UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Navy men's rugby team (10-0, 6-0) secured its second-straight Rugby East title with a 53-5 victory at Penn State (0-6, 0-6) on Saturday in University Park, Pa. 

The Mids earned five points toward their league standing by winning the match and scoring at least four tries. Navy raised its point total to 28 and can't be passed in the standings with Life playing its final league match today (Nov. 4). 

"We are delighted to win the Rugby East again. With the addition of Life and the fact that winning back-to-back titles is extremely difficult, we are happy with the way we have risen to the challenge this fall," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "The men have been outstanding and deserve huge credit for what we have accomplished. We have one more game this fall and couldn't be more excited to face Army next week."

Roanin Krieger scored the first 10 points for the Mids. He found the try zone in the eighth minute and nailed the conversion kick to put Navy ahead, 7-0. The sophomore added another three points with a penalty kick in the 19th minute to increase the lead to 10-0. 

Tanner Russell scored Navy's second try of the match right as the clock hit the 28th minute. Krieger made the ensuing conversion kick to make the score, 17-0. 

The Mids struck for another two tries in the final four minutes of the first half to take all the momentum into the locker room. Sean MacLaney crossed the try line in the 36th minute and the third conversion kick of the game for Krieger gave Navy a 24-point advantage. Max Smith extended his scoring streak with a try in the 39th minute to put the Mids in front, 29-0, heading into intermission. 

Navy immediately put pressure on Penn State to begin the second half. Multiple penalties against the Nittany Lions resulted in the Mids being awarded their first penalty try of the season. Navy earned seven points from the penalty try to gain a 36-point advantage. 

Freshman Andrew Baublitz provided another score just 1:10 after the penalty try to give the Mids a 41-0 lead. He scored his second try of the contest in the 49th minute to broaden Navy's lead to 46-0. 

Coach Hickie began pulling his starters with the big advantage on the scoreboard. Ryan Raimondi took advantage of the playing time by scoring a try in the 59th minute. Jake Cornelius put his first conversion kick of the match through the uprights following to score to give the Mids a 53-point cushion.   

Penn State avoided a shutout by marching into the try zone in the 79th minute for the final score of the match. 

Navy looks to conclude its fall season undefeated for the second-straight year when it battles Army in the inaugural Star Match. The two service academy rivals go head-to-head next Friday at 6 p.m. at the Anderson Rugby Complex in West Point, N.Y. The Star Match is part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA.

Match Notes
• Krieger led the Mids with 14 points. He increased his career total to 250 points. The sophomore scored his seventh try and is tied with Ben Haugh for the second-most tries scored on the team this fall. Additionally, Krieger's effort raised his scoring total to 100 points in conference games this season. 
• Krieger and MacLaney both scored the 11th try of their careers, which ranks third all-time in Navy's varsity history. MacLaney contributed his fourth try of the season to total five points.  
• Baublitz passed Haugh as the team leader in tries scored this season with his two scores. The freshman has struck for eight tries, which is the fourth-most by a Mid in a single season. Additionally, Baublitz has scored the second-most points (40) for Navy this season.  
• Smith produced a try for the third-consecutive match. His try-scoring streak is tied for the third-longest in team history. He has found the try zone five times in only five appearances.
• Russell has now scored three tries in the last two matches and six total this season. His try against Penn State is his 10th since the Mids were elevated to a varsity program.
• Raimondi continued to be a big contributor off the bench for Navy with his second try of his junior campaign.  
• Cornelius' conversion kick is his 11th of the season. He has scored 32 points in only five appearances this fall. 
• The Mids have scored 50 or more points in three-straight games and eight times this season. 
• Navy held Penn State to a season-low five points. The Nittany Lions scored their fewest points in a 15s match since their, 34-3, loss to Life in the 2019 Division I-A Playoffs. 
• The Mids have allowed five or less points in five of their 10 matches this fall. 
• Navy improved to 3-0 against Penn State as a varsity team. The Mids have outscored the Nittany Lions, 100-15, in the last two matchups. 

Box Score
First Half
8:43 - Try - Navy - Roanin Krieger (5-0)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (7-0)

19:21 - Penalty Kick - Roanin Krieger (10-0)

28:00 - Try - Navy - Tanner Russell (15-0)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (17-0)

36:22 - Try - Navy - Sean MacLaney (22-0)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (24-0)

39:22 - Try - Navy - Max Smith (29-0)

Second Half
42:35 - Penalty Try - Navy (36-0)

43:45 - Try - Navy - Andrew Baublitz (41-0)

49:05 - Try - Navy - Andrew Baublitz (46-0)

57:33 - Try - Navy - Ryan Raimondi (51-0)
Conversion Kick - Jake Cornelius (53-0)

79:14 - Try - Penn State (53-5)