ANNAPOLIS, Md. - With the unforeseen conclusion to the 2019-20 competition season for all collegiate teams, the Naval Academy Athletic Department is recognizing and honoring the student-athletes and seniors from Navy, who had their seasons cut short with a series of "Sunday Salutes." The next program to be recognized with a Sunday Salute is Navy Lightweight Crew.

The Mids' Class of 2020 is 14 members deep and has found success throughout its three-plus seasons of competition on the water. The Class of 2020's gold rush began at its first postseason championship back in 2017 when the trio of Max Gelbach, Creig Tarrant and Christophe Theodore finished first at the Eastern Sprints in the fourth varsity boat, while the duo of Brendan Finn and Tyler Schatz did the same with Navy's fifth varsity crew. Tarrant doubled up his winnings as a member of the Mids' V4+ boat that came in first at the IRA National Championship Regatta. The following year, Navy's 5V8 once again finished atop the medal stand at the Eastern Sprints with Finn and Theodore collecting gold for the second straight Sprints competition. Theo Freidenrich earned his first goal at the 2018 IRA National Championship as Navy's V4- crossed the finish line at Mercer Lake.

All of this success culminated in 2019 as eight different Mids took home gold medals in racing at the Eastern Sprints and IRA National Championships. Navy's 3V8 with Finn, Jesse Hall, Brendan Philbin, Karl Schwarzkopf and Theodore held off Yale to win the event title. At that same Eastern Sprints Regatta, Navy's first varsity crew with Class of 2020 members Ben Capannari and Freidenrich placed third to earn the program its first V8 medal at the Sprints since 2006. Overall, the Mids placed third in the Jope Cup team standings at the Sprints. A few weeks later, the Mids' V4+ and V4- crews secured victories at the IRA National Championship and buoyed the team's push towards the top of the final standings. Kaden Dohm and Theodore won gold in the V4+ boat, while Noah Chaskin and Tarrant did the same in the V4- boat. As a program, Navy netted 57 points to tie with Princeton for second place just three points shy of the national champions, Cornell. Additionally, Pat Urrutia showcased his talents as a coxswain for Navy's King's Cup team that travelled to England and raced at both the Henley Royal Regatta and the Marlow Regatta.

Tyler Schatz served as team captain during the 2019-20 academic year.

Navy Lightweight Crew Class of 2020
Ben Capannari - Cincinnati, Ohio - Major: Mathematics w/Economics - Service Seletion: Marine Corps Pilot
Noah Chaskin - Niskayuna, New York - Major: Robotics & Control Engineering (Honors) - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Kaden Dohm - Maple Grove, Minnesota - Major: Aerospace Engineering (Astro) - Service Selection: Submarines
Brendan Finn -Tucson, Arizona - Major: Aerospace Engineering (Astro) - Navy Pilot
Theo Freidenrich - Ridgefield, Connecticut - Major: Mechanical Engineering - Navy Pilot
Max Gelbach - Springfield, Virginia - Major: Applied Mathematics (Honors)  - Service Selection: U.S. Navy
Jesse Hall - San Diego, California - Major: Physics - Service Selection: U.S. Navy
Brendan Philbin - Tampa, Florida - Major: Aerospace Engineering (Astro) - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Tyler Schatz - Palmdale, California - Major: Quantitative Economics - Service Selection: U.S. Navy
Karl Schwarzkopf - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Major: Mathematics (Honors) - Service Selection: Submarines
Creig Tarrant - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Major: Applied Mathematics - Service Selection Marine Corps Ground
Christophe Theodore - San Francisco, California - Major: Biochemistry - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Pat Urrutia - San Antonio, Texas - Major: Operations Research - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Luke Waldo - Rancho Palos Verdes, California - Major: Physics (Honors) - Service Selection: Marine Corps Pilot