10:32 mark – their first lead (57-55) since the 15:02 mark of the first half (11-8).

John Griffin’s four-point play for a 66-56 advantage sent the Bucknell crowd to a frenzy and Sprink to the scorer’s table with 7:02 left.

But the damage was done.

The Midshipmen, who went 8:07 without a field goal during the key stretch, never got closer than five the rest of the game.

“I know better than to reach in for the ball 25 feet from the basket with the referee right there,” said Sprink, who still had 26 points in 29 minutes.

After Navy made seven of its first 13 three-point shots to open up a sizeable first-half lead, Bucknell tightened up its defense in the second half and got its shooters open for good looks.

Castleberry had a team-high 19 points and Jason Vegotsky added 14 in his first start since last season. The Bison, who had 11 treys, had four during their comeback spurt with Sprink spectating.

“When Sprink went to the bench, I thought our kids were settling down,” Bucknell coach Pat Flannery said. “Our bench – G.W. (Boon), Darryl, Todd O’Brien – they got us running (from) the 14- to 10-minute mark. We just couldn’t let somebody else step up and make plays (for Navy).”

Kaleo Kina tried to. He had a career-high 24 points, but 17 came in the first half and the other seven came late when the game was decided.

Navy finished 12 of 34 from three-point range.

“Threes, that’s who we are,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. "We want the open shots. We drive the lanes and kick. When Chris (Harris) is out for long stretches, he is just as valuable (as Sprink). We don’t get in a rhythm offensively that we got with him.

“When we look at (the film), I’m sure there were some that weren’t good shots, but I thought we did a good job.”

Harris, the only player from either team to foul out, managed 11 points and four assists in 23 minutes at the point for Navy. He picked up two early first-half fouls and sat for a long stretch. He then picked up his fourth at the 12:20 mark of the second half and Navy still hanging onto the lead.

With Harris and Sprink out, Bucknell went on a 13-1 run.

Bucknell has won 36 consecutive home games against league foes. Navy is 0-7 at Sojka and has lost its last eight trips to Lewisburg.

Bison captain Darren Mastropaolo had season highs in points (7) and rebounds (7) in his first start since last season. Fellow senior Rob Thomas returned after missing all but the first two minutes of the season-opener against Albany with a left knee injury. He had six points, four rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes.

“This was the lineup we envisioned having this season,” Flannery said. “The experience with Rob Thomas, it’s not just the scoring. He gets the big rebound, he can move. He came in and changed the complexion of the game.”

All are not healthy Bison. Junior Josh Linthicum sat out with a right knee injury suffered earlier this week in practice. He is day-to-day.

Notes: Sophomore Stephen Tyree had his best game statistically in a while with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. … Sprink and Kina combined for 55 of Navy’s 65 shots and 50 of its 77 points. Kina played the entire game. … Griffin had 13 points as Bucknell had four in double figures. … The Bison struggled at the free throw line, making just 18 of 30, missing five in a row at one stretch in the second half as their tried to come back with Sprink out. They made their last six to avoid any late-game disaster.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 5:57pm

Navy women keeping eye on growth chart

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published January 12, 2008

A 15-game, non-conference schedule, which featured a mixture of promising and problematic performances, was a true learning experience for a young, inexperienced Navy women’s basketball team. Beginning tonight, head coach Tom Marryott will find out whether the Midshipmen have grown from those lessons.

Navy opens Patriot League play tonight at home against two-time defending regular season champion Bucknell. The Bison, under the direction of 10th-year head coach Kathy Fedorjaka, are the preseason favorite to three-peat.

“There is no question that Bucknell will provide a stiff test right out of the gate,” said Marryott, in his fifth season at the helm. “Bucknell has really had our number in recent seasons. We’ll see what we are made of real quickly.”

Navy, which graduated four starters, is picked sixth in the preseason poll. Marryott said the Mids, who start a pair of freshmen, have gone through some expected growing pains.

“Reflecting on the non-conference schedule, I feel we are a team that is trying to figure out how to replace four seniors who played a lot of minutes,” he said. “I have seen us play some very good basketball at times, struggle mightily at others.”

Freshman center Cassie Consedine is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 12.9 points and 8.6 boards. The 6-foot-3 product of Oklahoma is a legitimate candidate for the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award.

Navy has also gotten solid play from two other newcomers - freshman guard Angela Myers and sophomore wing K.C. Gordon. Myers has started every game and ranks among the team leaders in rebounds and assists. Gordon, who played varsity soccer as a plebe, is the second-leading scorer with 9.9 points per game.

Junior point guard Kalen Kropa has provided steady ballhandling and playmaking. However, Marryott is looking for more returning players to become more assertive and consistent contributors.

“Surprisingly, it’s our veteran players that need to turn it up a notch,” he said.

Bucknell, which compiled a 12-2 conference record last season, returns three proven performers in Hope Foster, Amanda Brown and Kesha Champion. Foster, a senior forward-center, has been tabbed to repeat as Patriot League Player of the Year. Brown is also a preseason All-Patriot League selection. Champion was the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.

Foster’s ability to block shots combined with the full-court pressure applied by the likes of Brown and Champion are why the Bison led the league in field goal percentage defense and ranked second in scoring defense a year ago.

“I think the preseason poll is almost always based on the previous year’s finish. As a team, we need to go out and reestablish that reputation. It has to be earned anew every year,” Fedorjaka said. “We graduated two key players and it has shown. We have not played our best basketball. We need to play like a more veteran team.”

Army, runner-up in the conference last season with an 11-3 mark, is picked second in the preseason poll.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:00pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

Navy head coach Bruce Burnett was disappointed. Maryland head coach Pat Santoro wasn’t satisfied.

An early-season showdown between a pair of nationally ranked wrestling teams told both coaches there is still a lot to work on.

Sophomore Hudson Taylor posted a first period pin at 197 pounds to lead 21st-ranked Maryland to a narrow 21-18 victory over No. 22 Navy before ,025 at Halsey Field House.

Freshman Brian Letters opened the match with a close decision at 157 pounds and that would prove crucial for the Terrapins, who never trailed in beating the Midshipmen for the first time since 1997.

Maryland (8-3) was more aggressive taking shots and earning riding time in seven of eight matches that went the distance in snapping a 10-match losing streak to Navy. However, Santoro was not entirely pleased with his team’s performance.

“I don’t think we fought as well as we should have. When you go against Navy, you’ve got to wrestle for the full seven minutes and I don’t think we did that in some bouts,” Santoro said. “I felt we got out-wrestled in a lot of matches.”

Seventh-ranked Ed Prendergast produced a pin in just 14 seconds at heavyweight to lead Navy (1-3), which had beaten Maryland in 21 of the previous 22 meetings. Returning All-American and team captain Matt Stolpinski needed a third period pin to pull out a victory over Mike Letts in a Top 10 showdown at 174 pounds.

“We truly competed at seven weight classes. I thought there were two weight classes, and I’m not going to name them, that did not compete,” Burnett said. “I ask three things of our wrestlers - to win the battle of the mind, the battle of the body and the battle of the heart. We had two weight classes that didn’t compete from the heart. From that standpoint, I’m disappointed. We’ll fix that problem.”

Stolpinski, ranked ninth, trailed 9-7 before catching the seventh-ranked Letts at the 5:38 mark. Letts took the match to Stolpinski from the outset and scored four takedowns in building an 8-4 lead.

“When you give up three takedowns in the first period to a wrestler the caliber of Letts you should not win that match,” Burnett said. “If Matt wants to do well at the national tournament, he needs to pick up the pace.”

Stolpinski, who rolled Letts to the mat off a single-leg takedown, understood he did not wrestle the way he has been taught. Burnett implored Stolpinski to work the underhook and push the pace, and the senior did neither.

“Letts is a great wrestler, but I wasn’t doing what I needed to do. I was making the same mistakes over and over,” said Stolpinski, who nonetheless improved to 26-6.

Prendergast (22-4) made short work of Patrick Gilmore, inserting an underhook during the initial lock-up then tossing the overmatched freshman to the mat and quickly finishing the job. Those two falls in the span of three matches helped Navy erase a big early deficit and pull within 15-12.

Junior Joe Baker, a national tournament qualifier along with Stolpinski and Prendergast, notched a workmanlike 12-6 decision at 133 pounds to keep the Midshipmen within three points. Baker (16-9) missed an opportunity to register a major decision - allowing an escape and a takedown late in the third period.

Senior Charlie Pinto, who had not competed since Nov. 17 due to a knee injury, overcame some obvious rust by simply out-working Glenn Shober for an 8-2 decision at 141. That victory put the Terrapins ahead by five points and meant the Mids needed a pin in the final bout in order to tie.

“Pinto hasn’t been on the mat for two months. He showed a lot of heart, a lot of determination,” Santoro said.

Bryce Saddoris put forth a terrific effort to beat Eric Medina 7-3 in a battle of highly touted freshmen at 149, but that merely served to make the final score more respectable. Saddoris (24-7) and Baker were the only two Navy wrestlers who wound up on the positive side in the crucial category of riding time.

“Honestly, they have a better team than we do right now,” admitted Burnett, who felt the decisions Maryland earned in matches at 157 and 165 were crucial.

While Navy still holds a commanding 48-8-3 lead in the all-time series, last night’s result clearly showed the dramatic improvement Maryland has made during the five-year tenure of Santoro.

“This is a nice hurdle for our program,” Santoro said. “Navy has one of the best wrestling styles in the country, the kind that wins at the national tournament. I study their tapes because Bruce does such a good job and (the Midshipmen) are so well-coached.”

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:01pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Josh Albright and Lisa Kunzelman won medalist honors in the smallbore and air rifle disciplines, respectively, leading the Navy rifle team to a 114-point victory over Coast Guard, 4562 - 4448. The Mids improve to 4-0 on the season with the victory.

Navy shot a 2241 in smallbore and a 2321 in air rifle for its 4562. Coast Guard, meanwhile, shot 2199 and 2249 in the respective disciplines. The 2241 smallbore score was a season low as was the 4562 overall score.

In smallbore, Albright paced the Mids with a 580, well above his season average of 574.7. Chris Burleson scored a 569, while Allison Lankes and Liz Leckie rounded out the scoring with a 568 and 524, respectively.

In air rifle, Kunzelman led the team with a season-best 591. Christina Schade shot a 578, Alex Karacsonyi totaled a 577 and Albright tallied a 575.

The Mids will be back in action on Sunday, battling Nebraska at the Palmyra (Pa.) Invitational.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:10pm

Navy slotback Reggie Campbell has been impressed with Kapolei High alum Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, a junior quarterback for the Midshipmen this season.

“He did a great job,” said Campbell, a member of the 'Aina squad. “Kaipo is one of those players who always maintains his composure. Especially during pressure situations, he always led the team to victory when he could.”

One of those times was Nov. 3, when Navy ended a 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame with a 46-44, three-overtime victory in South Bend, Ind.

In the third overtime, Kaheaku-Enhada hit Campbell on a 25-yard touchdown pass and the two hooked up on the two-point conversion to put Navy up 46-38.

Notre Dame answered with a touchdown, but was stuffed on the two-point conversion attempt.

At the time, Paul Johnson, a former University of Hawai’i offensive coordinator, was Navy’s head coach. He has since left to take over at Georgia Tech. Radford High alum, and former UH quarterback and assistant Ken Niumatalolo is now the Midshipmen’s head coach.

“(Johnson) opened up a lot of windows of opportunities for the whole team. He did a great job leading up to coach Niumatalolo,” Campbell said.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:11pm

Name Class
Ben Martin 1946
Don Whitmire 1947
Stansfield Turner 1947
Dick Duden 1947
Richard Shimshak 1948
Richard Scott 1948
Peter Van Nort 1959
Walt Pierce 1963
Joe Ince 1964
Stephen Leaman 1969
Dan Pike 1970
Mike Hecomovich 1971
Chuck Voith 1973
Dan Driscoll 1974
Frazier Frantz 1983
Zerbin Singleton 2008

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:12pm

For Immediate Release
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Harris Leads Mids to First-Place Performance on Saturday

ANNAPOLIS, Md. Navy mens track & field middle distance runner Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.) provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship in the 800-meter run as the Midshipmen topped American, Penn and VCU on Saturday at Halsey Field House.

The Midshipmen tallied 214 points to finish ahead of second-place VCUs 162 points, third-place Penns 127 points and fourth-place Americans 45 points. Navy produced first-place marks in 10 events and six IC4A-qualifying marks.

We are starting to put things together and have to keep improving every week, stated Navy head coach Stephen Cooksey. I was talking to our team the other day about the importance of coming back from a decent meet at Princeton last Sunday. This was going to be a crucial week. We didnt want to dig ourselves into a bigger hole and maintain just a one-loss record this year.

Harris, an All-American in the 800-meter run last year, crossed the finish line in 1:51.05, five-hundredths of a second better than the NCAA provisional-qualifying standard and 7.25 seconds ahead of the second-place time on Saturday. In addition, his effort ranks as the ninth-fastest time in school history and now owns seven of the programs ten-fastest indoor 800-meter run times.

Im very pleased with Pauls performance today, said Cooksey. Its nice to see him getting these qualifying marks purely off his strength workouts.

Three of Navys IC4A-qualifying marks came in the field events. Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa), the reigning Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, won the shot put with an IC4A, indoor career-best distance of 559 (16.99 meters). Christopher Bordino (Jr./Gastonia, N.C.) matched his distance from last Sunday in the weight throw, winning the event with a toss of 561-1/4 (17.10 meters). Dante Marshall (Sr./Hermitage, Pa.) topped the field in the triple jump with a 4611-1/2 (14.31 meters) performance. Earlier in the day, Marshall also won the long jump with a distance of 227 (6.88 meters).

In addition to Harris on the track, two other Midshipmen met a championship standard on Saturday. John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.), this weeks Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week, paced the competition in the mile with an IC4A-qualifying time of 4:12.15, more than four seconds better than his previous personal record. Matthew Hanley (So./Rapid City, S.D.) also earned a spot at the IC4A Championship in the 55-meter hurdles, placing second in the finals with a 7.71-second clocking.

Navy long sprinter Will Ricks (Sr./Hopewell, Va.) also won two events and assisted on a relay victory. He placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.92 seconds, prior to which he out-ran the field in the 400-meter dash with a 50.54-second performance. Ricks, Sam Brinson (So./Madison, N.C.), Harris and Ben Fasseel (So./Hampton, Va.) combined for a first-place showing of 3:27.28 in the 4x400-meter relay.

Prior to the start of the track portion of the meet, there was a moment of silence to remember the services of the late Col. Ben Moore, USMC, who passed away last week. Moore was a bulwark of officials for Navys track & field and cross country meets for more than 30 years.

Navy (3-1) will remain home next Saturday to host Mount St. Marys, UNC-Wilmington and William & Mary in Halsey Field House.

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:13pm

No. 9 Penn def. No. 10 Navy, 7-2

For Immediate Release
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Squash Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

No. 9 Penn Drops 10th-Ranked Midshipmen, 7-2

Annapolis, Md. - Back in action after a month lay-off for final exams and the holidays, the 10th-ranked Navy squash team dropped a tough 7-2 decision to No. 9 Penn Saturday afternoon at the Halsey Field House International Squash Courts. The Quakers have now won six in a row against the Midshipmen dating back to 2001.

“Today’s loss was a tough one,” said Navy head coach Craig Dawson. “We had a great crowd, including an especially vocal group of Midshipmen which really helped. We lost a couple of heartbreakers, but we will continue to work on our game this week and get ready for next week’s matches.”

Navy looked to have the early advantage, winning two of the top three spots on the ladder. Leading the was senior Tucker George (West Hartford, Conn.), who came back from a 3-9 loss in the opening game to post 9-5, 9-4 and 9-5 wins to take the match over Penn All-American Lee Rosen at the No. 1 position. George has won all nine of his matches this season. Additionally, the Mids received a strong performance by their captain, senior Jeff Sawin (Haverford, Pa.), who improved to 8-1 on the year after breezing his way to a 9-3, 9-7, 9-4 win over senior Spencer Kurn.

The match could have swung the other direction had Navy been able to pull out a pair of matches that were decided in five games and went the Quakers’ direction. Navy’s No. 2 player Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.) traded wins with second-year Penn standout Mark Froot with Mattsson winning the fourth, 9-3, to send the match into a fifth game. But it was Froot who was able to outlast Mattsson and take the match in the fifth, 9-5, as Mattsson suffered his first loss of the 2007-08 campaign (9-1).

Meanwhile, Navy sophomore Ben Mantica (Binghamton, N.Y.) found himself in the same position at the No. 5 flight, where he won games two and four to force a deciding game against Penn rookie Porter Drake. Mantica suffered a final blow when Drake produced a 9-1 victory in the fifth.

The Midshipmen will be back in action next weekend when they travel to New Haven, Conn. to play in a three-day round robin at Yale. Navy will battle Bowdoin on Friday (5:00 pm), MIT (10:00 am) and Bates (4:00 pm) on Saturday and Colby (9:00 am) on Sunday.

Penn def. Navy, 7-2
Jan. 12, 2008 Annapolis, Md.
1 Tucker George (N) def. Lee Rosen (P) 3-1 3-9, 9-5, 9-4, 9-5
2 Mark Froot (P) def. Nils Mattsson (N) 3-2 9-3, 0-9, 9-2, 3-9, 9-5
3 Jeff Sawin (N) def. Spencer Kurn (P) 3-0 9-3, 9-7, 9-4
4 James Clark (P) def. Allan Lutz (N) 3-0 10-8, 9-3, 9-7
5 Porter Drake (P) def. Ben Mantica (N) 3-2 9-4, 3-9, 9-1, 6-9, 9-1
6 Joey Raho (P) def.Christopher Zipf (N) 3-1 9-3, 9-1, 3-9, 9-4
7 Andrew Zimmerman (P) def. Brian Hamilton (N) 3-0 9-3, 9-5, 9-5
8 Spencer Kurn (P) def. Brad Seidel (N) 3-0 9-7, 9-0, 10-8
9 Ryan Rayfield (P) def. Allen Hartley (N) 3-0 9-3, 9-4, 9-5

GreatAmerican · January 12, 2008, 6:14pm

Navy def. Yale, 159-141
Navy def. Cornell, 174-126

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Late Run Gives Navy a Pair of Men’s Swimming Wins

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men’s swimming and diving team closed its double-dual meet against Cornell and Yale with victories in the final two events to allow the Mids to defeat both teams Saturday afternoon in Lejeune Hall. The Mids recorded a 159-141 victory over the Bulldogs and a 174-126 win over the Big Red. Additionally, Yale posted a 167.5-132.5 win over Cornell.

The win was Navy’s first over Yale in three years, its first against Cornell in seven years and the two wins marked the first meet sweep of the Big Red and the Bulldogs by the Mids in a decade.

Navy trailed Yale 11-6 and Cornell 13-4 following the first event, the 200 freestyle relay. Navy’s Erik Hunter (Fr., Placerville, Calif.) then placed first and Sam Martinette (Fr., Richmond, Va.) placed third in the first individual event of the day, the 800 freestyle, to give the Mids a 20-16 lead over the Bulldogs and a 19-17 advantage over the Big Red.

A few events later, Navy had extended its leads to 71-41 over Yale and 64-48 over Cornell following back-to-back wins in the 100 breaststroke by Ari Molina (Jr., Arlington, Va.) and in the 200 fly by Adam Meyer (So., Bethesda, Md.). The Mids soon went into the first break holding a 22-point lead over Yale and a 16-point lead over Cornell.

Navy slowly built up its lead over Cornell, taking a 139-109 lead with just three events remaining, but Yale rallied and took a 124-121 advantage over the Mids following the 100 butterfly. The Mids clinched the meet victory over the Big Red thanks to the diving results, but at the same time the Bulldogs were still clinging to a 134-130 lead over the Mids.

Navy proceeded to make a huge move in the 200 individual medley, the final solo event of the meet, with a 1-2-3 finish in the race. Meyer won the race with a time of 2:04.78, with teammate Billy Vey (Jr., Huntersville, N.C.) placing second in his Meyer’s heat and overall with a time of 2:06.39. Earlier, Patrick Veltmann (Fr., Midlothian, Va.) had won the first heat of the event with a time of 2:07.83, and his time held up to allow him to place third overall in the final standings. This gave Navy a 146-137 lead over Yale heading into the 200 freestyle relay.

Navy closed the meet by having the foursome of Christopher Jenkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill.), Nate Durham (Jr., Greensboro, N.C.), J.J. Helms (Fr., Conroe, Texas) and Jack Curran (So., Silver Spring, Md.) place second to Cornell with a time of 3:27.51 to secure the victory for the Mids over Yale.

“We dug a hole for ourselves in the first relay, but to the credit of our guys they came back strong starting with the 800 free and carried that through to the end of the meet,” said Navy head coach Bill Roberts. “The key to the win was the great swims we had in the first heat of every race. Veltmann’s 200 IM swim was a perfect example of that effort.”

The Mids will next be in action Jan. 26 when Navy plays host to Penn.

GreatAmerican · January 13, 2008, 6:55am

Navy def. Cornell, 175-125
Yale def. Navy, 174-126

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Navy Women’s Swimming Splits Home Meets

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women’s swimming and diving team totaled seven first-place finishes as the Mids split a double-dual meet against Cornell and Yale, Saturday afternoon in Lejeune Hall. The Mids (12-1) dropped a 174-126 decision to Yale (2-2) and posted a 175-125 victory over Cornell (2-5). In the remaining contest, the Bulldogs recorded a 219-81 win over the Big Red.

Yale matched Navy with seven event victories during the meet, but the Bulldogs accrued nine second and third-place finishes with the Mids placing second in seven events and third just once.

Thuy-Mi Dinh (So., Anaheim, Calif.) highlighted the Navy efforts on the day as she recorded victories during each of her three individual events. She
posted a time of 1:05.79 to win the 100 backstroke, won the 50 free with a clocking of 26.05 and recorded a 57.92 to win the 100 freestyle.

Diver Katie Griffin (Sr., Ellicott City, Md.) continued her strong season by sweeping both boards during the meet. She totaled 241.95 points to win the one-meter event by 10 points then scored 308.40 points to win the three-meter event by 53 points.

Also recording wins for Navy on the day were Allison Ranzau (Fr., Alpharetta, Ga.) and Kelly Zahalka (Jr., Richmond, Va.). Ranzau won the 200 free with a time of 2:05.71 and Zahalka won the 200 individual medley with a clocking of 2:21.90.

“Yale swam extremely well today,” said Navy head coach John Morrison. “I was a little disappointed in some of our times. We need to step up better. We did have a number of good swims and had a lot of close races, but we need to race better and stronger throughout the meet.”

Navy will continue its season in two weeks when the Mids play host to Penn Jan. 26.

GreatAmerican · January 13, 2008, 6:56am

Bucknell def. Navy, 71-45

For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772

Mids Fall in Patriot League Opener

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Bucknell shot 55 percent from the field in opening up a 20-point halftime lead over the Navy women’s basketball team on its way to recording a 71-45 victory over the Midshipmen, Saturday night in Alumni Hall. The game served as the Patriot League opener for both programs.

Navy (4-12) struggled right from the start of the game on both ends of the floor. The Mids misfired misfired on its opening nine shots from the field until bucket by Cassie Consedine (Fr., Bartlesville, Okla.) ended the Navy drought to cut the margin down to 10-3 with 14:45 left to play in the half. Bucknell (6-9), meanwhile, converted 11 of its first 17 shots from the field (64.7%) to take a 27-11 lead before going into halftime holding a 42-22 lead.

The Mids shot 29.4 percent from the field in the first half, while making just 1-of-8 three-point attempts and sinking 1-of-2 shots from the foul line. The Bison in turn shot 55.6-percent from the field, made 3-of-4 three-point attempts and converted 9-of-13 free throw attempts.

We were a bad basketball team, right from the get go, said Navy head coach Tom Marryott. It was a complete defensive letdown right from the start. Offensively, we missed some good opportunities to score early on, which will happen, but our defense dug such a big hole for ourselves that we started to rush the offense and tried to do too much and do things we werent capable of. It wasnt effort problems on defense, it was not doing what we were supposed to do.

Bucknell, whose five starters logged 157 of the 200 minutes in the game and appeared together as a quintet with as late as the five minute mark while holding a 24-point lead, led by at least 20 points over the final 20 minutes of play.

The Bison cooled off somewhat in the second half, shooting 35.5 percent from the field after intermission and ending the game with an overall shooting percentage of 44.8 percent. Navy shot 34.8 percent from the field after halftime to conclude the contest with a shooting percentage of 31.6 percent. Additionally, Bucknell held a 44-30 advantage in rebounds.

A trio of Mids would score in double figures in the game. Kelly Altschul (So., Highland Village, Texas) scored a career-high 12 points to lead all Navy players, Angela Myers (Fr., San Antonio, Texas) finished with 11 points and Consedine added 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

Four of Bucknells starters scored in double figures on the night, with Lauren Schobers 17 points pacing all players in the game and Kesha Champion contributing 15 points and 11 assists.

Navy will take to the road for a pair of games in the Lehigh Valley this week. The Mids will face Lehigh Wednesday in Bethlehem, Pa., and then will return to the region Saturday for a game against Lafayette in Easton, Pa.

GreatAmerican · January 13, 2008, 6:57am

<h1>22 Navy def. American, 31-16</h1>

For Immediate Release
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

No. 22 Navy Captures 31-16 Win at American

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 22nd-ranked Navy wrestling team won six of the 10 bouts, including five extra-point matches to cruise to a 31-16 victory over EIWA foe American Saturday evening at Bender Arena in the nation’s capital. The win snaps the Mids’ two-match losing streak while improving to 2-0 in EIWA action this winter and 2-3 overall. Meanwhile, American, who wrestled its third dual in the last four days, dropped to 2-11 overall and 1-3 in EIWA competitions.

Redshirt sophomore Jasen Borshoff gave American the early lead by virtue of come-from-behind one-point victory over Navy rookie Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) in the evening’s first match at 125 pounds. Stein held a 3-2 advantage heading into the final period, but was warned for the second time in the match for stalling and Borshoff was awarded a point to knot the match. Borshoff, meanwhile, managed to free himself from Stein’s grasp following the penalty and earned the 4-3 decision.

The AU lead, however, would be short-lived as two-time NCAA qualifier Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) took AU freshman Matt Mariacher to task at 133 pounds where he earned the 17-2 technical fall at the seven-minute marker and gave the Midshipmen a 5-3 lead.

Second-year American standout Kyle Borshoff followed in his older brother’s footsteps by giving the Eagles the lead once again. Borshoff shut out Navy sophomore Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) en route to a 6-0 victory that put American back on top, 6-5.

The see-saw affair continued, as Navy freshman Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) improved to 25-7 on the year by pinning AU sophomore Nick Pitas at 3:30. Saddoris is now tied for fourth on the Mids’ all-time freshman wins list, alongside teammate and team captain Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) who turned in 25 wins during the 2004-05 campaign. The Saddoris win also gave Navy the lead for good, as the Mids would go on to win four of the final six matches.

Battling injuries throughout the year, junior 157-pounder Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) returned to the mat Saturday where he defeated AU senior Christopher Sout, 5-2.

Ranked 10th in the country at 165 pounds, American sophomore Mike Cannon was tough for senior Jason Coyne (Trafford, Pa.) of Navy to handle. Cannon cruised to the 14-4 major decision, trimming Navy’s lead to four, 14-10.

Stolpinski, ranked No. 9 nationally, took a step closer to becoming the Mids’ all-time wins leader by posting a technical fall over AU sophomore Jonathon Powell. Stolpinski earned a 17-2 win at the five-minute mark and now owns 126 wins over his collegiate career and stands tied for second with Mark Conley (1999-02). Greg Gingeleskie holds the record with 127 wins between 1996-99. Meanwhile, Stolpinski is just three wins off recording 30 wins for a third-consecutive year.

Junior Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) turned in a sensational performance at 184 pounds where, in just his second collegiate dual, he pinned redshirt freshman Andy Semple at 5:34, giving Navy a 25-10 advantage. The fall was just the second fall in Caldwell’s favor in his three seasons on the mat and first since winning his season opener by virtue of a pin at the Eastern Michigan Open.

Defending national champion and current No. 1-ranked 197-pounder Josh Glenn of American earned six points for the Eagles by defeating Philip Neese (Lexington, S.C.). The match was Neese’s first competition of the year.

Navy heavyweight Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) was awarded a win by forfeit in the finale, as American did not have a wrestler to match up against the Navy junior.

<h1>22 Navy 31, American 16</h1>

125 - Jasen Borshoff (A) dec. Allan Stein (N), 4-3 (A3, N0)
133 - Joe Baker (N) tech fall Matt Mariacher (A), 17-2 (7:00) (N5, A3)
141 - Kyle Borshoff (A) dec. Glenn Shober (N), 6-0 (A6, N5)
149 - Bryce Saddoris (N) fall Nick Pitas (A), 3:30 (N11, A6)
157 - Joel Ahern (N) dec. Christopher Sout (A), 5-2 (N14, A6)
165 - #10 Mike Cannon (A) major Jason Coyne (N), 14-4 (N14, A10)
174 - #9 Matt Stolpinski (N) tech fall Jonathon Powell (A), 17-2 (5:00) (N19, A10)
184 - Casey Caldwell (N) fall Andy Semple (A), 5:34 (N25, A10)
197 - #1 Josh Glenn (A) fall Philip Neese (N), 3:39 (N25, A16)
285 - Scott Steele (N) forfeit (AU) (N31, A16)

GreatAmerican · January 13, 2008, 4:00pm

By Jim Guiberson and Ray Feldmann

SCRANTON, PA (Saturday, January 12, 2008) * Navy¹s ice hockey team scored eight unanswered goals over the final two periods to rally from an early five-goal deficit and defeat Scranton, 9-8, Saturday night at the Ice Box Sports Complex in Scranton, PA.

With the amazing, come-from-behind win, the Midshipmen improved to 8-14-0 overall and 3-12-0 in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL). Scranton¹s Ice Royals, meantime, saw their record fall to 5-11-2 overall and 3-10-0 in the league.

The same two teams will meet tomorrow (Sunday) at 4:30 p.m., again at the Ice Box Sports Complex in Scranton.

The Ice Royals jumped all over the Mids early, taking a 5-0 lead during the game¹s first 12 minutes: A power play goal from senior forward Harry Lawall at 3:43, an even strength goal from junior forward Mike Pace 17 seconds later, a power play tally off the stick of Ryan Kleinschmidt at 7:58, an even strength goal from senior forward Steven Kelly 55 seconds later at 8:53, and a third power play goal from sophomore forward Jerry Malanga at 11:42.

In addition to quickly falling behind 5-0, Navy was assessed numerous minor penalties and four major disqualification (DQ) infractions: Matt Gross (head butting), along with Brian Gleason, Patrick Heitman, and Eric Bowen (all for fighting).

Scranton also lost three players to DQ¹s for fighting. Those six players – three for Navy and three for Scranton – will not be permitted to play in tomorrow¹s game.

The Midshipmen finally got on the scoreboard a short time later, getting a power play goal from junior forward (and converted defenseman) Matt Swezey at 13:05, with assists going to linemates Alex Wallis and Charlie Daniel.

But Scranton regained its five-goal lead before the period ended, getting an even strength tally from Matt Torstrup at 18:48 to give the Ice Royals a 6-1 lead.

Sometime during the intermission between the first and second periods, Navy experienced an ³attitude adjustment² and came out onto the ice a vastly different, far more disciplined hockey team.

The Midshipmen trimmed the deficit to 6-2 midway through the second stanza, picking up an unassisted, even strength goal from junior forward Jeff Martin at 8:47.

The Mids cut deeper into Scranton¹s lead before the middle period ended, picking up three goals in just over four minutes to pull within 6-5: An even strength tally from senior Donnie Horner at 15:20, followed just 50 seconds later by sophomore Chandler Brewer¹s first goal as a Midshipman, capped by Swezey¹s second power play tally of the game at 19:31.

The Navy onslaught continued in the third period, beginning with Swezey¹s third power play goal of the night * giving him the hat trick * just 57 seconds after the opening third period face-off, tying the score 6-6.

Daniel gave the Mids their first lead of the night, 7-6, less than a minute later, converting a power play tally at the 1:52 mark. Junior Matt Keller put Navy up by two with an even strength goal at 3:54, and senior Schwob joined the scoring parade less than four minutes later with his first goal of the night (to go with three assists) at 7:35.

Remarkably, the Midshipmen had turned a 6-1 deficit into a 9-6 advantage in less than 20 minutes of play.

But Scranton wasn¹t done. The Ice Royals got a Kleinschmidt power play goal at 15:19 to cut the Navy lead to 9-7, but Navy clamped down and refused to allow Scranton to get any closer when it mattered. The Ice Royals tallied one final time with less than one second remaining in the period to account for the final score of 9-8.

Sophomore Navy goaltender Eric Anderson finished with 24 saves on 32 Scranton shots. The Ice Royals alternated two netminders: freshman Joe Cuozzo recorded four saves on eight Navy shots, while fellow freshman Justin Lucas registered 24 saves on 29 Navy shots on goal.

Saturday night¹s game was eerily reminiscent of the Mids¹ 6-5 win over Scranton two years ago, on January 29, 2006. In that contest also played at the Ice Box Sports Complex, Navy trailed 5-1 after two periods and rallied with five unanswered third period goals – the last coming from Schwob at 19:25 – to enable the Mids to escape with the victory.

Navy is now idle until next weekend when the Midshipmen travel to State College, PA for a pair of contests with Penn State: Friday night at 9 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions are currently the #2 ranked team nationally, according to the latest American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) poll, trailing only unbeaten and untied Illinois.

SCORING SUMMARY

NAVY 1 4 4 - 9

Scranton 6 0 2 - 8

First Period

S- Lawall (unassisted) 3:43 (pp)

S * Pace (D¹Alessio) 4:00

S * Kleinschmidt (D¹Alessio) 7:58 (pp)

S * Kelly (Furtak) 8:53

S * Malanga (Lawall, Malone) 11:42 (pp)

N * Swezey (Wallis, Daniel) 13:05 (pp)

S * Torstrup (Kleinschmidt) 18:48

Second Period

N * Martin (unassisted) 8:47

N * Horner (Shields, Swezey) 15:20

N * Brewer (Daniel, Schwob) 16:10

N * Swezey (Horner, Schwob) 19:31 (pp)

Third Period

N * Swezey (Schwob) 0:57 (pp)

N * Daniel (unassisted) 1:52 (pp)

N * Keller (Horner, Swezey) 3:54

N * Schwob (unassisted) 7:35 (pp)

S * Kleinschmidt (Malanga, Kocienda) 15:19 (pp)

S * Torstrup (unassisted) 19:59

SAVES

Anderson (NAVY) 9 8 7 - 24

Cuozzo (Scranton) 0 0 4 - 4

Lucas (Scranton) 7 17 0 - 24

SHOTS

NAVY 8 21 8 - 37

Scranton 15 8 9 -
32

Navy Sports

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