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 Heavyweight Rowing.
 
The Mids' Class of 2020 is 13 members deep and has been successful throughout its three-plus years of collegiate competition. During the 2017, 2018 and 2019 regular seasons, Navy's first varsity crew collected 20 total victories and numerous trophy contests, including the Goes Trophy over Syracuse and Cornell in 2017, the Stevenson Trophy over Columbia in 2018 and 2019 and the Oliver T. Carr Bowl as champions of the George Washington Invitational in 2018 and 2019.
 
In the postseason, the program's trajectory continued on the up-swing as the Class of 2020 bettered is placement of 12^th as freshmen in 2017 at the Eastern Sprints to ninth overall in the regional championship in 2019. The same improvement occurred at the IRA National Championships as the team placed 13^th in 2017 before improving to 11^th in 2019.
 
Individually, the Class of 2020 consists of a wide variety of athletes, who have all grown throughout their careers with the majority of them improving up two-to-three boats from freshman through their junior seasons. Led by stalwarts like Andrew Knoll and John Lamb, who have raced with the first varsity eight throughout their three-plus years with the Mids, the Class of 2020 will also been remembered for its deep class of athletes with no prior rowing experience, that helped the team in the fourth, fifth and sixth boats in regular season and postseason racing at the Eastern Sprints.
 
Knoll and Lamb highlight a quartet of senior heavyweight rowers with international experience as Knoll was a two-time member of the United States' Under-23 team, coming away with a silver medal in 2019, while Lamb was part of the victorious King's Cup boat that raced at the 2019 Henley Royal Regatta. Additionally, Jake Klosowski and Jared Taintor competed with Lamb under the banner of the United States Armed Forces crew and collected the King's Cup. Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season, Knoll and Klosowski were issued invites to the U.S. Rowing Under-23 Selection Camp.
 
Navy's success in the postseason saw athletes like Dan Anthony, Aaron Bullis, George Gilliam and Matt Gregory all earn medals for their results at the Eastern Sprints in the Mids' middle and lower boats. Bullis and Gregory, as well as the previously mentioned Klosowski were all members of the fifth varsity eight boat that placed second at the 2017 Eastern Sprints. One spot behind them on the medal stand was Anthony as a member of the Mids' sixth varsity. Two years later, Navy's fifth varsity eight collected silver again with Gilliam pushing the Mids from the fifth seat at the 2019 Eastern Sprints.
 
The Class of 2020's postseason stories of success wouldn't be complete without mentioning Francesca Browne, who started her career with the women's team as a rower. In 2017, Browne competed with Navy's first varsity four at the NCAA Championships after the Mids won the Patriot League Championship. She moved over to the heavyweight program prior to the 2019 season and successfully transitioned into the role as coxswain for the third and fourth varsity crews.
 
The remainder of the Class of 2020 consists of Joey Merkel, who raced with the Mids' first, second, third and fourth crews during his career, as well as Vlad Korol, Cullen O'Dear and Victor Sands, who saw the majority of their action in Navy's lower boats.

Knoll served as the Mids' team captain during the 2019-20 academic year.

Navy Heavyweight Rowing Class of 2020
Dan Anthony – Erie, Pennsylvania – Major: Chinese - Service Selection: Naval Flight Officer
Francesca Browne – Arlington, Virginia – Major: Physics - Service Selection: Cryptologic Warfare
Aaron Bullis – Kenosha, Wisconsin – Major: Ocean Engineering - Service Selection: Marine Corps Ground
George Gilliam – Chandler, Arizona – Major: Robotics & Control Engineering (Honors) - Service Selection: Submarines
Matt Gregory – Monument, Colorado – Major: Robotics & Control Engineering - Service Selection: Marine Corps Ground
Jacob Klosowski – North Potomac, Maryland – Major: Aerospace Engineering - Service Selection: Submarines
Andrew Knoll – Greenback, Tennessee – Major: Mechanical Engineering - Service Selection: Marine Corps Pilot
Vlad Korol – Willow Grove, Pennsylvania – Major: Electrical Engineering - Service Selection: Marine Corps Ground
John Lamb – Hong Kong – Major: Ocean Engineering - Service Selection: Marine Corps Pilot
Joey Merkel – Dallas, Texas – Major: Electrical Engineering - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Cullen O'Dear – Kansas City, Missouri – Major: Mathematics w/Economics - Service Selection: Navy Pilot
Victor Sands – Carrolton, Texas – Major: Quantitative Economics - Service Selection: Submarines
Jared Taintor – Storrs, Connecticut – Major: English - Service Selection: Marine Corps Ground