ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 19 Navy water polo team (12-4, 3-2 MAWPC) is poised for a full weekend as the Midshipmen host a pair of games at Scott Natatorium – Johns Hopkins on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Connecticut College on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 12:00 p.m. – before ending the weekend with a road game at Bucknell on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
 
Additionally, Navy will host its annual Alumni Game on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. prior to the Connecticut College matchup.
 
All three games will be live streamed.
 
For additional in-game action and information on the Mids water polo team, follow the Midshipmen on X (@NavyWaterPolo), Instagram (@NavyWaterPolo), and Facebook (@NavyWaterPolo).
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Mids enter the week with a 12-4 overall record on the season with an 3-2 mark in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC). Last week, the Midshipmen went 2-1 at home defeating George Washington (W, 15-6) and Bucknell (W, 15-10), while dropping a game to No. 18 Fordham (L, 12-9).
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen have tallied 205 goals in 16 games (12.8 gpg) with 20 different student-athletes finding the back of the net. Navy is led by freshmen Kiefer Black, Sam Collingwood and Aiden Day, who have 35, 28, and 27 goals scored respectively. Hayden Kahn follows with 19 goals, while Nathan Duchez (18), Tommy McKnew (16), and Michael Heller (10) round out the double-digit scoring.
 
Black leads the way with 33 of Navy's 120 assists so far this season. He is joined by Rory Begin (14) and Ivan Pang (13) with double-digit helpers.
 
Defensively, goalkeeper Caden Capobianco has seen a majority of time between the posts. The senior team captain has appeared in 14 games, notching 134 saves and a 53.2 save percentage.
 
In addition, Capobianco leads the team with 36 steals. Black is the team's leading position player with 23 steals, while Holden Seybold, Luka Sekulic, and Begin follow with 14, 12, and 12 take aways, correspondingly. Kahn (29), McKnew (28), and Black (14) pace the squad in ejections drawn, while Duchez, Heller, and Billy Zech follow with 10 kickouts drawn each.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Johns Hopkins (1-11, 0-6 MAWPC)
The Blue Jays have started the season off slow, notching just one victory on the year. Johns Hopkins defeated Mercyhurst, 19-8, on Sept. 9 in Salem, W.Va. Hopkins comes to Annapolis winless in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference.
 
Navy and Johns Hopkins have met 71 times in the pool against one another in water polo. The Mids hold a 62-9 advantage in the all-time series. The Midshipmen have won seven consecutive games against the Blue Jays, dating back to 2019, while winning 10 of the last 11 going back to the 2017 season.
 
Connecticut College (1-3)
The Camels come to Annapolis with a 1-3 overall record. Connecticut College hosted the Camel Round-Up defeating Wheaton College (W, 19-15) but falling to MIT (L, 19-6) and Penn State Behrend (L, 11-9). Additionally, the Camels dropped a 23-7 decision on the road against Iona.
 
The game will mark the fourth meeting between Navy and Connecticut College, and the first meeting between the two schools since 2013. The Mids and Camels played each other three straight years in 2011, 2012, and 2013 with the Midshipmen sweeping the three contests.
 
Bucknell (5-8, 2-2 MAWPC)
The Bison enter the weekend three games below .500, after dropping a 15-10 decision to the Midshipmen last Sunday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak by Bucknell that included a win over No. 20 Air Force (W, 13-8) and victories over conference foes George Washington (W, 13-11) and Johns Hopkins (W, 17-16).
 
One of the Mids' longest rivals, Navy and Bucknell will meet in water polo for the 120th time. The Midshipmen hold an 90-29 advantage over the Bison. The Mids hold a slight 6-4 advantage in the last 10 meetings. Navy and Bucknell met three times in 2022 with the Mids claiming the two regular season matchups and the Bison winning in the conference tournament. Sunday's game will mark the second game between the two teams in 2023.
 
National Rankings
The Navy water polo team remained ranked in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national rankings, coming in at No. 19 for the third consecutive week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Last week, the Midshipmen went 2-1. The Mids opened the week with a 15-6 victory over George Washington before being edged by No. 18 Fordham, 12-9. Navy closed out the week with a 15-10 win over Bucknell, who was receiving votes in the national poll.
 
The Midshipmen entered the preseason poll ranked No. 20, but moved up as high as No. 13 following a strong outing in California that included a 10-9 upset of then-No. 9 Long Beach State. The Mids ranked No. 18 in the Week 2 poll before coming in No. 19 the last three weeks.
 
Athlete of the Week
The MAWPC announced its weekly water polo honors and Navy freshman Kiefer Black was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week. Black finished the weekend with 14 goals, including tying a school record with nine scores in one game.
 
The freshman helped No. 19 Navy water polo to a 2-1 record on the week. He finished with 14 goals and three assists for 17 total points, while adding five steals and three ejections drawn. The San Diego native had multiple goals in all three games with two hat tricks to his credit.
 
Black opened the weekend by tying a school record for the most goals in a game (9), which was originally set by Brian Wineke against Slippery Rock in 1993 and tied by Isaac Salinas at Johns Hopkins in 2018, helping Navy to a 15-6 victory over George Washington. He scored three goals in the first, second, and third quarters to tie the school record before sitting out the fourth quarter with the win secured. Additionally, Black added three steals against GW.
 
Against No. 18 Fordham, the attacker scored two goals, while adding a pair of assists and three ejections drawn as the Mids were edged 12-9 against the two-time defending Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference champions.
 
Black finished the weekend with three goals for his second hat trick, while adding an assist and two steals to help Navy defeat Bucknell, 15-10.
 
Up Next
Following the three-game weekend, the Midshipmen will play a single game next weekend as Navy travels to the Bronx, N.Y. for a MAWPC matchup with No. 17 Fordham. The Rams, who are on a bye until they face off against the Midshipmen, are 12-3 on the year, including an 8-0 mark in conference play. The game will be live streamed on Stretch.