After a one-month hiatus from competition, the 25th-ranked Navy squash team (13-4) will open the New Year with three-consecutive matches at home this weekend. The Mids open competition on Friday when it plays host to #23 Middlebury (4-0) at 5:00 pm. Navy will then face #18 Williams (2-4) on Saturday at 2:00 pm before closing out the weekend with a 1:00 pm match against #19 Amherst (2-1). All three matches will be contested at the Prager Family Squash Facility located within Halsey Field House.

Admission is free to all Navy squash matches. A reminder to fans planning on attending matches, vehicular access to the Naval Academy is limited to those with a Department of Defense identification card. It is suggested that fans park downtown and walk through the main gate. Please note that a government issued identification card must be carried and presented at the gate.

This Week's Schedule
Friday
5:00 pm - #25 Navy vs. #23 Middlebury // Prager Family Squash Facility, Annapolis, Md.
How to follow: Live scoring and streaming links available on Navy Athletics website (NavySports.com)

Saturday
2:00 pm - #25 Navy vs. #18 Williams // Prager Family Squash Facility, Annapolis, Md.
How to follow: Live scoring and streaming links available on Navy Athletics website (NavySports.com)

Sunday
1:00 pm - #25 Navy vs. #19 Amherst // Prager Family Squash Facility, Annapolis, Md.
How to follow: Live scoring and streaming links available on Navy Athletics website (NavySports.com)

Navy's Projected Lineup
Player (Yr / Hometown / 2022-23 record / career record)
1 -  Matt Wang (So / Malvern, Pa. / 13-2 / 31-12)
2 -  Millen Randell (Sr / Chicago, Ill. / 11-4 / 38-32)
3 -  Henry Sparkman (Jr / Darien, Conn. / 13-2 / 28-12)
4 -  Lucas Spiro (So / Buffalo, N.Y. / 11-4 / 26-16)
5 -  Tommy Rankin (Sr / Atlanta, Ga. / 12-3 / 34-31)
6 -  Alexander Orr (Fr / Haverford, Pa. / 15-1 / 15-1)
7 -  Ben Balser (Sr / Brooklyn, N.Y. / 10-5 / 20-21)
8 -  Shankar Jambunathan (So / Aurora, Ill. / 6-11 / 6-11)
Inj -  Tighe Mullarkey (Fr / Locust Valley, N.Y. / 12-1 / 12-1)

Last Time Out
• The Mids were last in action the weekend of Dec. 2-4 when they dropped road matches to #22 Bates (4-1), #20 Colby (3-3) and #21 Bowdoin (3-2).
• Navy entered that weekend riding an eight-match winning streak and having last lost on Nov. 8 against Virginia.
• Navy was shorthanded in all three losses and will be for the remainder of the season, as Tighe Mullarkey (Fr / Locust Valley, N.Y.) has suffered a season-ending injury.
• Meanwhile, Alexander Orr (Fr / Haverford, Pa.) was the class of the field, as he put together a 3-0 record including Navy's lone win against Colby. He is atop Navy's wins leader board with a 15-1 mark as the Mids' #6 player.

Training Trip
• Navy spent the better part of a week in Ireland during the holidays (Dec. 26-Jan. 2), using the trip to train.
• Navy spent three days each training at Belfast Boat Club and Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club (Dublin) which provided incredible hospitality to the Navy contingent.
• The team could not have been more grateful for the alumni support in their efforts to help create a memorable opportunity.

About the Opponents
• Navy heads into the weekend with winning records against all three teams and long-running series against Williams and Amherst.

• The Mids and Middlebury will meet for just the 13th time with Navy holding an 8-4 advantage.
• The inaugural meeting between the two programs was held Dec. 3, 2011 with the Panthers taking a 5-4 win.
• Navy has won both matches played against Middlebury in Annapolis - 9-0 on Feb. 9, 2018 and 8-1 on Jan. 10, 2020.
• Middlebury has won two in a row against Navy, both hard-fought battles -  5-4 Middlebury at the CSA Team Championship on Feb. 29, 2020 and 6-3 Middlebury on Jan. 16, 2022 in Vermont.
• The Panthers own a 4-0 record to date, picking up victories against Hamilton (8-1), Vassar (9-0), Hobart (6-3) and Wesleyan (9-0).
• Nathan Feinstein (So / Pittsburgh, Pa.) has secured a 3-1 mark as the #1 player on the ladder, while William Lichstein (So / Brooklyn, N.Y.) is also 3-1 as the #2 player.
• Theo Kogan (#4 / Fr / New York, N.Y.) is the only player on the ladder who has won all four of his matches this season.

• Saturday will mark the 60th meeting between Navy and Williams, as the Mids hold a 36-23 advantage.
• The inaugural meeting between the two programs was held Dec. 13, 1952 with the Mids earning a 6-3 victory.
• Saturday's match will mark just the 12th time the two teams have met in Annapolis with Navy holding an 8-3 lead. Thirty-seven of the matches have been played at Williams, while 11 have been played at a neutral site.
• Navy had reeled off four-consecutive wins before Williams snapped the streak with a 7-2 victory in Williamstown, Mass.
• Williams has put together a 2-4 mark to date, earning wins over Hamilton (9-0) and Hobart (6-3), while falling short against Cornell (8-1), Yale (9-0), MIT (6-3) and Columbia (8-1). The Ephs will play at Franklin & Marshall Friday evening prior to their trip to Annapolis on Saturday.
• Asher Leavy (Fr / Bryn Mawr, Pa), the #5 player, sits atop the Ephs' wins leader board with a 4-2 record, while Alex Akbari (Fr / McLean, Va.)has put together a 3-3 mark at #6.

• Navy and Amherst will meet for the 44th time with the Mids controlling the series with a 35-8 lead.
• The inaugural meeting between the two programs was held Dec. 15, 1950 with the Mids earning a 6-3 victory.
• Sunday's match will mark only the second time the two teams have met in Annapolis (9-0 Navy on Jan. 27, 1959). Thirty-one of the matches have been played at Amherst and the remaining 11 have been played at a neutral site.
• The two teams met twice a year ago with Amherst defeating the Mids 6-3 during the regular season, while Navy upset the Mammoths 5-4 in the semifinals of the Summers Cup Division of the College Squash Association Teach Championship
• Amherst stands 2-1 to date, earning wins over Hobart (5-4) and Hamilton (9-0), while dropping a 9-0 decision to Trinity.  The Mammoths will play at Dickinson on Friday and at Franklin & Marshall on Saturday before arriving in Annapolis on Sunday.
• Amherst's top two players - Kedar Nagaraj (Jr / Medina, Wash.) and Adam Lichtmacher (Jr / San Francisco, Calif.) - are 1-2 on the year.

What's Ahead
• The Mids will return to action on Jan. 13 (Friday) when they make the trip to Washington, D.C. to battle #7 Drexel. Squash on Fire will serve as the host venue in a match that is slated to begin at 7:00 pm.

### Go Navy ###