BRIDGEPORT, Pa. – The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) announced its all-conference honorees and three Navy student-athletes were selected. Freshman Kiefer Black and senior team captain Caden Capobianco were named to the first team, while freshman Aiden Day was tabbed second team. Additionally, Black was honored as the league's Rookie of the Year.
 
Black becomes the third Midshipmen in program history – second under head coach Luis Nicolao – to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining Isaac Salinas ('22) and Kyle Wertz ('12) who were named top freshmen in 2018 and 2008, respectively. With the selections of Black and Capobianco to the first team, it marks the first time since 2010 that the Midshipmen have multiple first-team honorees.
 
Black finished the regular season with a team-leading 58 goals with 49 assists for 107 points in 23 games played. His 107 points marked the 14th 100-point season in program history. He became the 12th player in school history with a 100-point season and the first since Salinas finished with 104 points in 2019. The freshman tied Sean Foster ('01) for the eighth-most points in a single season at 107 and enters the postseason one shy of Brian Wineke ('94) who had 108 in 1993. Additionally, Black finished the regular season with 33 steals, 22 ejections drawn, and nine hat tricks, including eight versus conference opponents. During the season, he was named MAWPC Offensive Player of the Week twice (Oct. 3; Oct. 10) and MAWPC Rookie of the Week once (Sept. 27).
 
In addition to being team captain, Capobianco served as Navy's primary goalkeeper throughout the 2023 season. The senior played in 20 games, registering 201 saves and 158 goals allowed for a 56.0 save percentage. He led the team with 49 steals, while adding a pair of assists and an ejection drawn. Capobianco registered 13 double-digit save performances, including eight against MAWPC opponents. Earlier in the season, Capobianco was named to the Cutino Award Watch List – an award that recognizes the best player in men's and women's college water polo.
 
Day finished his first regular season with 37 goals and 12 assists for 49 points in 21 games played. The Oceanside, Calif. native recorded five hat tricks on the year, including four against league foes. Defensively, Day added 11 steals and four ejections drawn. He was selected as the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 27) and Rookie of the Week (Oct. 10) once each.
 
The No. 18 Navy water polo team (19-5, 9-3) is set to compete in the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament this weekend at Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa. The second-seeded Midshipmen open the tournament on Friday, Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m. against seventh-seeded Johns Hopkins (5-17, 1-11). The tournament continues through Sunday, Nov. 19, with the championship game slated for 12:00 p.m.