ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 20 Navy water polo team (8-10, 3-1 MAWPC-East) hosts Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference newcomer Mount St. Mary's (6-13, 1-3) on Friday, Oct. 22 at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis at 7:00 p.m.
Fans can follow Navy water polo on social media. For all in-game action, follow the Midshipmen on Twitter at
@NavyWaterPolo. For more information on the Mids water polo team, follow them on Instagram (
@NavyWaterPolo) and Facebook (
@NavyWaterPolo).
Accessing the USNA
The USNA is closed to all vehicles without a Department of Defense-approved identification card. All other visitors are encouraged to park downtown and walk through the security gates at Gate 1. When walking on, those ages 18 and over must present a photo identification card (driver's license) to gain access and those ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
COVID-19 Policy
Masks must be worn by everyone indoors regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Once on the USNA grounds, those who have not been vaccinated must wear a mask at all times and those who have been vaccinated have the option to wear a mask while outdoors but must wear a mask while indoors.
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Midshipmen enter the weekend with a 8-10 overall record, and a 3-1 record in MAWPC play.
Offensively, the Mids are led by
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.),
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.),
Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.),
Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.),
Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.),
Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.), and
Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.). Salinas leads all Midshipmen with 47 total points, including a team-best 37 goals. Altmayer leads the team with 17 assists and has chipped in 12 goals for 29 total points. Clark is third on the team in points (24) with a balanced 11 goals and 13 assists. Weggeland (14g 9a), Pang (6g 13a), Kahn (17g 0a), and Heller (6g 4a) round out Navy's double-digit scorers with 23, 19, 17, and 10 points, respectively.
Defensively,
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and
Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) have seen a majority of the action. Capobianco leads the team with 148 saves in 15 games played, while registering a team-high 37 steals. Sandberg has played in nine games with 56 stops and eight steals.
Scouting the Opposition
Mount St. Mary's (6-13, 1-3 in the MAWPC-East)
The Mount enters the weekend with a 6-13 overall record, including a 1-3 record against league competition. Mount St. Mary's boasts an explosive offense, netting 223 goals in 19 games (11.7 goals per game). The Mountaineers are led by Jason O'Donnell and Eli Thalos, who have netted 69 and 45 goals, respectively. Thalos leads the Mount with 33 assists, while four other Mountaineers have registered 20 assists or more. Defensively, Marko Kruska has recorded 190 saves in 16 games played (11.9 saves per game).
National Rankings
The Navy water polo team moved back into the National Top-20 poll, re-entering the rankings at No. 20, as announced on Wednesday afternoon by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). This is the third week that the Midshipmen have been ranked during the 2021 season. Navy was ranked No. 19 in the preseason poll, while ranking No. 20 during week three of competition.
Water Polo Duo Earns Weekly MAWPC Accolades
The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference announced its weekly awards and Navy's
Merle Richman (La Jolla, Calif.) and
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) was selected as Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. It is the first weekly honor for Richman in his career and the second for Capobianco this season.
The duo helped Navy to a pair of MAWPC victories over the weekend, defeating Johns Hopkins (W, 14-10) in Baltimore, while finishing the weekend with a win over Bucknell (W, 11-10) at home.
Richman finished the two games with a team-high seven points on a team-best five goals with a pair of assists. Capobianco led the Navy defense, finishing the weekend with 20 saves, seven steals, and four assists in two games.
Up Next
Following the Mount St. Mary's game, Navy will play host to conference foe George Washington on Friday, Oct. 29 at Scott Natatorium. The game is slated for 7:00 p.m. NOTE: This game was originally scheduled to be played in Washington, D.C., but was moved to Annapolis.
