ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 19 Navy water polo team (10-3, 1-1 MAWPC) are set to host three Mid-Atlantic Water Polo games at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis, Md. The Midshipmen open the week against George Washington (5-5, 1-1 MAWPC) on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. The weekend continues as the Mids welcome No. 18 Fordham (8-3, 4-0 MAWPC) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. before concluding the three-game homestand against Bucknell (5-7, 2-1 MAWPC) on Sunday at 12 noon.
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 10-3 overall record on the season with an 1-1 mark in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC). Last week, the Midshipmen went a perfect 4-0 at the Salem Invitational in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mids defeated Mount St. Mary's (W, 16-7) in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game, while also taking down previously undefeated tournament-host Salem (W, 17-14). Navy closed out the final day of competition with a 17-9 win over McKendree and a 14-5 victory over Gannon.
Offensively, the Midshipmen have tallied 166 goals in 13 games (12.8 gpg) with 20 different student-athletes finding the back of the net. Navy is led by freshmen
Sam Collingwood and
Kiefer Black, who have netted 21 goals apiece.
Aiden Day is third on the team with 20 scores, while
Hayden Kahn follows with 17 goals.
Tommy McKnew (15),
Nathan Duchez (14), and
Michael Heller (10) round out the double-digit scoring.
Black leads the way with 30 of Navy's 102 assists so far this season. He is joined by
Ivan Pang and
Rory Begin, who have 13 and 12 helpers, respectively, with double-digit assists.
Defensively, goalkeeper
Caden Capobianco has seen a majority of time between the posts. The senior team captain has appeared in 11 games, notching 98 saves and a 51.0 save percentage.
In addition, Capobianco leads the team with 33 steals. Black is the team's leading position player with 18 steals, while
Holden Seybold,
Luka Sekulic,
Holden Seybold, and Begin follow with 13, 12, and 10 take aways, correspondingly. Kahn (23), McKnew (19), and Black (11) pace the squad in ejections drawn.
Scouting the Opposition
George Washington (5-5, 1-1 MAWPC)
The Revolutionaries enter the week with a .500 record overall and in conference play. GW comes to Annapolis on the heels of a pair of MAWPC games against Bucknell (L, 13-11) and Johns Hopkins (W, 20-14).
Navy and George Washington have met 71 times in the pool against one another in water polo. The Mids hold a 57-14 advantage in the all-time series, however, the Revolutionaries have posted victories over the Midshipmen in three of the last four meetings, including both games a season ago. Both games in 2022 were decided by two goals or less with GW winning the first meeting, 14-12, and taking the second game, 12-11.
No. 18 Fordham (8-3, 4-0 MAWPC)
The Rams enter the weekend with an 8-3 overall record and a 4-0 mark in conference play, extending their Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference winning streak to 22 games. Fordham has won 31 of its last 32 MAWPC games. The back-to-back league champions will take on George Washington on Saturday morning before taking on Navy in the nightcap.
The game will mark the 41st meeting between Navy and Fordham. The Midshipmen own a 28-12 overall record against the Rams, but have won just four of the last 16 games versus Fordham, dating back to 2016. Prior to 2016, Navy was 24-0 against Fordham.
Bucknell (5-7, 2-1 MAWPC)
The Bison enter the weekend two games below .500, but have won their last three contests, including 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). The game against Navy is the only one on the schedule for Bucknell on the weekend.
One of the Mids' longest rivals, Navy and Bucknell will meet in water polo for the 119th time. The Midshipmen hold an 89-29 advantage over the Bison. The two teams are 5-5 against one another 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.
National Rankings
Navy remained ranked in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national rankings, coming in at No. 19 for the second consecutive week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
Last week, the Midshipmen went a perfect 4-0 at the Salem Invitational in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mids defeated Mount St. Mary's (W, 16-7) in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game, while also taking down previously undefeated tournament-host Salem (W, 17-14). Navy closed out the final day of competition with a 17-9 win over McKendree and a 14-5 victory over Gannon.
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 in Week 3 and 4.
Athletes of the Week
The MAWPC announced its weekly awards and Navy water polo swept the honors.
Aiden Day was named Offensive Player of the Week, while
Caden Capobianco was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week.
Kiefer Black completed the sweep earning Rookie of the Week accolades.
The trio helped lead Navy to a 4-0 record at the Salem Invitational over the weekend. The Mids defeated Mount St. Mary's (W, 16-7) in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game, while also taking down previously undefeated tournament-host Salem (W, 17-14). Navy closed out the final day of competition with a 17-9 win over McKendree and a 14-5 victory over Gannon.
Day led the Midshipmen with a team-high nine goals while adding three assists for 12 total points. The freshman notched multiple goals in all four games, including a hat trick. Capobianco finished the weekend with 22 saves with 23 goals allowed for a 48.9 save percentage, while adding 11 steals in just over 11 quarters of play. Black led the Midshipmen with a team-high nine goals and a team-best nine assists for 18 total points. He registered multiple points in all four games.
Up Next
The Midshipmen continue play with three games next weekend. Navy hosts Johns Hopkins in a MAPWC game on Friday night at Scott Natatorium before taking on Connecticut College on Saturday at 12 noon. The Mids close out the weekend in Lewisburg, Pa. as Navy travels to take on Bucknell in a conference game set for 2:00 p.m.
