ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy water polo begins the 2018 campaign under first-year head coach Luis Nicolao with the annual Navy Open this weekend. The Midshipmen will play three regular season contests plus an exhibition game during the tournament, which runs from Saturday, Sept. 1 through Sunday, Sept. 2.
 
Navy will host nine teams – Fordham, George Washington, Iona, Johns Hopkins, La Salle, Lindenwood, Princeton, Salem, and Wagner – in the annual water polo tournament.
 
All 10 games on Saturday will be played at Lejeune Hall, while six of the nine matchups on Sunday will take place at Lejeune. Three contests will be played at Scott Natatorium on Sunday.
 
The Mids officially open the season with a game against Iona at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday morning in Lejeune Hall. The tournament continues with an exhibition against Lindenwood at 4:30 p.m. in Lejeune.
 
On Sunday, the Midshipmen play a pair of games, starting at 9:00 a.m. against No. 13 Princeton (in Lejeune Hall). The tournament hosts play Fordham at 2:00 p.m. in Lejeune Hall to conclude action in the tournament.
 
Last season, the Midshipmen finished the year 10-16 overall, including a 1-9 mark in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference. The team returns nine letterwinners off of last year's team. The 25-man roster consists of one senior, seven juniors, 10 sophomores, and seven freshmen.
 
The Navy water polo team is under the direction of first-year head coach Luis Nicolao. The former All-American and NAAA Sword recipient ('92) for the Midshipmen returns to his alma mater after a distinguished 20-year career as the head coach of the Princeton Tigers. Joining Nicolao on the pool deck are former Navy All-Americans Tom Popp ('89) and Joe Donahue ('04). Popp, who also won the NAAA Sword as a senior, joins the staff as an assistant coach, while Donahue serves as a volunteer assistant.
 
Fans wanting to monitor the action for the Mids' games throughout the weekend are encouraged to follow @NavyWaterPolo on Twitter. There will be live updates throughout all Navy games and final-score updates for the other contests. Join in the conversation with the official sport hashtag (#NavyWPolo) and the Navy Athletics hashtag (#RaiseTheSail).