ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team (11-13, 6-7) concludes the regular season this weekend with three Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference games. The Midshipmen open the weekend at home against Bucknell (12-13, 8-4) at 3:00 p.m. at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis, Md. before hosting No. 18 Fordham (20-6, 13-0) at 8:00 p.m. The Mids close out the weekend at Johns Hopkins (10-19, 2-1) at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at the Newton White Athletic Center – Natatorium in Baltimore.
 
Navy's game against Fordham will serve as Senior Day and the Mids' will honor their 11 seniors – Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), Tiernan Brunner (Timonium, Md.), Jamie Cassidy (Greenwich, Conn.), Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Payton Comstock (Clarendon Hills, Ill.), Kyle Faison (Goleta, Calif.), Jonas Greer (Los Angeles, Calif.), Peter Hillen (Orinda, Calif.), Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), John Nelligan (Wayne, Pa.), and Connor Simpson (San Rafael, Calif.) – prior to the game.
 
Media Coverage
Live video will be available for both home games, while the contest against Hopkins is also set to be streamed.
 
In addition, 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).
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Mids enter the weekend with a 11-13 overall record on the season, including a 6-7 mark in conference play. Last week, Navy defeated Johns Hopkins, 15-11, before being edged 12-11 in overtime to No. 19 George Washington.
 
This season, Navy has played 13 games decided by two-goals or less with six overtime games. The Mids are 4-9 in games decided by two goals or less with a 3-3 mark in OT contests.
 
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.), and Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.) lead the Midshipmen. Altmayer paces the offense with a team-high 61 points on 35 goals and a team-best 26 assists. Heller has contributed a team-high 42 goals with 12 helpers to give him 54 total points, while Clark has a balanced 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 total points. Nathan Duchez (San Jose, Calif.) has 24 goals, while Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.) has added 22 scores. Travis Berzins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) have 20 and 18 goals, respectively, while Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) has 17 helpers to his credit.
 
Defensively, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) has seen a majority of time between the posts. The junior has appeared in 21 of 24 games, notching 207 saves and registering a 46.5 save percentage. In addition, Capobianco leads the team with 62 steals. Jack Hightower (San Diego, Calif.) has 30 stops and a 43.5 save percentage with five steals. Altmayer and Berzins lead all position players with 15 steals apiece, while Heller has notched 14 takeaways. Clark and Peter Hillen (Orinda, Calif.) round out Navy's double-digit steals with 11 and 10.
 
McKnew leads the team with 23 ejections drawn, while Kahn is three back with 20. Kyle Yelensky (Stamford, Conn.) is third with 19, while Berzins and Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) round out the top five with 18 and 15 ejections drawn.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Bucknell (12-13, 8-4) – The Bison enter the weekend on dropping five of their last six contests. Four of the five losses came against nationally-ranked opponents with the fifth loss (L, 10-9) coming against the Midshipmen. The lone victory came against Fresno Pacific (W, 22-7) in Santa Clara, Calif.
 
Navy leads the all-time series 88-28. The Midshipmen have won four consecutive games against the Bison. Earlier this season, the Midshipmen edged the Bison 10-9 in overtime on October 16 in Lewisburg.
 
#18 Fordham (20-6, 13-0) – The Rams enter the weekend with a 12-game winning streak and an unblemished Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference record. Fordham will take on No. 19 George Washington at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday before squaring off against Navy.
 
Navy is 28-11 all-time against Fordham. The game marks the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Rams claimed a 14-7 win over the Mids, on Oct. 22 in the Bronx. The two teams met in the MAWPC Championship game last season with the Rams posting a 9-6 victory.
 
Johns Hopkins (10-19, 2-11) – The Blue Jays enter the weekend after dropping a pair of MAWPC games to Navy (L, 15-11) and No. 19 George Washington (L, 23-8). Prior to welcoming the Midshipmen, Hopkins plays at No. 19 George Washington (7:30 p.m.) on Friday before hosting No. 18 Fordham (11:00 a.m.) on Sunday.
 
Navy leads the all-time series 60-9. The Midshipmen have won five consecutive games against the Blue Jays, while claiming nine of the last 11 meetings. The game on Sunday is the final game of the regular season.
 
Up Next
Navy will head to the Bronx, N.Y. for the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament. Fordham, the 2021 champion, is set to host the three-day event. Game times and opponents have yet to be determined.