Navy Sports

Colleges & Universities United States Naval Academy (USNA)
1841

<p>Midshipmen sunk by Black Knights
by Ron Snyder, The Examiner</p>

<p>BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Seventeen minutes ‹ that’s how long it took for the best team in the Patriot League to put the conference’s worst squad away.</p>

<p>Army scored 30 of the game’s first 39 points to cruise to a 58-49 victory over Navy on Sunday in front of a capacity crowd of 5,710 at Alumni Hall in Annapolis.</p>

<p>Army (13-7, 4-1), which is tied for first place with Lafayette, used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to take control against last-place Navy (4-16, 0-6).</p>

<p>Guard Nalini Hawkins scored 15 points and dished out 6 assists for Army, which held Navy to 15.6 percent shooting in the first half and 29.8 percent for the game. Guard Alex McGuire, a former standout at Arundel High, scored 14 points and forward Erin Anthony added 12 points and five rebounds for Army, which defeated Navy for the sixth time in seven games.</p>

<p>“Navy missed some tough shots that just went in and out,” Army coach Dave Magarity said. “Navy made some good shots in the second half, but just had one of those nights when they couldn’t hit the ocean in the first half. But if they play like they did in the second half for the whole game, it’s probably a possession by possession game.”</p>

<p>A big reason for Navy’s offensive woes in the first half was its inability to establish freshman center Cassie Consedine. Consedine, who averages 12.8 points per game, scored just two points in the first 20 minutes against Army before finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the game.</p>

<p>Navy, which extended its losing streak to six games, outscored Army, 37-26, in the second half and pulled within eight at 53-45 with 4:20 remaining following a layup by freshman guard Angela Myers. But the Black Knights held Navy to just four points the rest of the game.</p>

<p>Navy forward Kelly Altschul scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds, with Myers finishing with eight points and six rebounds.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen try to pick up their first league win when they host American (8-12, 2-3) on Wednesday night at 7.</p>

<p>“The first half was the difference,” Navy coach Tom Marryott said. “We go 10 minutes where we don’t get anything to fall in. Army is a very good basketball team and their defense is good, but we have to make some of those shots.”</p>

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

1842

<p>This Week In Navy Sports Sponsored By Navy Federal Credit Union</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.navyfederal.org/jump/x/navysports_email.html[/url]”>www.navyfederal.org/jump/x/navysports_email.html</a></p>

<p>Overall Navy Sports Record: 178-80-6 (.686)</p>

<p>Men’s Basketball (9-11, 2-3 in the Patriot League)
Last Week: Defeated Holy Cross, 85-74; lost to Army, 69-67
This Week: at American (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Washington, D.C., WNAV Radio, WFED Radio, Patriot League/Navy All-Access); Colgate (Saturday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., WNAV Radio, WFED Radio, Sirius Channel 130, Patriot League/Navy All-Access)</p>

<p>Women’s Basketball (4-16, 0-5 in the Patriot League)
Last Week: Lost to Holy Cross, 62-51; lost to Army, 58-49
This Week: American (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md., Navy/Patriot League All-Access); at Colgate (Saturday, 2 p.m., Hamilton, N.Y., Navy/Patriot League All-Access)</p>

<p>Men’s Gymnastics (5-1)
Last Week: Defeated William & Mary, 336.9-333.1; defeated Springfield, 336.9-321.4
This Week: at Temple and vs. Ohio State (Saturday, 7 p.m., Philadelphia, Pa.)</p>

<p>Men’s Lacrosse (0-0)
Last Week: Scrimmaged UMBC
This Week: at Virginia-Scrimmage (Saturday, 1 p.m., Charlottesville, Va.)</p>

<p>Rifle (7-1)
Last Week: Lost to Alaska, 4668-4633; defeated University of the Sciences, 4623-3685; defeated University of the Sciences, 4651-4262
This Week: Idle</p>

<p>No. 10 Squash (12-7)
Last Week: Lost to No. 4 Yale, 9-0; defeated No. 19 Hamilton, 7-2
This Week: at No. 14 Rochester (Friday, 6 p.m., Rochester, N.Y.); at Hobart (Saturday, 10 a.m., Geneva, N.Y.); at Colgate (Saturday, 5 p.m., Hamilton, N.Y.)</p>

<p>Men’s Swimming & Diving (14-1)
Last Week: Defeated Penn, 164.5-116.5
This Week: Navy Invitational (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Women’s Swimming & Diving (13-1)
Last Week: Defeated Penn, 151-149
This Week: Navy Invitational (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Tennis (3-1)
Last Week: Defeated Georgetown, 6-1; defeated Mount St. Mary’s, 7-0
This Week: Howard (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.); Villanova (Saturday, 5 p.m., Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Men’s Indoor Track & Field (6-1)
Last Week: Competed at the Penn State National Open (no team scoring)
This Week: Army-Star Meet (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Women’s Indoor Track & Field (6-0)
Last Week: Finished first out of 13 teams at the Patriot Games
This Week: Army-Star Meet (Saturday, 3 p.m., Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Wrestling (4-4, 3-1 in the EIWA)
Last Week: Defeated N.C. State, 21-15
This Week: at the All-Academy Championship (Saturday, 9:30 a.m., West Point, N.Y.)</p>

1843

<p>Mids move to No. 13, three individuals in top 40</p>

<p>For Immediate Release
Monday, Jan. 28, 2008
Squash Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773</p>

<p>Three Mids Ranked Among Top 40 by College Squash Association</p>

<p>ACTON, Mass. - According to the newly-released College Squash Association Individual Rankings presented by Bear Stearns, three Midshipmen are ranked among the nation’s top 40 players. It’s the most players ranked in the top 50 under head coach Craig Dawson’s eight-year watch.</p>

<p>Senior Tucker George (West Hartford, Conn.), Navy’s first four-time winner of the USS Barb Squash Racquets Perpetual Trophy, is ranked 16th according to the rankings. As Navy’s No. 1 player all four seasons, he has been ranked as high as 28th in the final poll and among the top 50 all four years. George has been out of the lineup the last two weekends recovering from an injury, however, he is expected back on the court before the College Squash Association Team Championship slated for Feb. 14-17. George is undefeated this season with a 10-0 mark and is 55-25 over his four-year career.</p>

<p>Second-year standout Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.) has climbed to No. 29 in the rankings after producing a 14-3 record this season. With George sidelined, Mattsson has stepped into the No. 1 position where he owns a 6-2 record. Meanwhile, team captain Jeff Sawin (Haverford, Pa.) has spent most of the season as Navy’s No. 3 player, but like Mattsson, has pushed up in the lineup in recent weeks. Sawin owns a 13-3 overall mark, including a 6-2 record at No. 2 and 6-1 mark at No. 3. He owns an impressive 79-27 career record, that featured a 28-4 record a year ago and an appearance in the Molloy Division title bout against eventual winner and teammate, Mattsson.</p>

<p>Navy’s entire nine-man ladder is ranked: rookie Allan Lutz (McLean, Va.) is ranked 114th, sophomore Ben Mantica (Binghamton, N.Y.) is No. 157, freshman Brad Seidel (Toledo, Ohio) is No. 183, junior Michael Beautyman Jr (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) is No. 187, junior Christopher Zipf (Gladwyne, Pa.) is No. 188, senior Brian Hamilton (Lake Forest, Ill.) is No. 212 and junior Allen Hartley (Charleston, W.Va.) is No. 221. Senior Matt Wiggins (Sour Lake, Texas) has seen action at the No. 9 spot in recent weeks due to injuries and is ranked 367th.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the second team poll of the year was released and has Navy ranked 13th. Prior to the holiday break, the Midshipmen were ranked No. 10, however, tough losses to Bowdoin and Bates recently have pushed Navy down in the rankings.</p>

<p>Navy will be back in action this weekend when it travels to the state of New York. Navy faces its toughest competition right off the bat with a 6:00 pm matchup against seventh-ranked Rochester on Friday, before battling 30th-ranked Hobart in Geneva, N.Y. on Saturday at 10 a.m. and Colgate later that day in Hamilton, N.Y. at 5:00 pm.</p>

<p>College Squash Association Rankings presented by Bear Stearns - Poll #2

  1. Trinity
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Western Ontario
  6. Dartmouth
  7. Rochester
  8. Bates
  9. Cornell
  10. Penn
  11. Williams
  12. Bowdoin
  13. Navy
  14. Franklin & Marshall
  15. Amherst
  16. Brown
  17. Tufts
  18. St. Lawrence
  19. Denison
  20. Hamilton</p>
1844

<p>By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published January 28, 2008</p>

<p>Army won the initial three minutes and the final six minutes. Navy controlled play for most of the 31 minutes in between, but it ultimately didn’t matter.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen started slowly and finished poorly and those lapses at crucial stages of the game proved decisive in an intense, hard-fought matchup with the archrival Black Knights.</p>

<p>Senior guard Jarell Brown poured in a career-high 35 points and scored the winning basket on a driving layup with 13 seconds left to lift Army to a 69-67 victory over Navy in men’s basketball before 5,710 fans at Alumni Hall.</p>

<p>Brown scored 16 points in the final 10 minutes to lead a gutsy comeback by the Black Knights. The sharp-shooting 6-foot-2 wing was 13-for-26 from the field and also contributed seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.</p>

<p>“Jarell Brown is a great player. You can try to double-team, use a box-in-oneŠ you can throw the whole darn Navy fleet at him and it won’t matter,” Navy head coach Billy Lange said. "Army runs its entire offense to get that dude the ball. If he gets the ball up, it’s going in.</p>

<p>“We didn’t lose the game because Jarell Brown went for 35. It was because we lost focus at key stretches. I’m not disappointed in our effort, but our focus and execution have to improve.”</p>

<p>Brown scored the game-winner off a tremendous individual effort. Catching the ball on the right wing well outside the 3-point arc, Brown drove past Greg Sprink and was not confronted by another defender until he got all the way to the basket. Center Mark Veazey came hard to challenge Brown, who slickly switched the ball from his right to left hand in midair to avoid getting blocked by the 6-foot-10 plebe.</p>

<p>“(Brown) made a tough shot at the end,” Lange said.</p>

<p>Navy had plenty of time to tie or win the game and Veazey got a wide-open look from the baseline. Point guard Chris Harris penetrated then dished to Veazey, whose jumper from about six feet away bounced off the rim.</p>

<p>Army knocked the ball out of bounds while trying to rebound, giving Navy one final shot. The Mids inbounded to Harris in the corner, but his 3-point attempt hit the back of the iron and fell harmlessly away as the buzzer sounded.</p>

<p>“I got a great look, I just missed the shot,” Harris said.</p>

<p>Harris and Sprink scored 20 points apiece for Navy, which fell to 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League. Teague had a solid all-around game with 13 points, six rebounds and four steals for the Midshipmen, who hurt themselves by missing eight free throws.</p>

<p>Army (9-10, 2-3) came out with much more energy and intensity in racing to an 11-0 lead just three minutes into the game. Navy looked tentative and a step slow while committing three turnovers during that stretch.</p>

<p>“You can’t be down 11-0 to start the ball game and expect to win. You can’t fall into a hole like that,” Lange said. “We had a few jitters at the beginning.”</p>

<p>To its credit, Navy regrouped and outscored the visitors 22-11 to tie the score with 6:25 remaining in the first half. The Mids tightened up the defense and got into a nice rhythm on offense with Teague providing a huge spark by scoring 11 points during one stretch.</p>

<p>Navy got back into the game with the 3-pointer, making 9 of 18 in the first half. However, the Black Knights did a good job of extending the defense to take that away in the second half and the Midshipmen made just 2 of 15 from beyond the arc after intermission.</p>

<p>“We just got into them better,” Army coach Jim Crews said when asked what defensive adjustments were made at halftime.</p>

<p>Veazey stepped up early in the second half, throwing down a dunk and hitting a layup on two of Navy’s initial three possessions. The 6-foot-10 freshman also grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots and dished off two assists during the opening eight minutes to help the Midshipmen build a nine point lead on three occasions.</p>

<p>Sprink scored on a driving layup to put Navy ahead 55-46 with 10:55 to go, but that is when Army began its comeback. Brown hit a jumper to start a 14-5 run by the Black Knights that tied the score at 60 with 4:34 remaining.</p>

<p>A crucial turning point came at the 6:38 mark when Sprink made a steal in the back-court and drove in for an uncontested shot. However, instead of simply laying the ball in, the senior captain tried a difficult reverse dunk and lost the ball.</p>

<p>Brown wound up converting an old-fashioned three-point play on the other end to pull Army within 58-55. It was a five-point swing as Navy would have led 60-52 had Sprink made the easy layup.</p>

<p>“That was probably a choice Greg wishes he could have back,” Lange said. “Greg makes a lot of plays for this team. Over the course of the season,
he’s going to make more good ones than bad.”</p>

<p>Navy’s offense was out of sync during the final five minutes and the result was three turnovers off ill-advised passes and five misses on 3-pointers that were forced under heavy defensive pressure.</p>

<p>“We gave it away on offense with our poor shot selection, passing and mental toughness,” Lange said. “We stood around and took horrible shots. Guys just got nervous and the offense got stagnant.”</p>

1845

<p>By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published January 28, 2008</p>

<p>Head coach Tom Marryott was proud of the second-half comeback mounted by the Navy women’s basketball team yesterday. However, that was tempered by his disappointment over how the Midshipmen played in the first half. Navy fell behind by 20 points at halftime and the inspired rally midway through the second half proved too little, too late against archrival Army.</p>

<p>Guards Nalini Hawkins and Alex McGuire combined to score 29 points to lead a 58-49 victory over Navy in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Alumni Hall. Hawkins, a freshman point guard, had a terrific all-around game with 15 points and six assists.</p>

<p>McGuire, an Arundel High graduate, scored 14 points on 6-for-11 field goal shooting. The 5-foot-8 junior wing drained a pair of 3-pointers in reaching double figures for the eighth consecutive game.</p>

<p>However, it was Army’s strong defense and Navy’s woeful offense during the first 20 minutes of the game that proved decisive. The Midshipmen made just 5 of 32 field goal attempts (15.6 percent) in the first half in falling behind by 20 points.</p>

<p>Sophomore forward Kelly Altschul converted a three-point play to pull Navy within 16-9 at the 12:19 mark. However, the Mids would score just three points the rest of the way and entered halftime trailing 32-12.</p>

<p>“Our inability to score the ball in the first half was the difference in the game,” Marryott said. “We went a 10-minute span where we couldn’t get anything to fall. Army played excellent defense, but you’ve got to make some shots.”</p>

<p>Army collapsed on freshman center and leading scorer Cassie Consedine, who was surrounded by two or three defenders on the few occasions she caught the ball in the post.</p>

<p>“Cassie has been our one consistent scorer and teams are going to double- and triple-team her until we prove we can score from the outside,” Marryott said.</p>

<p>Navy has a young, inexperienced team and only a couple players on the roster had seen significant action against Army. Marryott thought nerves were a factor early while Army head coach Dave Magarity agreed.</p>

<p>“We wanted to get into them early because they are very young and this was the first Army-Navy game for many of their players,” Magarity said. “I was a little surprised we got up on them the way we did. They couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean in the first half.”</p>

<p>Navy settled down and played much better in the second half, shooting 48 percent from the floor and scoring 37 points - three times as much as in the first half. The Mids managed to cut the deficit down to eight points on three occasions - the last on a layup by freshman guard Angela Myers with 4:20 remaining.</p>

<p>However, Hawkins responded with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 11 and Army made its free throws down the stretch to hang on.</p>

<p>“We saw in the second half that we are capable of playing with the best teams in the league. We played great defense and started to get some things going on offense. We just looked more confident,” Marryott said. “We also saw in the first half what can happen when we aren’t sharp and don’t execute. We have to be able to put two halves and 40 minutes together in order to be successful.”</p>

<p>Consedine posted game-highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. She also blocked three shots and now has a program-record 54 for the season.</p>

<p>Myers and junior point guard Kalen Kropa scored six points apiece for Navy (4-16), which has opened 0-5 in the Patriot League for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.</p>

<p>Freshman forward Erin Anthony contributed 12 points and five rebounds for Army (13-7, 4-1), which pulled into a four-way tie for first place in the Patriot League.</p>

1846

<p>Reminder: Army-Navy track at home this weekend starting with the men’s meet at 12 noon at Halsey Fieldhouse.</p>

<p>Army-Navy Update </p>

<p>All-Time Army-Navy Record: 876-662-38 (.568)</p>

<p>2007-08 Record Against Army: 9-5 (.643)</p>

<p>2007-08 N-Star Record Against Army: 8-2 (.800)</p>

<p>Last 11 Years Against Army: 214-111-5 (.656)</p>

<p>Last 11 Years N-Star Record Against Army: 157-66-5 (.700)</p>

<p>2007-08 Results </p>

<p>Sprint Football: Won, 30-17; Won, 41-13 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Women¹s Volleyball: Lost, 3-1 (N-Star); Lost, 3-0</p>

<p>Golf: Won, 6.5-4.5 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Men¹s Cross Country: Won, 23-35 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Women¹s Cross Country: Won, 23-38 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Women¹s Soccer: Won, 2-0 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Men¹s Soccer: Lost, 2-1 in overtime (N-Star)</p>

<p>Women¹s Swimming: Won, 206-94 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Men¹s Swimming: Won, 231-69 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Football: Won, 38-3 (N-Star)</p>

<p>Men¹s Basketball: Lost, 69-67</p>

<p>Women¹s Basketball: Lost, 58-49</p>

1847

<p>Mids Look to Even League Record on Wednesday at American</p>

<p>Game Specifics
Date and Tip Time: Jan. 30, 2008 at 7:30 pm EST
Location: Washington, D.C. | Bender Arena (4,500)
Tickets: 202-885-TIXX
Television: None
Video Streaming: <a href=“http://www.NavySports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.NavySports.com</a>
Radio: WNAV (Annapolis; 1430 AM) | WFED (Washington; 1050 AM)
Radio talent: Bob Socci
Webcast: <a href=“http://www.wnav.com%5B/url%5D”>www.wnav.com</a> | <a href=“http://www.federalnewsradio.com%5B/url%5D”>www.federalnewsradio.com</a></p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Coming off a heartbreaking 69-67 loss to Army on Sunday, the Navy men’s basketball team looks to right the ship on Wednesday night with a 7:30 pm tip-off at American’s Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. The Mids are 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, while American is 11-9 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Eagles are coming off a 66-64 home loss to Holy Cross on Saturday.</p>

<p>The game will be aired on WNAV (1430 AM, Annapolis) and WFED (1050 AM, Washington, D.C.) beginning at 7:15 pm with the Navy basketball pregame show with Bob Socci calling the action. The game will be streamed online at both <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a> and <a href=“http://www.patriotleague.com%5B/url%5D”>www.patriotleague.com</a>, as part of the CSTV All-Access packages.</p>

<p>Army Recap
• For the fifth year in a row, Army won the initial meeting in the season series with a thrilling 69-67 victory over Navy at sold-out Alumni Hall on Sunday. For the previous four years (five years total), Navy has won the rematch. The Mids will get their chance on Feb. 23, at Christl Arena in West Point.
• The crowd of 5,710 was the first sellout at Alumni Hall since March 1, 2003 (against Army) and the second-largest crowd at the facility, behind the 6,370 fans on Jan. 21, 1995. Navy is averaging over 3,600 fans per game in three Patriot League home games this year.
• Navy fell behind 11-0 in the contest with 17:00 to play in the first half, but outscored Army, 55-35, over the next 29 minutes, before Army rallied in the last eight minutes.
• Army’s Jarell Brown scored 35 points against the Mids, becoming the first player since Brown’s Earl Hunt on Jan. 5, 2002, to score 35 points against Navy.
• Chris Harris and Greg Sprink have each scored 20 or more points in three straight games, with each scoring 20 points on Sunday. The duo is averaging 52.0 combined ppg (Sprink 27.0, Harris 25.0) in the last three outings.
• The Mids outrebounded their second Patriot League foe, 39-38, on Sunday. Last season, Navy outrebounded just one league foe (Bucknell; Jan. 6, 2007).
• Adam Teague’s 13 points were the most for him since scoring 16 against Howard (Nov. 27, 2007). He also equaled a career high with four steals, also set against Howard.
• Chris Harris tied a Army-Navy game record with 14 three-point attempts. It tied the mark set by Taj Mathews (2-6-05) and Jason Jeanpierre (1-31-03). It is also tied for the third most in a single game in school history.
• Navy shot just 34.4 percent against the Black Knights. Navy hasn’t shot over 45 percent in a Patriot League game yet this year.
• Navy’s 11 three-pointers marked the fifth straight game (every league game) that Navy has made double-digit three-pointers. Navy is averaging 12.0 three-pointers per game in 31.2 attempts in league games this year.
• The loss was Navy’s ninth this season by 10 or fewer points. The Mids are just 2-9 in games decided by 0-10 points, but are 7-2 in games decided by 11 or more points.
• Navy forced Army into 20 turnovers. Navy has now forced its opponent into more turnovers in every league game this year, and has forced opponents into 20 or more turnovers eight times this season.</p>

<p>Navy Update
• Navy has scored at least 80 points six times this season, after reaching 80 points just three times all of last year. Navy has been held to 70 points or less just six times, including in the contest against Army. It marked the first time in 10 games (58 vs. Mount St. Mary’s) that Navy scored under 73 points.
• The Mids are averaging 76.1 points per game this year, the most for a Navy team since the 1990-91 team set a school record, averaging 84.1 points per contest.
• Navy is shooting 73.7 percent from the free throw line, a total that would rank second in school history behind last year’s 74.7 percent. In the four conference games, Navy is shooting a sizzling 77.9 percent (95-of-122). Navy did, however, manage to shoot just 14-of-22 (.636) against Army.
• Navy is 2-3 in league play for the first time since the 2001-02 season. That year’s team started league play 3-1 and 4-2, before fading to a 5-9 finish. Navy has started 2-2 or better in league play nine times.
• The Mids have held leads at halftime in all three of their Patriot League losses. Navy led by seven (46-39) against Bucknell, by seven (43-36) against Lafayette and by four (38-34) against Army. Navy has also lost two straight games when leading with 10 minutes to play.
• The Mids have allowed their five conference foes to shoot 47.6 percent from the field.
• The Navy trio of Greg Sprink, Kaleo Kina and Chris Harris have combined for 48 of Navy’s 59 double-figure scoring games this year. The trio is averaging a combined 48.2 ppg this year (963 points).
• Navy has lost 14 straight games when scoring 69 points or less. The last Navy victory came in a 60-44 win over Lafayette on Jan. 16, 2007.
• Navy has grabbed at least 11 offensive rebounds in five of the last six games, including 18 in three of them.</p>

<p>The Book on American
• American is looking to avoid a two-game losing streak when it hosts Navy on Wednesday night. The Eagles enter the contest with an 11-9 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Patriot League, good for third in the league standings. American opened the year 7-7, but is 4-2 in the last six games, with the losses coming at Bucknell and Holy Cross. American owns the league’s most impressive win, a 67-59 win at Maryland on Dec. 22.
• The Eagles lost in their last outing, a 66-64 decision at home against Holy Cross. The lead see-sawed back and forth for the entire contest, before a jumper by Holy Cross freshman Andrew Beinert with 18 seconds left sealed the deal for the Crusaders. Garrison Carr led American with 17 points, while Bryce Simon added 14 points and six assists. The Eagles shot 43.9 percent in the loss, including 44.4 percent from three-point range. Holy Cross outrebounded American, 34-29, including 17-9 on the offensive glass.
• American’s strength comes in taking care of the ball. The Eagles average a Patriot League-low 13.1 turnovers per game, and had just 10 mistakes against Holy Cross on Saturday. Despite turning the ball over just 13.1 times per game, the Eagles are near the bottom of the league in turnover margin, forcing just 11.9 miscues per game.
• American is averaging 63.2 ppg, and allowing 61.0 ppg, while shooting 42.7 percent from the field. The Eagles shoot 39.8 percent from three-point range and lead the league in free throw percentage at 76.1 percent.
• Leading the charge is Carr at 17.1 ppg. Carr has already made 80 three-pointers on the season and needs just seven more to set the American single-season record. Speedy Derrick Mercer follows Carr at 14.2 ppg and 4.1 apg, while owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47. Simon leads the team in rebounding at just 4.2 per game.
• Jeff Jones is in his eighth season at American, owning a 115-110 record on the American sidelines. Prior to coaching at American, Jones spent eight years at his alma mater, Virginia, guiding the Cavaliers to five NCAA Tournament berths, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1995, and an NIT championship in 1992. He was a four-year starter in Charlottesville and was known as a prolific passer, finishing his career as the school’s all-time leader in assists. He played alongside Ralph Sampson and helped the Cavs to the Final Four in 1981.</p>

<p>Series History
Navy leads the all-time series with American, 34-31, but has been dominated lately by the Eagles. American has won 14 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams. Navy is 2-8 all-time at Bender Arena and has beaten American just once (Jan. 25, 2006) at Annapolis’ Alumni Hall. The win is Navy’s lone win against American since joining the Patriot League in 1991-92.
• Navy and American first met on Feb. 2, 1929, in Annapolis, a 46-21 victory. Including that win, Navy won 32 of the first 43 meetings.
• However, in the last 22 meetings since Feb. 20, 1988, American has won 20-of-22 contests, including 14 of the last 15 outings.
• Navy is just 2-8 all-time in Bender Arena, dating back to its first game in the facility on Jan. 30, 1988. American has won six straight games by an average margin of 12.2 ppg against Navy at Bender Arena.
• The Mids have been held to 53 points or less in the facility in four of the last five games against American.
• The rivalry is the eighth-most frequently played rivalry in the Patriot League.</p>

<p>Last Year’s Meetings
American swept last year’s season series over Navy, 55-46 (Jan. 24, 2007) in Washington, D.C., and then 71-60 (Feb. 20, 2007) in Annapolis.</p>

<p>In the first meeting, American claimed a defensive-minded victory, 55-46. The Eagles led 22-16 at halftime, then withstood every Navy charge in the second half, holding off the Mids. Greg Sprink led Navy with 16 points and nine rebounds, but the Mids shot just 30.4 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from three-point range. Navy also just forced eight turnovers in the setback. Andre Ingram scored 18 points with nine rebounds for the Eagles.</p>

<p>With a chance to possibly finish fourth in the Patriot League standings, Navy had a terrible first half and fell to the Eagles, 71-60, in the second meeting. Navy fell behind 27-18 at halftime and despite playing well in the second half, could never get over the hump in the 11-point loss. Navy shot just 33.3 percent, while American connected on 53.5 percent of its attempts, including several clutch shots as the shot clock was expiring. Sprink scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, while Trey Stanton came off the bench to score 12 points. Ingram led four Eagles in double figures with 16 points. American outrebounded Navy, 38-29, but committed 18 turnovers to Navy’s 13.</p>

1848

<p>Navy Women’s Basketball Game Information
American (8-12/2-3 Patriot League) at Navy (4-16/0-5 Patriot League)
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Annapolis, Md. (Alumni Hall)
Live on Navy All-Access</p>

<p>Navy (4-16/0-5 Patriot League) at Colgate (1-19/0-5 Patriot League)
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m.
Hamilton, N.Y. (Cotterell Court)
Live on Navy All-Access</p>

<p>This Week’s Games
Navy will close the first half of its Patriot League season with a pair of games this week. The Mids will first play host to American Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall, then will travel to Hamilton, N.Y., for a 2 p.m. game Saturday at Colgate.</p>

<p>Broadcast Information
Streaming audio and video from both games will be available to Navy All-Access subscribers. Fans can subscribe to Navy All-Access via <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a> for $6.95 a month or an annual fee of $49.95.</p>

<p>To obtain the stream of a Patriot League game not involving the Midshipmen, fans can sign up for the Patriot League All-Access package at <a href=“http://www.patriotleague.com%5B/url%5D”>www.patriotleague.com</a> for $7.95 a month.</p>

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

<p>Promotions
Wednesday vs. American
All kids who bring a report card with the grade of ‘A’ on it will be admitted free to the game.</p>

1849

<p>For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Harris, Hanko Earn League Weekly Honors</p>

<p>CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - In helping to win a total of three events at the Penn State National Open last weekend, Navy men’s track field runners Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.) and Andrew Hanko (Fr./Montville, N.J.) have been selected as the Patriot League’s Track and Rookie of the Week, respectively, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.</p>

<p>Harris becomes the first runner in league history to be recognized as the Patriot League Track of the Week for three-straight weeks during indoor action. He joins Ralph Lufkin (field, 2005) as the only other Navy competitor to earn a weekly award from the league in three-consecutive weeks. Harris has earned the league’s track athlete-of-the-week honors in his career seven times on the indoor track and nine times overall.</p>

<p>Last Saturday, Harris remained the nation’s second-fastest runner in the 800-meter event with a first-place, NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:49.29 in the invitational section. His clocking ranks only 0.01-second off Alex McClary’s national best time of 1:48.28 set on Jan. 11 with Arkansas. Harris’s effort ranks as the third-fastest time in school history, only 0.83-second away from his program record set at last year’s Iowa State Classic. He now owns the school’s six-quickest times in the indoor event.</p>

<p>One day before his performance in the 800-meter run, Harris ran the third leg of Navy’s distance medley relay that won with an IC4A qualifying time of 9:52.52. The Midshipmen finished 0.80-second ahead of second-place Georgetown and 4.04 seconds ahead of Tennessee. Harris also served on the 4x400-meter relay on Saturday that produced a season-best, IC4A qualifying time of 3:15.27 to finish second overall, just 0.19-second away from Bowie State’s first-place showing.</p>

<p>In his first collegiate race at the mile distance on Saturday, Hanko paced the field with a blistering time of 4:09.99 to earn a spot in this year’s IC4A Championship in a second event. One week before in Annapolis, the Navy rookie registered a first-place time of 8:26.06 in the 3,000-meter run. The product of Montville, N.J., finished the mile run 3.68 seconds ahead of second-place runner Stephen Kraus from Army. Hanko currently owns the Patriot League’s fastest time in the mile.</p>

<p>Hanko is the second Navy runner to earn Patriot League Rookie-of-the-Week kudos this winter, as Jake Palmer (Fr./Plymouth, Ind.) claimed the award on Jan. 9.</p>

<p>Navy (6-1) will host rival Army in the annual Star Meet this Saturday in Annapolis, starting at 11:30 a.m. The action will be the final men’s track & field meet in Halsey Field House, as the Midshipmen will move into the 140,000-sqaure-foot, $45 million Wesley Brown Field House in 2008-09. Navy’s new home indoor facility will feature a hydraulic banked 200-meter track, a 60-meter straightaway in the center, dual pole vault/jumping runways, dual throwing areas and a scenic view of the Severn River.</p>

1850

<p>For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Charnigo Recognized by Patriot League on Tuesday</p>

<p>CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy’s Jacqui Charnigo (Sr./Medina, Ohio) produced a NCAA Championship provisional qualifying and school-record height in the pole vault last Saturday to earn Patriot League Women’s Track Athlete-of-the-Week honors, the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon.</p>

<p>At George Mason’s Patriot Games last Saturday, Charnigo cleared 12’11-1/2" (3.95 meters) on her second try in the pole vault to earn provisional qualifying status for this year’s indoor national championship. Her effort also smashed the previous school record of 12’10-1/4" (3.92 meters) set by Amanda Hasenauer in 2003. In her second try at 13’9-1/4" (4.20 meters), a NCAA automatic qualifying height, Charnigo just clipped the bar on the way up. She currently owns two of Navy’s ten-best heights in the indoor pole vault in program history, both of which have come at the Patriot Games.</p>

<p>Charnigo’s day was not done with the pole vault, as she went on to record a season-best height of 5’4-1/4" (1.63 meters) in the high jump to place second among all competitors.</p>

<p>With the help of the Navy senior, the Midshipmen finished first out of the 13 participating teams with a score of 140.7 points.</p>

<p>Charnigo is the second Navy field competitor to earn league field athlete-of-the-week distinction this winter, as Mia Blundetto (So./Apple Valley, Minn.) claimed the award on Jan. 9. This is Charnigo’s second-career field athlete-of-the-week honor, as she first was recognized for her performance in the Navy Lidlifter one year ago.</p>

<p>Navy (6-0) will host rival Army in the annual Star Meet this Saturday in Annapolis, starting at 2:10 p.m. The action will be the final Army-Navy women’s track & field dual meet in Halsey Field House, as the Midshipmen will move into the 140,000-square-foot, $45 million Wesley Brown Field House in 2008-09. Navy’s new home indoor facility will feature a hydraulic banked 200-meter track, a 60-meter straightaway in the center, dual pole vault/jumping runways, dual throwing areas and a scenic view of the Severn River.</p>

1851

<p>Family huddle for Belichick
Coach’s children part of game plan
By Christopher L. Gasper
Globe Staff / January 30, 2008</p>

<p>GLENDALE, Ariz. - It was Bill Belichick’s chance to defend himself, to set the media - or at least what passes for media on Media Day at the Super Bowl - straight, to rewrite history before his team does.</p>

<p>“Your personality - how close is the perception of you to the reality?” asked one questioner yesterday inside University of Phoenix Stadium. In a manner that belies his complicated persona, Belichick replied, “I don’t know, next.”</p>

<p>Belichick is guarded, but he’s not the X’s-and-O’s automaton he’s often made out to be. The coach has flashed some of his personality here at Super Bowl XLII. Maybe it’s a calculated move to take some of the pressure off his team and its pursuit of a perfect season, or maybe he’s actually showing a softer side.</p>

<p>The coach revealed that he’s expecting both of his sons, Stephen, who is a freshman at Rutgers (where he plays lacrosse, just like his old man did at Wesleyan), and Brian, a high school sophomore, to be on the sideline with him Sunday.</p>

<p>When the Patriots won their first Super Bowl under Belichick, his oldest child, daughter Amanda, was on the sideline to celebrate with him. And it’s not unusual to see Stephen or Brian sitting with the media as their father conducts one of his postgame press conferences, or to see Brian walking out of the locker room with Belichick on the way to the bus following a road game. It’s a different side of the austere coach.</p>

<p>“It’s great to be able to have your kids be part of what you do as a father,” said Belichick. "Obviously, I spend a lot of time with the team and a lot of time away from home, and it’s great for them to be a part of those activities, whether it’s working in training camp, practices, games, meetings or whatever.</p>

<p>“It’s a great opportunity for them to be around some of our outstanding players and see how hard they work and how professional they are and to see what makes them good players.”</p>

<p>Belichick reminisced that he had the same opportunity thanks to his father, Steve Belichick, a former NFL fullback and legendary scout who spent 33 years as a coach at Navy. The relationship between Belichick and his father, who died in 2005, has been well-documented, and it’s one of the reasons Belichick wants his kids to have the same indelible memories.</p>

<p>“It’s something that happened to me when I was a kid,” he said. "I went over to watch Navy and hung out with my dad and saw Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach and Tom Lynch and Pat Donnelly and guys like that.</p>

<p>“They were the best players because they worked the hardest. They were the first ones at practice and they were the last ones to leave. They were always doing extra things and working on plays and timing and things like that at the end of practice. So that was a great example for me, and again I think that’s something that my children can learn from.”</p>

<p>He feels that way whether they decide to go into football or not.</p>

<p>“It’s not about football,” said Belichick. “It’s about being professional, working hard, and doing the right thing.”</p>

<p>Being the progeny of a gridiron genius has its perks, certainly, but Fox NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said that it’s hard for football families to spend time together.</p>

<p>“For a head coach in the NFL to have time for your family is extremely difficult,” said Johnson, who has hosted Belichick and his children at his Key West, Fla., home.</p>

<p>“It’s a night-and-day job. I know my wife, when I was coaching my last years. I’d see her in her pajamas when I went to work, and I’d see her in her pajamas when I came home.”</p>

<p>Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who has six children, Laura, Meredith, Steffani, Matt, Elli, and Tarrin, and has been coaching for 35 years, said that as you get older as a coach, you realize you can combine family and football.</p>

<p>“Yeah, and there are a lot of times you wish that you could go back and redo it when you were younger and maybe spend a little more time than what you did,” said Pees, who credited his wife Melody for raising their family. “It’s always great having the family involved, and Bill is real great about training camp and stuff like that. Our families are always around.”</p>

<p>Make no mistake, though, Belichick is fully focused on becoming the second coach to win four Super Bowls, following Steelers great Chuck Noll. Even if he says he’s not really into history.</p>

<p>“The winner of this game is the champion and that’s really all it’s about,” said Belichick. “That’s really all we’re thinking about is trying to be champions of the NFL for this season. The rest of it maybe we’ll talk about it later, but I really haven’t given it much thought. I’m just trying to figure out a way to keep the Giants to less than 35 points. That would be a start.”</p>

<p>So was Belichick admitting that the Patriots aren’t the only family he’ll be spending time with on Sunday?</p>

<p>“Every once in a while you get his personality coming out,” said cornerback Asante Samuel. “When he does, everybody’s laughing and smiling because you know he’s happy. You’d better enjoy it because you don’t see it that much. As a coach, he’s a wonderful coach. He prepares us well day in and day out.”</p>

<p>Belichick is trying to do the same for his children.</p>

<p>Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at <a href="mailto:cgasper@globe.com">cgasper@globe.com</a></p>

1852

<p>Published January 30, 2008</p>

<p>Coming off a heartbreaking 69-67 loss to Army on Sunday, the Navy men’s basketball team looks to right the ship tonight with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at American’s Bender Arena in Washington.</p>

<p>The Mids are 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, while American is 11-9 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Eagles are coming off a 66-64 home loss to Holy Cross on Saturday.</p>

<p>Navy is 2-3 in league play for the first time since the 2001-02 season. That year’s team started league play 3-1 and 4-2, before fading to a 5-9 finish. Navy has started 2-2 or better in league play nine times.</p>

<p>Chris Harris and Greg Sprink have each scored 20 or more points in three straight games, with each scoring 20 points on Sunday. The duo is averaging 52.0 combined points per game (Sprink 27.0, Harris 25.0) in the last three outings.</p>

<p>The Mids are averaging 76.1 points per game this year, the most for a Navy team since the 1990-91 team set a school record, averaging 84.1 points per contest.</p>

<p>American is looking to avoid a two-game losing streak.</p>

<p>American opened the year 7-7, but is 4-2 in the last six games, with the losses coming at Bucknell and Holy Cross. American owns the league’s most impressive win, a 67-59 win at Maryland on Dec. 22.</p>

<p>The Eagles lost in their last outing, a 66-64 decision at home against Holy Cross. The lead see-sawed back and forth for the entire contest, before a jumper by Holy Cross freshman Andrew Beinert with 18 seconds left sealed the deal for the Crusaders. Garrison Carr led American with 17 points, while Bryce Simon added 14 points and six assists. The Eagles shot 43.9 percent in the loss, including 44.4 percent from three-point range. Holy Cross outrebounded American, 34-29, including 17-9 on the offensive glass.</p>

<p>American’s strength comes in taking care of the ball. The Eagles average a Patriot League-low 13.1 turnovers per game, and had just 10 mistakes against Holy Cross on Saturday. Despite turning the ball over just 13.1 times per game, the Eagles are near the bottom of the league in turnover margin, forcing just 11.9 miscues per game.</p>

<p>American is averaging 63.2 ppg, and allowing 61.0 ppg, while shooting 42.7 percent from the field. The Eagles shoot 39.8 percent from three-point range and lead the league in free throw percentage at 76.1 percent.</p>

<p>Leading the charge is Carr at 17.1 ppg. Carr has already made 80 three-pointers on the season and needs just seven more to set the American single-season record. Speedy Derrick Mercer follows Carr at 14.2 ppg and 4.1 apg, while owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47. Simon leads the team in rebounding at just 4.2 per game.</p>

<p>Jeff Jones is in his eighth season at American, owning a 115-110 record on the American sidelines. Prior to coaching at American, Jones spent eight years at his alma mater, Virginia.</p>

1853

<p>By Tom Housenick
The Daily Item</p>

<p>American goes to College Park earlier this season to play Maryland, a team it rarely hangs with beyond halftime.</p>

<p>The Eagles not only compete, they beat the Terps.</p>

<p>Finally, a high-profile win for the Patriot League by a team other than Bucknell and Holy Cross.</p>

<p>Holy Cross, which at the time had the league’s highest RPI and most non-league wins, visits Maryland 17 days later and gets hammered.</p>

<p>Granted, the Crusaders were banged up with Pat Doherty, Alex Vander Baan and Eric Meister out.</p>

<p>But, then the same short-handed Holy Cross team visits American 19 days later and wins!</p>

<p>Huh?</p>

<p>It’s been that kind of season in the league.</p>

<p>Your favorite team doesn’t look good? Wait a week.</p>

<p>Lehigh struggled mightily in its league opener at home against American and dropped another double-digit loss at Navy in the next game.</p>

<p>Suddenly, coach Brett Reed’s club put together a three-game winning streak, claiming all three by five points or fewer.</p>

<p>“When you looked at the league at the outset, there were significant losses of some very talented seniors from last year,” Reed said. “It gave the opportunity for programs to emerge and establish some parity in the league.”</p>

<p>And who can figure Colgate?</p>

<p>The Raiders had one of their most productive non-conference performances in coach Emmett Davis’ tenure, then they have together a four-game league losing streak by a combined 16 points.</p>

<p>Colgate spotted host Bucknell a 23-point start last Saturday, had it down to a one-possession game for much of the final few minutes, but couldn’t find a way to pull it out.</p>

<p>There always is one team no one wants to play come tournament time in March. But this season, who can figure?</p>

<p>Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard is without three of his top rotation and has been reported to have said that he’s not playing any of them until they are 100 percent.</p>

<p>In other words, he realizes what matters is being ready for three games in March.</p>

<p>Fact is that, thanks to graduation, Bucknell and Holy Cross have come back to the pack in 2007-08 and the pack is a little better, a little more balanced.</p>

<p>It all has made for an exciting season.</p>

<p>Lehigh visits Bucknell on Wednesday in a game that could pull one of the first-place teams right back to the pack.</p>

<p>Bucknell is at 4-1, tied with Lafayette after the Leopards blew a 14-point, second-half lead and lost to the rival Mountain Hawks last Saturday night.</p>

<p>“It certainly was an important win for us as a defensive unit. To beat our rival,” Reed said, “it certainly was a lot of fun.”</p>

<p>Lehigh limited Lafayette to a season-low five 3-pointers, taking another big step forward after struggling in that area earlier in league p lay. Reed also knew it would take time for some of his younger, less-experienced players to get acclimated to league play.</p>

<p>“We needed to be more consistent with our defensive effort,” the Lehigh coach said. "Also, defense was a major area of concentration for us. We knew we had to defend the three-point line better than we did against American. And I think (our younger players) were a little surprised by the intensity of the (league) games.</p>

<p>“I hope now with that experience they continue to make better progress.”</p>

<p>Freshmen Rob Keefer (a four-time PL rookie of the week) and Prentice Small are playing significant minutes. Zahir Carrington, Dave Buchberger and Matt Szalachowski have expanded roles this season. All have played better the last three games for the Mountain Hawks.</p>

<p>American and Lehigh sit just a game back of Bucknell and Lafayette and no team is more than three games out of first place. But Reed said he’s going to downplay the fact that Lehigh is playing a first-place team Wednesday.</p>

<p>“With all of our young players, I’m going to keep things as close to normal with our (preparation) process as I can,” the first-year Lehigh head coach said. “We won’t even address that. We’re confident that we can play in (Sojka Pavilion), which is an excellent college basketball environment.”</p>

<p>NOTES: Lehigh has played Bucknell the toughest of all league opponents since Sojka opened Jan. 15, 2003 (see graphic), losing its last four meetings there by just an average of 8.0 points per game. … Holy Cross ended a five-game losing streak overall and four consecutive to start the league season when freshman Andrew Beinert hit the game-winning jumper in the closing seconds at American. … League RPIs entering Wednesday’s action: Lafayette 137, Holy Cross 142, American 164, Bucknell 186, Colgate 196, Army 248, Lehigh 256, Navy 294.</p>

1854

<p>For Immediate Release
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Service to Honor Willie McCool on Friday Morning</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – There will be 15-minute service on Friday at 8:45 a.m. to remember the late Willie McCool at the newly constructed marker in his memory on the cross country course. All are encouraged to attend the service.</p>

<p>Five years ago on Feb. 1, McCool, a 1983 graduate of the Naval Academy, was one of the seven astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia that perished above Earth upon re-entry. Selected by NASA in April 1996, McCool was making his first spaceflight.</p>

<p>The Willie McCool Memorial on the cross country course is located at the spot 16 minutes from the finish line during his best time on the USNA Cross Country Course in 1982, a 24:27 clocking. The last audible transmission from the Columbia tragedy came at 8:59 a.m. – 16 minutes from the shuttle’s scheduled landing.</p>

<p>While running on the Navy cross country and track teams, McCool earned a total of five varsity letters. He captained the 1982 cross country team and his best showing on Navy’s home trail remains as one of the 30-fastest Navy times in course history.</p>

<p>On Saturday, the Navy men’s track & field team will take on Army in the annual Star Meet, starting at 11:30 a.m. with the field events and at 12 noon with the track events. The action will be the final meet in Halsey Field House, as the Midshipmen will move into the 140,000-square-foot, $45 million Wesley Brown Field House in 2008-09.</p>

1855

<p>For Immediate Release
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Tam Earns National Distinction</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy gymnast Christopher Tam’s (Sr./Draper, Utah) clutch performance on the high bar and solid all-around showing in the Navy Open last Saturday helped him earn USAG Collegiate Division National Gymnast-of-the-Week honors, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon.</p>

<p>This marks the second-time in as many weeks a Navy gymnast has brought home national recognition, as Adam Stanton (Jr./Centennial, Colo.) was named for the same award one week before for his first-place performance on the pommel horse at the West Point Open.</p>

<p>Tam has previously been named the nation’s gymnast of the week in the collegiate division on one prior occasion. In the 2007 Navy Open, he won two events and boasted the highest all-around tally to earn national kudos.</p>

<p>As Navy’s last competitor on the high bar on Saturday, Tam recorded an impressive 14.75-point performance with a 15.2-point start value to propel the Midshipmen to victories over William & Mary and Springfield. Heading into the final rotation, the Midshipmen were trailing the Tribe, 282.05-281.95. </p>

<p>The Navy all-around gymnast tallied a score of 81.0 points among the six events, tops among all gymnasts last weekend. In addition to the high bar, Tam registered a 14.15 on the floor exercise and still rings and a 14.0 on the vault.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen (5-1) will return to action this Saturday when they travel up to Philadelphia to take on Temple and Ohio State. The meet is slated for a 7 p.m. start.</p>

1856

<p>American def. Navy, 59-52</p>

<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>

<p>Navy Effort Falls Short</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy made more field goals than American did in the women’s basketball game played between the two teams Wednesday night in Alumni Hall, but the Eagles forced the Mids into more turnovers, grabbed more offensive rebounds and attempted 34 more free throws than Navy did to record a 59-52 victory.</p>

<p>Navy (4-17, 0-6 Patriot League) put together one of its best starts to a game in several weeks by scoring the opening 10 points of the game.</p>

<p>“The Brigade was great tonight,” said Navy head coach Tom Marryott of the crowd that included well over 1,000 Midshipmen. “Their enthusiasm from the opening tip really helped us get off to a great start.”</p>

<p>The Mids still held a 21-12 lead with nine minutes left in the half, but American (9-12, 3-3) eventually took its first lead of the game at 25-24 with one minute remaining before halftime. Navy would go into halftime with a 26-25 lead thanks to a jumper by Emily Cordle (Jr., Rome, Ga.) just before the halftime horn. </p>

<p>After taking the nine point lead, the Mids closed the half by connecting on just 2-of-9 shots from the field and turning the ball over nine times.</p>

<p>The start of the season half saw two ties and a pair of lead changes until American went on a 6-0 run to take a 35-30 lead with just over 14 minutes left to play. The Eagles would stretch their advantage to as many as nine points at 49-40, but Navy managed to slice the margin down to four points at 50-46 with 2:13 left to play on a layup from Angela Myers (Fr., San Antonio, Texas).</p>

<p>The ball was returned to Navy with 1:41 remaining after American misfired on a pair of jumpers and committed a shot clock violation. The Mids were unable to get a shot off, however, as Myers had the ball stripped away from her by Talicia Jackson early in the possession. Ten seconds later, Navy’s Kalen Kropa (Jr., Reidsville, N.C.) took the ball away from Maggie Smith-Davidson to give Navy a second chance to cut into the deficit. That led to Cassie Consedine (Fr., Bartlesville, Okla.) missing a three-point attempt, with Jackson grabbing the carom with just over one minute remaining. </p>

<p>A Navy foul with 51 seconds left sent Pam Stanfield to the line. She made the first attempt and missed the second, but American’s Stephanie N’Garsanet grabbed the offensive rebound and was immediately fouled. She made both free throws to make the score 53-46 with 48 seconds left to play. </p>

<p>A basket by Kropa, a pair of free throws by Stanfield and a bucket by Navy’s Ali Currier (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) made the score 55-50 with 22 seconds left when Jackson was fouled and went to the free throw line. She made the first and missed the second, but N’Garsanet was there again for the offensive carom. She was quickly fouled and missed both free throws with 19 seconds remaining, but the loose ball following her second errant attempt was knocked out of bounds by the Mids to give the Eagles another possession with 19 seconds left. Stanfield was fouled following the inbounds play and made 1-of-2 attempts to give the Eagles a seven-point cushion. </p>

<p>The game closed with a layup by Navy’s Kelly Altschul (So., Highland Village, Texas) and two more free throws by American’s Liz Hayes.</p>

<p>American attempted 43 free throws on the night –– with 14 coming over the final 51 seconds of play –– to Navy’s nine. The difference of 34 attempts ties the Navy record for the largest advantage in free throw attempts by an opponent over the Mids in Navy history. Additionally, the 43 attempts is the second-highest number of attempts by an opponent against the Mids in Navy’s 17-year Patriot League history and ranks sixth overall among all foes in school history.</p>

<p>The Eagles also grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to Navy’s eight on the night, but American held just an 11-8 advantage in second chance points. American also forced Navy into 25 turnovers while turning the ball over 20 times itself. Again, like the difference in offensive rebounds, the Mids were able to limit some of the damage the disparity in turnovers had the potential to cause. American scored only 15 points after Navy turnovers, while the Mids tallied 17 points following the turnovers by the Eagles.</p>

<p>“We did not manage American’s quickness as well as we needed to throughout the game,” said Marryott. “Whether it was their disrupting our offense, being able to grab the loose ball to extend a possession or beating us to a position on the floor which led us to foul, we didn’t accomplish what we needed to in order to balance that out.”</p>

<p>Navy connected on 21 field goals to American’s 15, with the Mids connecting on 43.8 percent of their shots from the field and the Eagles converting 32.6 percent of their attempts from the floor. Both teams made five three-point field goals in the game and shot a near identical percentage from beyond the arc.</p>

<p>The post players for the two teams, Consedine for Navy and N’Garsanet for American, both ended the game with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead
their respective teams.</p>

<p>“The effort was there for us tonight,” said Marryott. “We need to bring that same intensity while executing better in order to win.”</p>

<p>Navy will close the first half of the Patriot League season Saturday afternoon when the Mids play at Colgate in a 2 p.m. game in Hamilton, N.Y.</p>

1857

<p>WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior guard Greg Sprink scored a career-high 36 points and Navy outscored American, 42-29, in the second half for a 77-66 win at American on Wednesday night. The win moves Navy’s record to 10-11 overall and 3-3 in the Patriot League, while American falls to 11-10 overall and 3-3 in league play.</p>

<p>The win was just the second for Navy against American since the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2001-02, and the first at Bender Arena since Jan. 26, 1991, and the third win ever at the facility.</p>

<p>“This is a monumental win for our program. We have not had any success here in the past and to come in here and play with the attitude, energy and focus we had tonight says a lot about this team,” said Navy head coach Billy Lange. “I’m really proud of our effort on the defensive end. Our resiliency was great tonight and our team attitude was tremendous. It was a good effort all the way around.”</p>

<p>Navy’s defense was the key in the win over the Eagles. The Mids turned American over 17 times, despite the fact that American entered the game averaging a league-best 13.1 per game. Navy committed just eight turnovers on the contest, helping Navy overcome a minus-16 rebounding advantage, 47-31.</p>

<p>“We take great pride in turning teams over and American is so good at taking care of the ball. That was a huge positive for us and really helped us set the tempo we wanted to set,” said Lange. “Our defense, particularly in the second half, was phenomenal.”</p>

<p>The Mids also held American’s top two scorers, Garrison Carr (17.4) and Derrick Mercer (14.5) to just a combined 19 points on 6-of-23 shooting. As a team, the Eagles shot just 30.3 percent after shooting 46.7 percent in the first half.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the story for the Navy offense was the Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., native, Sprink. He scored 18 points in each half, connected on three three-pointers and was an astonishing 17-of-18 from the free throw line for his 36 points. It is the most by a Patriot League player this season, the most for a Navy player since Michael Heary scored 38 points against Holy Cross on Jan. 28, 1997, and the second most by a Navy player in a Patriot League game.</p>

<p>His 17 made free throws were the third most in a game in school history and the 36 points tied for the 20th-most points by a Navy player in a single game in school history.</p>

<p>Sprink has now scored at least 20 points in seven straight games and has scored at least 26 points in five of the six Patriot League games and is averaging 28.2 ppg in Patriot League play this year.</p>

<p>“We wanted to prove the team that played against Army wasn’t what this team was about,” said Sprink. “We really wanted to play as one defense tonight, and when we defend the way we can, we feel we can play with anyone. We came out with a sense of purpose, something that we need to do every game. Hopefully, this will get us going in the right direction.”</p>

<p>The two teams traded leads in the first half, before American ended the half on a 9-2 run to take a 37-35 lead at the break.</p>

<p>Navy, however, quickly seized control in the second half with its defense. A Chris Harris (Mechanicsville, Va.) three-pointer with 15:16 to play gave Navy the lead for good at 45-42. During an eight-minute stretch in the second half, the Navy defense held American to just one field goal while stretching its lead to eight at 52-44 with 10:04 to play.</p>

<p>American would cut the lead to five three times in the final five minutes but a T.J. Topercer (Scottsdale, Ariz.) three-pointer with 1:43 to play pushed the Navy lead to 10 (72-62) and the Mids would cruise in for the 11-point victory, 77-66.</p>

<p>Besides Sprink’s 36, Harris added 15 for the Mids, while Romeo Garcia (Cypress, Texas) and Kaleo Kina (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored seven each for Navy. Adam Teague (Hickory, N.C.) and Kina grabbed five rebounds, while Kina led the Mids with four assists. </p>

<p>Brian Gilmore scored 16 for American, while Travis Lay scored 15 points with nine rebounds.</p>

<p>As a team, Navy shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field, including 9-of-26 (.346) from the three-point line. The Mids went 24-of-27 (.889) from the free throw line.</p>

<p>American shot 38.1 percent from the field and 8-of-24 from three-point range.</p>

<p>The Mids will wrap up the first half of the Patriot League slate with a Saturday night tilt against Colgate (10-10 / 2-4 PL), beginning at 7:00 pm in Alumni Hall. For ticket information, please call 1-800-US4-NAVY.</p>

1858

<p>Career-High 36 Points Helps End Mids’ 17-Year Skid at AU; Hawks Edge
Colonials</p>

<p>By Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 31, 2008; Page E03</p>

<p>Greg Sprink scored a career-high 36 points last night and, in the process, helped Navy end a 17-year winless drought at American’s Bender Arena.</p>

<p>Sprink contributed at least 20 points for the seventh consecutive game – the first time a Midshipman has accomplished that feat since David Robinson did it 13 times in early 1987 – as Navy pulled away in the final six minutes to earn a 77-66 Patriot League victory before 1,012 spectators.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen had not won in Washington since 1991 and had dropped 14 of their previous 15 meetings overall with the Eagles. Last week, Navy (10-11, 3-3) ended a 17-game losing streak to Holy Cross.</p>

<p>“It feels good to get the points, but I am more impressed with the win,” said Sprink, who is averaging 28.2 points per game in league play.</p>

<p>Because the senior swingman made just 6 of 18 shots in a two-point loss to Army on Sunday, “I think this was important to him,” Navy Coach Billy Lange said. “I thought he had good focus, he played with good passion, good leadership.”</p>

<p>Sprink, who entered the game shooting 86 percent from the free throw line, made 17 of 18 against the Eagles (11-10, 3-3), who lost at home for the second time in five days. He has made 67 of his last 73. Last night he scored 18 points in each half, had 13 of Navy’s final 17 points and added four steals.</p>

<p>Brian Gilmore scored 16 points and Travis Lay 15 for the Eagles, who shot 30 percent in the second half, committed 17 turnovers and wasted a 47-31 rebounding advantage.</p>

<p>“It was probably our worst performance of the year,” AU Coach Jeff Jones said.</p>

<p>Navy led most of the first half, building its advantage to six on several occasions. Sprink made two of his first three three-pointers, but also missed a breakaway attempt when he seemed indecisive whether to lay it in or dunk. He added a three-point play and hit 8 of 9 free throws, including a pair with about 3 1/2 minutes to go to provide a 33-28 lead.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen were 13 of 15 from the line in the half, but had no field goals in the final five minutes and poor rebounding allowed the Eagles to end the half on a 9-2 run and forge a 37-35 lead.</p>

<p>But Chris Harris, averaging 25 points over the past three games, scored eight shortly after the break and Kaleo Kina added seven as the Midshipmen built an eight-point edge. While that transpired, AU shot 1 of 10 and had five turnovers during an 8 1/2 -minute stretch.</p>

<p>The Eagles regrouped to draw within two, but Navy answered with seven straight points, capped by Sprink’s drive with 5 minutes 40 seconds left. When AU made another run, Sprink scored his team’s next nine points.</p>

<p>His previous career high was 34 against Brown two seasons ago.</p>

<p>“He is kind of a hybrid – he’s very strong and he can post up, so if you put a smaller guy on him he really hurts you inside,” Jones said. “He can shoot the three, but the thing that really ties it altogether, he can put the ball on the floor as well.”</p>

<p>Notes: Garrison Carr’s three three-pointers left him three short of Frank Ross’s single-season AU record of 86, set in 1986-87.</p>

1859

<p>For Immediate Release
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Charnigo Named ECAC Field Athlete of the Week</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – One day after earning Patriot League weekly honors, Navy women’s track & field pole vaulter Jacqui Charnigo (Sr./Medina, Ohio) was selected as the ECAC Field Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Wednesday night.</p>

<p>The weekly recognition is the second for Charnigo in her career, as she first claimed the award during her rookie season in 2005 for winning in the pole vault. She is the first Navy field athlete to earn regional weekly accolades since Kirsten Andrews broke the outdoor school record in the pole vault during the 2007 Army-Navy Star Meet.</p>

<p>At George Mason’s Patriot Games last Saturday, Charnigo cleared 12’11-1/2" (3.95 meters) on her second try in the pole vault to earn provisional qualifying status for this year’s indoor national championship. Her effort also smashed the previous indoor school record of 12’10-1/4" (3.92 meters) set by Amanda Hasenauer in 2003. In her second try at 13’9-1/4" (4.20 meters), a NCAA automatic qualifying height, Charnigo just clipped the bar on the way up. She currently owns two of Navy’s ten-best heights in the indoor pole vault in program history, both of which have come at the Patriot Games.</p>

<p>Charnigo’s day was not done with the pole vault, as she went on to record a season-best height of 5’4-1/4" (1.63 meters) in the high jump to place second among all competitors.</p>

<p>With the help of the Navy senior, the Midshipmen finished first out of the 13 participating teams with a score of 140.7 points.</p>

<p>Navy (6-0) will host rival Army in the annual Star Meet this Saturday in Annapolis, starting at 2:10 p.m. The action will be the final Army-Navy women’s track & field dual meet in Halsey Field House, as the Midshipmen will move into the 140,000-square-foot, $45 million Wesley Brown Field House in 2008-09. Navy’s new home indoor facility will feature a hydraulic banked 200-meter track, a 60-meter straightaway in the center, dual pole vault/jumping runways, dual throwing areas and a scenic view of the Severn River.</p>

1860

<p>CSTV.com And USA Today Enter Digital Marketing Partnership
CSTV digital assets CSTV XXL, GameTracker and original video to be
distributed across USATODAY.com</p>

<p>Jan. 23, 2008</p>

<p>NEW YORK, NY, January 23, 2008 - CSTV.com, the leading Interactive collegiate sports media service and division of CBS Sports, today announced a digital marketing partnership with USA TODAY whereby several of CSTV’s assets, including CSTV XXL and GameTracker will be made available on USATODAY.com. The partnership will allow for much greater visibility of CSTV content while giving USATODAY.com’s users access to the best live coverage of collegiate sporting events on the Internet.</p>

<p>“This partnership offers a tremendous opportunity for exposure of CSTV.com’s first-class content, particularly in the area of live video of collegiate sporting events, to a rabid fan base of sports enthusiasts at USATODAY.com,” said Tom Buffolano, Vice President and General Manager, Subscription Services, CSTV Networks.</p>

<p>“USATODAY.com is continually looking for new and interesting content offerings for our readers. CSTV.com’s exceptional coverage of college sports, especially the live video and audio programming, is a great addition to our Interactive service,” said Jeff Webber, publisher of USATODAY.com and senior vice president of advertising for USA TODAY.</p>

<p>Through this partnership, USATODAY.com users will have access to a customized CSTV XXL player offering the most comprehensive live and on demand video coverage of college sports on the Internet. Along with highlights, press conferences and coaches’ shows, CSTV XXL broadcasts thousands of live and on demand games from more than 100 top schools and conferences in 30 different men’s and women’s collegiate sports.</p>

<p>CSTV’s GameTracker product, which allows fans to follow live play-by-play of collegiate sporting events through a real-time statistical interface, will be offered on multiple pages, including the Sports front, college fronts and scores page, in the USATODAY.com sports section. A daily schedule of content can be found at <a href=“http://liveeventcentral.usatoday.com%5B/url%5D”>http://liveeventcentral.usatoday.com</a>.</p>

<p>In addition to CSTV XXL and GameTracker, CSTV plans to syndicate short-form video clips to USATODAY.com under a new co-branded sports tab. Clips including event highlights, press conferences and original video will be available to USATODAY.com users by the Spring of 2008.</p>

<p>About CSTV Networks</p>

<p>CSTV Networks, Inc., part of CBS Sports, is the leading digital and cable programming company dedicated to college sports. Connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company, its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV, a national cable and satellite programming service, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men’s and women’s college sports; CSTV.com and its network of nearly 215 official athletic sites; CSTV XXL and All Access, broadband services providing live audio and video of more than 10,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. For more information about CSTV and for the latest collegiate sports news, scores and information, please visit cstv.com.</p>

<p>More information about CBS and its businesses is available at <a href=“http://www.cbscorporation.com%5B/url%5D”>www.cbscorporation.com</a>.</p>

<p>About USA TODAY</p>

<p>USA TODAY is the nation’s top-selling newspaper. It is published via satellite at 34 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). The USA TODAY brand also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for enthusiasts of college and professional football and baseball; USA TODAY Mobile, offering up-to-the minute news and information on a variety of mobile platforms and devices; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.</p>

<p>For Information Contact:</p>

<p>Alex Riethmiller, CSTV.com (954) 489-4235 <a href="mailto:ariethmiller@cbs.com">ariethmiller@cbs.com</a>
Heidi Zimmerman, USA TODAY (703) 854-5304 <a href="mailto:hzimmerman@usatoday.com">hzimmerman@usatoday.com</a></p>