ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #10 Navy water polo team (0-0) opens the spring 2021 season with four games, including three home games, over the weekend. The Midshipmen officially open the season with a road game against George Washington (0-0) on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the St. James Sports Complex in Springfield, Va. On Saturday, the Mids play host to #8 Bucknell (0-0) in the home opener slated for 2:00 p.m. at Scott Natatorium. Navy ends the weekend with a pair of games against GW on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Scott Natatorium.
 
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Series vs. George Washington
Navy leads the all-time series with George Washington, 53-11, however, the Colonials have won eight of the last nine contests. The Midshipmen posted a 14-8 victory last season to end a seven-game skid against GW. The Midshipmen won 52 of the first 55 meetings between the two teams dating back to the first meeting in 1983.
 
Series vs. Bucknell
Navy leads Bucknell 84-27 in the all-time series. The two teams have met in the pool 111 times in a series that dates back to the 1982 season. Bucknell is the only team that Navy has played over 100 times in program history.
 
Navy Water Polo Ranked in CWPA Top 10
The Navy water polo team was selected 14th in the initial National Top 20 by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. With multiple teams withdrawing from competition, the CWPA elected to do a Top 10 throughout the season. In the first Top 10 poll, Navy rose to #9 before entering the first week of competition ranked #10.
 
Student-Athlete Spotlight: Cole Jacobs
Senior center back Cole Jacobs (Naperville, Ill.) from the Navy water polo team was the subject of Navy's Student-Athlete Spotlight, presented by Northrop Grumman. VIDEO
 
Lee Selected as Team Captain
Senior Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) will be team captain for the 2020 campaign. Lee is a three-year starter for the Midshipmen who has played in 79 career games. The center was a 2018 First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference-East selection. In his career, Lee has tallied 161 career points on 123 goals and 38 assists. The rising senior has scored goals in 59 games with 37 multi-goal games, including 15 hat tricks. Defensively, Lee has added 45 steals and 26 ejections drawn. (Video Interview)
 
Head Coach Luis Nicolao to be Inducted into CWPA Hall of Fame
Navy alumnus and current Midshipmen head coach Luis Nicolao ('92) is set to become the first active head coach in the history of the CWPA Hall of Fame to join the ranks of the organization's best-of the-best. 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. (Press Release)
 
Salinas Tabbed ACWPC Honorable Mention All-American
The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announced the 2019 Men's Water Polo All-America teams and Navy attacker Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) was an honorable mention selection. Salinas becomes the first Mid to earn the accolade since Carl Dowzicky ('16) was an honorable mention selection as a senior in 2015. In addition, he is also the first Midshipmen All-American under head coach Luis Nicolao. (Press Release)
 
Last Time Out: Navy Defeats #16 Fordham to Finish Third at MAWPC Tournament (Nov. 24, 2019)
The Navy water polo team posted a 9-5 victory over #16 Fordham to claim third place in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament. The finish is the best for the Midshipmen since the league switched formats in 2016, and the highest conference tournament finish since 2014.
 
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) was named First Team All-MAWPC Tournament. Salinas finished the tournament with 10 goals and two assists for 12 total points. He was the only player selected to the first team that did not play in the championship game.
 
Senior captain Ronan Williams ('20) earned the start in his final collegiate game. Entering the game, the senior had 597 career saves. Williams finished the day with 12 stops, giving him 609 for his career. He allowed just five goals to the nationally-ranked Rams en route to the victory.
 
Offensively, seven different players recorded goals in the game. The Mids had eight assists on their nine goals for 17 points in the game. Trevor Clark ('20), who was a 2019 All-MAWPC selection, led the team with three goals for a hat trick in his final game. He also added an assist for a team-high four points.