ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team begins the 2022 season with the annual Navy Open this weekend. The Midshipmen will play four games during the tournament, which runs from Saturday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 4. Navy will host 11 teams – Biola, Bucknell, Cal, Cal Lutheran, George Washington, Iona, Johns Hopkins, Mount St. Mary's, Mt. San Antonio, Princeton, and Salem – in the annual event.
 
The Mids officially open the season with a game against Biola at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The tournament continues for the Midshipmen with No. 11 Princeton at 4:45 p.m. On Sunday, the Midshipmen play a pair of games, starting at 9:15 a.m. against Cal Lutheran. Navy takes on defending national champion and top-ranked Cal at 12:15 p.m.
 
Ten (10) of the 12 games on Saturday will be played at Lejeune Hall with a pair of contests held at Scott Natatorium. Seven of the 12 matchups on Sunday will take place at Lejeune. All four of Navy's games will be played at Lejeune.
 
Media Coverage
All games Navy games will be live streamed on Stretch Internet.
 
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 the team 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.
 
Altmayer, Clark Named 2022 Water Polo Team Captains
Navy water polo head coach Luis Nicolao announced that seniors Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.) and Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.) will be team captains for the 2022 campaign.
 
Altmayer is a three-year starter for the Midshipmen who has played 61 games. He is a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference East-Region All-Conference selection, while also earning Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic recognition for three seasons. Last season, the utility player tallied 52 points on 23 goals with 29 assists, 15 ejections drawn and six steals. For his career, Altmayer has 130 total points on 54 goals and 76 assists.
 
Clark has played 62 games in his career. He was selected as a Dr. Karel Montor Leadership Award recipient for his consistent excellence in the Leadership, Ethics and Law curriculum, specifically his performance in a Naval Ethics in Leadership. The attacker finished last season with 39 points on 17 goals and 22 assists with 11 ejections drawn and seven steals in 27 games played. For his career, Clark has 92 total points on 42 goals and 50 assists.
 
Season in Review
The 2021 water polo team finished the season 16-13 overall, including a 9-3 mark in conference play. Navy hosted the 2021 MAWPC Tournament at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md. The Mids entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, advancing to the championship game for the first time since 2011 with victories over (7) Gannon (W, 20-13) and (3) George Washington (W, 11-7). The Mids dropped a 9-6 decision to the top-seeded and nationally-ranked Fordham in the championship game. The second-place finish was the best for the Midshipmen since coming in as runner up in three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011.
 
Navy placed two – Isaac Salinas ('22) and Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) – on the 2021 ACWPC Men's Division I All-America teams as honorable mention selections. Capobianco became the first Navy goalie to claim the distinction since Brett Rajchel ('10) in 2009.
 
The pair of Salinas and Capobianco were also named to the MAWPC Championship All-Tournament Team. Salinas was selected to the first team, while Capobianco earned second-team honors.
 
Offensively in 2021, the Mids were led by Salinas, Altmayer, Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.), Jack Weggeland ('22), and Clark. Salinas led all Midshipmen with 80 total points, including a team-best 61 goals. Altmayer led the team with 29 assists and chipped in 23 goals for 52 total points. Weggeland was third on the team with 42 points on 24 goals and 18 assists. Kahn (37g 3a) and Clark (17g 22a) rounded out Navy's top-five scorers with 40 and 39 points, respectively.
 
Defensively, Capobianco and Max Sandberg ('22) saw a majority of the action at goal. Capobianco led the team with 242 saves in 24 games played, while registering a team-high 71 steals. Sandberg played in 13 games with 79 stops and 13 steals.
 
Navy water polo spent 14 of the 15 weeks of the 2021 season ranked or receiving votes in the CWPA national rankings. Navy was ranked #19 in the preseason poll, while ranking #20 during week three and week seven of competition. The Mids ranked #19 during the final regular season week of the season (week 10) before moving back to #20 entering the conference tournament (week 11). The Midshipmen finished the year receiving votes in the final CWPA poll.
 
Once again, the Midshipmen participated in a daunting schedule, playing 15 (of 29) games against teams ranked (10 games) or receiving votes (5) in the CWPA national rankings. The Mids squared off against six top 10 opponents with three top five matchups, including hosting the eventual national champion, Cal.
 
In the classroom, Peter Hillen (Orinda, Calif.) was named a Third-Team Academic-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in the at-large category. Hillen, who was the only water polo player in the country represented on the list of 2021-22 Academic All-Americans, became the fifth different (sixth total) Navy water polo player to garner the award and the first since Jackson Hummeldorf was named to the first team in 2012-13.
 
Additionally, Navy had 12 student-athletes named to 2021 ACWPC All-Academic teams. Altmayer, Capobianco, Jamie Cassidy (Greenwich, Conn.), Kyle Faison (Goleta, Calif.), Jonas Greer (Los Angeles, Calif.), Hillen, Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), Kenny McKinlay ('22), and Sean O'Boyle (Steilacoom, Wash.) led Navy as members of the Outstanding ranks (3.71-4.00 GPA), while Liam McInerney (Annapolis, Md.) was named to the Superior team (3.41-3.70). Jordan Corpuz ('24) and Connor Simpson (San Rafael, Calif.) rounded out the Midshipmen on the list on the Excellent team (3.20-3.40). In addition, Navy was recognized for achieving a 3.08 collective GPA.