ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 20 Navy water polo team (14-12, 9-3) are set to host the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament this weekend at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md. The second-seeded Midshipmen open the tournament on Friday, Nov. 19 at 6:00 p.m. against MAWPC-West champion Gannon (13-8, 3-1). The tournament continues through Sunday, Nov. 21, with the championship game slated for 1:30 p.m.
 
Tournament Information
The road to the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) Men's Water Polo Championship will run through Annapolis, Md., as Bucknell, Fordham, Gannon, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, Mount St. Mary's, Wagner, and host Navy will compete in the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship on Friday-Sunday, November 19-21, at Lejeune Hall.
 
The fifth MAWPC Championship since the formation of the league and the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) from the formerly all-inclusive Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the eight teams will take to the water to decide which program is the best-of the-best and qualifies for the NCAA Championship via an automatic bid.
 
Following a vote of the Governance Council, the MAWPC field is seeded with Gannon assuming the No. 7 seed, while Fordham, Navy, George Washington, Bucknell, Wagner and Johns Hopkins hold the No. 1-to-6 spots and Mount St Mary's rounds out the field at No. 8.
 
Competition at the three-day, 12 game championship begins on Friday, November 19, as Fordham faces Mount St. Mary's (3:00 p.m.), Bucknell battles Wagner (4:30 p.m.), Navy looks to sink Gannon (6:00 p.m.), and George Washington aims to get by Johns Hopkins. On Saturday, November 20, the losers and winners meet prior to the placement games on Sunday, November 21.
 
For fans unable to make the trip to Annapolis, the league will stream the entirety of the tournament at CWPATV.com at a cost of $10 per game or $25 for a weekend pass to all 12 contests.
 
Fans attending the MAWPC Championship can pay for either a three-day tournament pass ($25) or a one-day pass ($10). Navy students, faculty and staff with a valid college ID, and senior citizens 65 and older, will be admitted at discounted prices of $10 (tournament pass) and $5 (one-day pass). All children 12 and under are free of charge. All tickets are exclusively available at the door as there will be no presale in advance of the championship.
 
Accessing the United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (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.
 
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Nov. 19
Game 1: 3:00 p.m. – (1) Fordham vs. (8) Mount St. Mary's
Game 2: 4:30 p.m. – (4) Bucknell vs. (5) Wagner
Game 3: 6:00 p.m. – (2) Navy vs. (7) Gannon
Game 4: 7:30 p.m. – (3) George Washington vs. (6) Johns Hopkins
 
Saturday, Nov. 20
Game 5: 1:30 p.m. – Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 1
Game 6: 3:00 p.m. – Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 7: 4:30 p.m. – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 8: 6:00 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
 
Sunday, Nov. 21
Game 9: 9:00 a.m. – Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5 (Seventh Place Game)
Game 10: 10:30 a.m. – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Fifth Place Game)
Game 11: 12:00 p.m. – Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7 (Third Place Game)
Game 12: 1:30 p.m. – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Championship Game)
 
Tournament Field
(1) Fordham – 23-6 overall, 11-1 MAWPC-East
(2) Navy – 14-12 overall, 9-3 MAWPC-East
(3) George Washington – 10-13 overall, 7-5 MAWPC-East
(4) Bucknell – 11-11 overall, 6-6 MAWPC-East *
(5) Wagner – 16-15 overall, 6-6 MAWPC-East *
(6) Johns Hopkins – 6-19 overall, 2-10 MAWPC-East
(7) Gannon – 13-8 overall, 3-1 MAWPC-West **
(8) Mount St. Mary's – 7-21 overall, 1-11 MAWPC-East
 
* – Bucknell earned the No. 4 seed in the MAWPC-East standings due to goal differential versus Wagner ( +1 differential).
** – By rule, the order of the MAWPC-East teams stays the same and the MAWPC-West Champion is seeded into the field by the league' Governance Council. Since Gannon beat Mount St. Mary's, they earned the No. 7 seed.
 
Water Polo Head Coach Luis Nicolao to be Inducted into CWPA Hall of Fame
For the first time in the history of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame an active head coach will join the ranks of the organization's best-of the-best as United States Naval Academy alumnus and current Midshipmen head coach Luis Nicolao ('92) during the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship weekend.
 
Nicolao was supposed to be inducted during the 2020 tournament, but it was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The second Navy water polo athlete to make the Hall of Fame joining current Midshipmen assistant coach Tom Popp (inducted in 2008), Nicolao is the third Navy affiliated individual to join the group and the second head coach following former United States Naval Academy head coach Mike Schofield (induced in 2014). Further, his selection puts both the former (Schofield) and current (Nicolao) head coaches of the Midshipmen along with one of the team's assistant coaches (Popp) in the HOF.
 
His selection is based exclusively on Nicolao's playing career at the Navy, although his coaching career at both Princeton and Navy are Hall-of-Fame worthy in their own right.
 
As a student-athlete at Navy, Nicolao was a three-time All-America (Third Team – 1990, '91; Honorable Mention – 1989) and All-East (First Team – 1989, '90, '91) selection for the Midshipmen, graduating as the school's all-time leader in points (377) and goals scored (282). During the course of his career, Navy won two Eastern Championships (1988, '90) and reached the NCAA Championship Tournament on three occasions (1988, '90, '91). He was named the CWPA Eastern MVP in both 1990 and 1991, while earning CWPA First-Team All-East accolades for three straight seasons (1989, '90, '91). In addition, Nicolao served as the team captain as a senior during a 1991 season capped off by claiming NCAA Championship All-Tournament Second Team laurels.
 
As a senior, Nicolao earned the Naval Academy Athletic Association's Sword for Men as the top graduating male athlete in 1992. 

Hall of Fame Releases: Navy (May 12, 2020) | CWPA (Nov. 12, 2021)
 
Water Polo Remains in CWPA Top 20
Navy remained in the National Top-20 poll, entering the weekend ranked at No. 20, as announced on Wednesday evening by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). This is the fifth 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 and week seven of competition. The Mids ranked No. 19 during the final regular season week of the season (week 10).
 
Fordham enters the weekend ranked No. 18, while Bucknell is currently receiving votes.
 
Taylor Named MAWPC Rookie of the Week
Navy's Danny Taylor (Riverside, Conn.) was named the MAWPC Rookie of the Week for his efforts in the pool last weekend as announced by the League office. Taylor played in all three of Navy's games on the weekend, helping the Midshipmen secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAWPC Tournament with a pair of victories. The Riverside, Conn. native led all freshmen on the team with six points on four goals and two assists. He opened the weekend with four points on two goals and two assists in Navy's 18-5 victory over Johns Hopkins. Taylor registered two goals in Navy's 11-10 loss to George Washington, while also seeing action in Navy's 13-10 road win against Mount St. Mary's.