5/29/2004 - Men's Lacrosse
Navy Challenges Syracuse in NCAA Championship

Files associated with this release:
2004 Navy vs. Syracuse notes (NCAA Championship)

Game 18 * #2 Navy vs. #3 Syracuse
NCAA Championship
Monday, May 31 * 2:30 p.m.
Baltimore, Md. * M&T Bank Stadium
Series History: Navy leads, 18-6-1 (last meeting: L, 18-11 on May 22, 1989)
TV: ESPN, Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Quint Kessenich (color)
Radio: WNAV-1430 AM, Pete Medhurst (play-by-play)
WJFK-1300 AM (Baltimore), Joe Miller and Larry Quinn

Navy vs. Syracuse: Navy and Syracuse play on Monday in the 2004 NCAA Championship ... the Mids lead the overall series against the Orange, 18-6-1 ... Navy defeated Syracuse 15-straight times between 1929-79, but the Orange have won six of the last-seven meetings ... the Mids have not played Syracuse since the 1989 season, when the Orange took an 18-11 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Navy vs. Syracuse in the Postseason: Navy and Syracuse have faced off three times in NCAA postseason play, with the Orange winning all-three meetings ... Syracuse took a 19-5 win in 1987, a 23-5 victory in 1988 and an 18-11 win in 1989 ... each game was a second-round match-up.

Navy in the NCAAs: This is Navy's 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the fifth most of any school in the nation ... Monday's game will be the Mids' second appearance in the title game ... Navy is 14-20 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-1 in the championship game ... the Mids' last tournament appearance was in 1999 when they lost to Hofstra, 15-7, in the first round ... Navy has not played in the NCAA Championship since 1975 ... that year, the Mids dropped Penn, 17-6, then defeated Cornell, 15-12, before losing to Maryland, 20-13, in the title game ... the Mids have never played four-straight NCAA contests.

Semifinal Story: The Mids' game versus Princeton on Saturday was Navy's eighth NCAA semifinal appearance ... the Mids advanced to the first-ever NCAA semifinals in 1971, then made five-straight appearances between 1975-79 ... Navy's last semifinal appearance was in 1981 ... the Mids are 2-6 in NCAA semifinal action with the win over the Tigers ... their only other win came in 1975 against Cornell ... Navy then fell to Maryland, 20-13, in the championship contest.

Service Selection Saga: The members of the Class of 2004 were commissioned as Ensigns in the United States Navy when they graduated from the Naval Academy on Friday ... in January, each senior (or ?firstie?) selected which branch (Navy or Marine Corps) they would serve in for the next five years ... the eight members of of the lacrosse team who were commissioned Friday are:
Ens. Ben Bailey, USN ... Naval Flight Officer
Ens. Jared Bosanko, USN ... Surface Warfare Officer
Ens. Joe Bossi, USN ... Navy Pilot
Ens. Dan Eddy, USN ... Navy Pilot
Ens. Brendan Looney, USN ... Intelligence
Ens. Matt Midura, USN ... Navy Pilot
Ens. Thomas Morris, USN ... Navy Pilot
Ens. Adam Reel, USN ... Navy Pilot

Following the Flag: For the third-straight game, the Mids will run onto the field behind Gunnery Sergeant John Kob, USMC, who will be carrying a U.S. flag that was given to head coach Richie Meade and the Navy lacrosse team by Lt. Billy Gallagher, USN ... the flag was flown over the Joint Task Force 121.2 Compound during Operation Enduring Freedom in Bagram, Afghanistan ... Gallagher, a Navy SEAL, graduated from the Academy in 1997 after earning one letter as a member of the lacrosse team.

On the Road: The Mids have won all eight of their road games this season, including neutral site games versus Colgate on March 20 and versus Princeton in the NCAA semifinal on May 29 ... Navy has beaten six ranked teams away from home this season, with a 9-8 (ot) win at North Carolina, an 18-10 victory at Army, a 7-5 win at Georgetown, a 9-6 victory at Maryland, a 6-5 victory at Cornell in the NCAA Quarterfinals and an 8-7 win over Princeton on Saturday ... Navy also downed un-ranked Lafayette, 14-1, to open the season.

Tournament Talk: For the first time since 1972, the defending National Champion did not earn a bid to the tournament, as Virginia finished the season with a 5-8 record ... Navy has never won an NCAA lacrosse championship, though it does have 17 national championships to its credit prior to the NCAA Tournament which started in 1971 ... the Midshipmen are 0-1 in championship games, losing to Maryland, 20-13, in 1975.

Meade Milestone: Head coach Richie Meade claimed his 100th-career win on May 2, as the Midshipmen defeated Hobart, 9-8, and won the Patriot League Tournament Championship ... prior to his arrival in Annapolis, Meade led the University of Baltimore to 27 wins ... he has picked up 76 victories at the helm of the Navy program for 103-career wins.

Streak Stats: The Mids own a 15-2 record heading into the NCAA Championship ... the 15 wins are the most in school history ... the previous record was 11, accomplished twice (1949 and ?78) ... Navy's nine-game winning streak, the program's longest since the 1966 season when the Mids posted a perfect 9-0 record and won the National Championship, was snapped against No. 1 Johns Hopkins on April 24.

Ivy Intimacy: Navy dropped three-consecutive Ivy League opponents to make it to the NCAA Championship ...Navy had not played three different Ivy teams in a season since 1988 ... that year, Navy defeated Princeton, 11-4, but fell to Yale, 10-7, and Penn, 11-10 ... the next season, Navy won all-three contests against Ivy teams, as it defeated Penn twice and took a 15-7 decision over Yale ... before this year's NCAA Tournament, the Mids had not matched up against an Ivy League foe since Navy defeated Penn 12-8 on March 13, 1999.

Close Ties: Navy Director of Athletics, Chet Gladchuk, served as the Associate Director of Athletics at Syracuse from 1985-87 ... while there, Gladchuk served as the administrator for the men's lacrosse program.

Patriots in the Finals: No Patriot League team (in any sport) has ever won an NCAA Championship while a member of the league ... Navy is in its first season as a member of the Patriot League.

Navy's NCAA Championships: Five Naval Academy teams have won NCAA Championships ... men's fencing, which is no longer sponsored as a Division I sport at Navy, won three NCAA titles (1955, ?56 and ?62) ... men's soccer and men's outdoor track have each claimed one NCAA championship ... men's soccer beat Michigan State, 1-0, in 1964 ... men's track took the outdoor crown in 1945.

Naval Academy Teams in 2004: Navy's men's lacrosse team has not been the only Academy team to enjoy success in 2003-04 ... the men's water polo team played in the NCAA Final Four in December ... the women's soccer team earned an NCAA bid, becoming the first women's team from the Naval Academy to advance to the NCAA Tournament ... football played in the EV1.net Houston Bowl and won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981 ... rifle finished in third place at the NCAA Championship ... overall, six Academy teams won conference titles (men's Lacrosse, Rifle, women's Soccer, men's Swimming, men's Indoor Track & Field, men's Water Polo) and 12 Midshipmen earned All-America honors ... Navy's lightweight crew team is ranked No. 1 in the country and the heavyweight crew team is ranked sixth in the country ... Navy teams combined for a .580 win percentage and took the season series over Army for the 31st time in the last-33 years.

Tewaaraton Watch: Sophomore Ian Dingman, a preseason All-American, was one-of-15 finalists selected as candidates for the fourth-annual Tewaaraton Award ... the Tewaaraton Trophy is the most coveted and prestigious award a varsity lacrosse player can receive and a symbol of excellence in college lacrosse ... the list was narrowed down to five finalists on May 17: Ryan Boyle (Princeton), Kyle Harrison (Johns Hopkins), Brodie Merrill (Georgetown), Michael Powell (Syracuse) and Jed Prossner (North Carolina).

Rankings Report: Navy's 9-6 win at Maryland on April 10 boosted the Mids to No. 2 in the STX/USILA, media and InsideLacrosse Power polls the Mids have stayed in the No. 2 slot for six-straight weeks ... it is the highest ranking for Navy since 1975, when it ended the season at No. 2 ... the Mids compiled a 10-5 record that year and played Maryland in the NCAA Championship ... in the Mids' 21st attempt against a No. 1 team, they knocked off Maryland by a convincing 9-6 margin, their first win over a top-ranked team ... the Terps' loss boosted Johns Hopkins back into the No. 1 spot ... Navy is 6-1 against top-10 teams this season with wins over then-No. 4 North Carolina, 9-8 (ot), on March 5; then-No. 9 Army, 18-10, on March 27; then-No. 4 Georgetown, 7-5, on April 3; then-No.1 Maryland, 9-6, on April 10; No. 7 Cornell, 6-5, on May 23; and No. 6 Princeton, 8-7, on May 29 ... all six wins were played on the road.

Giving up Goals: The Navy defense has made it tough for opponents to score this year ... the Mids came into the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense ... they have allowed only 113 goals in 17 games for a 6.65 average ... on the offensive side, the Mids are ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring ... Navy has a 12.24 average ... Navy is also atop the national rankings in scoring margin with a 5.59 average.

Russell Review: Sophomore Matt Russell, Navy's co-MVP, was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for three-consecutive Mondays after leading the Mids to back-to-back-to-back wins against top-10 teams ... Russell took over the starting role in goal at North Carolina on March 5 and has led Navy to nine-straight wins since the switch ... he suffered his first loss against Johns Hopkins on April 24 ... Russell picked up 13 saves against the Blue Jays, as Johns Hopkins took the one-goal win in overtime ... Russell limited the then-top-ranked Terps - who averaged 12.75 goals per game - to only six goals (and only two in the second half), while picking up 12 saves as Navy knocked off Maryland in College Park ... Russell recorded a career-high 14 saves at Georgetown and allowed only five goals in the contest ... at Army, he picked up 13 saves as the Mids clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth in the 18-10 win ... he is ranked No. 2 in the country with a 6.33 goals-against average and has a 5.67 average in NCAA Tournament action.

Navy Notations: Sophomore Ian Dingman leads Navy with 58 points on 34 goals and 24 assists ... his 58 points are the ninth most scored by a Midshipman in a single season, while his 34 goals are tied for 13th in Navy's single-season record book ... before Saturday's game, Dingman was ranked No. 12 in the country in point production with a 2.56 points per game average... Dingman has recorded 41 assists in his first-two seasons, which ranks as the 19th-best career total at Navy ... senior Joe Bossi leads the squad with 42 goals, the third most scored by a Midshipman in a single season ... he came into the Final Four ranked No. 10 in the nation with a 2.56 goals per game average ... sophomore Jon Birsner leads Navy with 26 assists and started the weekend ranked No. 15 in the country with a 1.63 assists per game average ... 22 different Midshipmen have scored at least one goal this season and 21 Mids have tacked on at least one assist.

Dingman Nears 100: Sophomore Ian Dingman has tallied 98 points in his first-two seasons ... as a freshman, Dingman netted 23 goals and 17 assists ... this season, the attacker has added 34 goals and 24 assists ... the last Mid to break the 100-point career total was Eddie McKinnon (1999-02), who finished with 126 points to rank 13th on Navy's all-time list ... Navy's all-time leading scorer, Jeff Long (1974-77), finished his career with 233 points ... Long, the head coach at Ithaca College, spoke to the Mids the night before Navy beat Cornell, 6-5, in the quarterfinals.

Convincing Conquests: Navy has posted four wins this season by double-digit margins and another five victories by five or more goals ... the Mids are atop the national rankings in scoring margin (6.17) ... Navy posted 23 goals against Holy Cross, the most by any NCAA Division I team this year ... 18 Mids scored in the game ... Navy also has the second-highest single-game total this season with 21 goals against Colgate (tied with Albany's 21-13 win over Hartford on April 21).

One-Goal Games: Navy has battled to 37 one-goal games since head coach Richie Meade came to Annapolis in 1995 ... the Mids have taken the game to the wire five times this season and have come away with a 4-1 edge in the close contests ... Navy picked up a 9-8 (ot) win at North Carolina ... lost a 10-9 (ot) decision to Johns Hopkins ... defeated Hobart, 9-8, in the Patriot League Championship ... won a 6-5 contest at Cornell in the NCAA Quarterfinals ... took an 8-7 victory over Princeton in the NCAA Semifinals.

Face-Off Facts: The Mids take an early advantage over their opponents, having won 248 of the 379 (.654) face-offs this season ... Navy came into the Final Four ranked No. 3 in the nation with a .647 average ... Chris Pieczonka has won 153 of his 228 face-offs (.671), the third-best single-season win total in school history, and is ranked No. 2 in the country ... after winning 12-of-13 face-off attempts at Cornell in the NCAA Quarterfinals, Pieczonka ranks second in the Navy record book with 191-career face-off wins ... Pieczonka picked up 15 of 19 attempts against Princeton on Saturday .. the Mids have two of the best back-up face-off specialists in William Wallace and Tommy Wallin ... Wallace stepped up during the Patriot League Tournament when Pieczonka was sidelined with an injury ... Wallace won 14 of his 18 attempts against Colgate and then won 10 face-offs against Hobart ... his 46 wins this season ranks 17 on the single-season total and is the 10th-best career total in school history ... on April 3, Wallin battled the No. 1 face-off specialist in the country at Georgetown and came away with a 5-of-6 advantage over Andy Corno ... he won nine of his 10 attempts during the game and 45 of his 71 face-offs (.634) this season ... his 45 wins give him the 19th-best single-season total in school history.

Iceman Cometh: Face-off specialist Chris Pieczonka, nicknamed ?Iceman? by his teammates, won 12 of his 13 face-off attempts at Cornell in the NCAA quarterfinals ... for his contributions to Navy's 6-5 victory, he was named the Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week ... he won 15 of 19 attempts against Princeton in the semifinal and is ranked No. 2 in Navy history with 206 wins in his career ... Pieczonka also owns the school record for single-season grounders with 82.

DiNola Details: Junior Seth DiNola started in goal in all 13 games last season and the first two contests this year ... after the loss to Ohio State, the coaches made a switch at goal and DiNola committed to the field full-time ... he has traded in his goalie stick for a pole and short stick ... he has played in each of the last-15 games at the wing position for face-offs, as well as in the defensive midfield.

Brothers in Arms: Last season, Navy had three pairs of brothers, but this season the Mids have a trio of Looneys ... Brendan Looney is a senior defensive midfielder, Steve Looney is a sophomore midfielder and Billy Looney is a freshman midfielder ... all three graduated locally from DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md. ... Dan Harris and Taylor Harris share the same last name, but are not related ... Dan hails from Manlius, N.Y., while Taylor is out of Clifton, Va.

Carthage Connection: Sophomore Ian Dingman graduated from Carthage High School (N.Y.) in 2000, the same school that produced Dave Trembly ... Trembly, the Bowie Baysox manager, was recently listed in Baseball America as one of the top-five managers in the minor league system over the last 25 years.

Multiple Madness: Senior Joe Bossi seems to like the back of the net when he faces Patriot League opponents ... he scored at least three goals in each of the seven regular-season conference matches ... Bossi scored a career-high five goals against Lehigh, recorded four goals against Hobart and netted three goals against Lafayette, Bucknell, Colgate, Army and Holy Cross ... in the postseason, Bossi added four goals against Colgate and Penn ... he has dropped in at least two goals in 11 of the last-13 games ... Ian Dingman might wear the number one on his jersey, but when it comes to scoring, he prefers larger numbers ... Dingman tallied a career-high five goals at Lafayette and against Colgate, dropped in four goals against Bucknell, recorded a hat trick at Army and netted a pair of goals at North Carolina, at Maryland, against Penn and at Cornell ... he has 17 multiple-goal games in his career (out of 29 games played) and 14 multiple-assist contests ... Jon Birsner recorded the 11th multi-assist game of his career with a pair of assists against Cornell on May 23.

Premier Performances: Twelve Navy players have scored their first career goal this season ... three plebes scored their first goals against Holy Cross on April 18 ... David Cohn, Ben MacNeil and William Wallace each tabbed their first score against the Crusaders ... Dan Harris notched his first-ever goal just 1:31 into the contest at Georgetown ... Conor McKenzie netted his first goal against Colgate, and then added three more during the game for good measure ... Steve Looney picked up his first-career goal against Bucknell - and then recorded his first multi-goal game with a three-goal showing against Hobart ... Chris Pieczonka picked up his first goal at North Carolina on March 5, just six seconds into the fourth quarter, giving the Mids a 7-4 lead ... the face-off specialist added Navy's only other fourth-quarter goal to put the Mids ahead 8-7 with 8:12 to go in regulation ... senior Matt Midura netted his first-career goal against UNC ... Taylor Harris, who made only one appearance as a freshman, has seen action in both games this year and scored his first goal against Ohio State on Feb. 28, giving the Mids a 3-1 lead in the first quarter ... three Mids found the back of the net in the 14-1 victory over Lafayette on Feb. 21 ... Dwayne Osgood was sidelined with knee injuries his first two seasons but played in his first game against the Leopards and scored his first collegiate goal on an extra-man opportunity in the fourth quarter ... Billy Looney and Trevor Hoselton also notched their first career goals in the season opener.

Preseason Potpourri: Navy began the 2004 campaign with a No. 14 preseason ranking by Lacrosse Magazine ... three Mids were selected to Face-Off Magazine's Preseason All-America Honorable Mention squad: sophomore attack Ian Dingman, junior midfielder Graham Gill and team captain Thomas Morris (long stick) ... Dingman came off the bench in 11-of-13 games to lead the Mids in scoring with 40 points on 23 goals and 17 assists ... Gill started every game last season and produced 22 points on 13 goals and nine assists ... Morris was named Navy's defensive MVP last year, despite missing two games because of a nearly severed finger.

Patriot League Perfection: The Mids completed their regular season conference schedule with a perfect 7-0 mark ... in their first year in the league, the Mids also claimed the postseason tournament title with a 15-5 win over Colgate in the semifinal and a 9-8 victory over Hobart in the championship ... the Mids' best conference record prior to this year was in 2000 when they produced a 5-1 record during their first campaign in the ECAC ... Navy played as an independent before that season.

Patriot League Praise: The Mids posted a 7-0 conference record, collected eight Player-of-the-Week awards during the regular season, and put 10 Mids on the All-League First and Second Teams ... head coach Richie Meade was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and Billy Looney was named the League's Freshman of the Year ... during the season, keeper Matt Russell was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for three-straight weeks, as the Mids won three-straight road games against top-10 opponents ... Jon Birsner, Joe Bossi and Ian Dingman were each named the League's Offensive Player of the Week this season, while Mitch Hendler was named the Defensive Player of the Week.

Television Time: Dave Ryan and Quint Kessenich will handle the broadcast of the 2004 NCAA Championship on ESPN ... the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN starting at 2:30 p.m.

Radio Review: Pete Medhurst will be calling the action on WNAV-1430 AM for Navy's NCAA Tournament games ... Medhurst is a veteran of Navy broadcasts, as he co-hosts the Navy pre-game football show ... Medhurst has also picked up the call for Navy men's and women's basketball ... in Baltimore, fans can also pick up the game on WJFK-1300 AM ... Joe Miller and Larry Quinn will be call the action for all-three games this weekend.

World Wide Web: For a complete report on Navy Athletics, check out www.NavySports.com ... the latest information from the Patriot League is available at www.PatriotLeague.com ... full NCAA Tournament coverage can be found at www.NCAASports.com.