ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 20 Navy water polo team (20-9, 10-4 in the MAWPC) posted a pair of Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference victories on Saturday to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Midshipmen opened the day with an 11-7 win over George Washington (15-8, 11-3 in the MAWPC) before posting a 12-7 win over Johns Hopkins (11-21, 3-11 in the MAWPC).
 
Saturday afternoon's game against the Blue Jays served as Senior Day for the Midshipmen. Navy honored its five seniors – Michael Heller, team captain Liam McInerney, Tommy McKnew, Sean O'Boyle, and Henry Williams – for their contribution to the Navy water polo program prior to the game.
 
"It is always good to send the seniors out with a win," head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. "We were able to get all five of them into the pool to start the game and most of them were out there in the closing minutes of the game. Also, we were able to lock up the three seed in the tournament, which was big. We have wrapped up the regular season and now we have to turn our attention to the conference tournament. We are hosting so I am looking forward to our fans showing up and giving us lots of love and support like they have done all season."
 
Offensively, eleven (11) different Mids scored in the two games with eight netting multiple goals. Kiefer Black led the way for the Mids with a team-best five goals with a team-high three assists for eight points on the day. Holden Seybold added three scores and an assist for four points, while Austin Kahn also added four points on two goals and a pair of helpers. Orion Erwin, Jack Clark, Sam Collingwood, Maddox Garrahy, and Billy Zech each scored two goals apiece, while Erwin added an assist for three points. Sean O'Boyle and Henry Williams rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece. Quinn Bartlett and Rory Begin notched two points each with two assists, while Michael Heller and Francis Hendrickson both added helpers.
 
The Midshipmen used a pair of goalies on the day. Ryan Munch worked a majority of game one against George Washington, finishing with 13 saves and a steal, while Hendrickson chipped in 10 stops against Johns Hopkins and one save against GW to finish with 11 on the day. Additionally, Hendrickson added three takeaways and an assist.
 
Up next, Navy is hosting the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship in Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md., on Friday-Sunday, November 22-24. The three-day, 12-game event to determine the league's champion and automatic qualifier for the 2024 NCAA Championship. With their two wins on Sunday, the Midshipmen secured the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
 
For fans attending the MAWPC Championship, ticket prices are $25 for a three-day tournament pass or $10 for a one-day pass. Navy students, faculty and staff with a valid college ID, and senior citizens 65 and older, will be admitted at discounted prices of $10 (tournament pass) and $5 (one-day pass). All children 12 and under are free of charge. All tickets are exclusively available at the door as there will be no presale in advance of the championship.
 
The tournament will be streamed on a pay-per-view basis on CWPATV.com. The cost of viewership is $10 per game, or $25 for the weekend tournament package that includes all the contested games. In addition, fans can access the stream until July following the conclusion of the tournament.
 
Game 1 Recap: #20 Navy 11, #20 George Washington 7
Navy opened the day with an 11-7 victory over No. 20 George Washington. With the win, the Midshipmen secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament.
 
The two teams exchanged goals in the first quarter. Seybold got the scoring started with a score to put the Mids up 1-0. George Washington took advantage of a penalty shot to knot the score, but Black sent a ball cross cage to regain the advantage for Navy. A second penalty shot for the Revolutionaries once again locked the score. GW caught the Mids off guard and were able to send the ball nearly the length of the pool and over the head of the Navy keeper to take a 3-2 lead. Collingwood capitalized on a 2-on-1 break away and buried the ball in the back of the net to tie the game at three through one quarter of play.
 
In the second quarter, defense for both teams stood tall. Navy was able to regain the lead and take a three-goal advantage. Seybold once again started the scoring for the Midshipmen. Midway through the quarter, Williams was able to get behind the defense and put the Midshipmen up two, 5-3. As time was expiring in the period, Black took a mid-pool shot and skipped it past the goalie to give the Mids a 6-3 lead at intermission.
 
The Mids extended their lead to 9-5 in the third quarter. Zech powered his way to a goal in front of the net. George Washington scored to end what was ultimately a 5-0 Navy run going back to the first quarter. Black and Collingwood countered with scores to push the lead to 9-4, but the Revolutionaries ended the period with a score to trim the margin to 9-5.
 
Navy and George Washington matched one another in the fourth quarter. Erwin and Black scored to extend the advantage to 11-5, but GW countered with back-to-back goals to provide the final margin of 11-7.
 
Game 2 Recap: #20 Navy 12, Johns Hopkins 7
Navy concluded Saturday with a 12-7 win over Johns Hopkins for Senior Day. Prior to the game, the Mids recognized their five seniors for their efforts in the pool.
 
Johns Hopkins was the first team to score, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead. Navy countered with back-to-back goals by Kahn and Seybold to tie the game at 2-2 through one quarter.
 
The Mids took their first lead of the game with consecutive scores to start the second quarter. Erwin and Garrahy gave the Midshipmen a 4-2 advantage. Hopkins countered with a goal, but Navy used scores by Black, Clark, and Zech to push the lead to 7-3. The Blue Jays scored on a penalty shot, but Garrahy matched the goal with a score in front of the goal to send the game into halftime with the Mids in front 8-4.
 
In the third quarter, Kahn opened the scoring with his second goal of the game. Johns Hopkins countered but Mai-Prasarnsuk and Clark found the back of the net to send the game into the final quarter of play with Navy in front 11-5.
 
The fourth quarter saw the Blue Jays trim the lead to 11-7, but O'Boyle was able to find the back of the net to provide the final margin of 12-7. O'Boyle was the only senior to score in the Senior Day game and the goal was his first of the season.