ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (11-0, 7-0 Rugby East) returns to action this Saturday to open its spring season against 11th-ranked Mount St. Mary's (6-2, 4-2 Rugby East) at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md.

The match is scheduled to kickoff at noon. 

Fans can stream the match for free on the Rugby Network with links provided on NavySports.com(.)

"We have been challenging ourselves to hit the ground running in our first game since November. We are fully aware of the threats posed by Mount St. Mary's and we will have to execute all facets of our game accurately," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We can't wait to get our spring season up and running this Saturday."

Notes For Traveling Fans
• There is no admission charge for rugby matches at Prusmack Rugby Center
• Spectator parking is available in the lots on the north side of the Brigade Sports Complex (64 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402). Overflow parking is available in the open space on the west side of the facility
• Alcohol consumption is prohibited at the Prusmack Rugby Center and surrounding parking areas

A Look Back at the Fall Season
• The Mids won their second-straight Rugby East Conference Championship after finishing the fall season 11-0 overall and 7-0 in the Rugby East
• Navy began the season in Dublin, Ireland for a matchup against Notre Dame. The Mids tallied 12 tries in the contest to defeat the Fighting Irish, 78-0
• Navy returned home the following week for a record-setting game against Delaware. The Mids scored a program-record 117 points in their shutout victory from 19 tries and 11 conversion kicks
• After a 69-21 win over Indiana, Navy opened Rugby East play with a 71-0 victory against Queens
• The Mids took care of Kutztown (55-15) the following week and then played its first true road game against league newcomer, Life. A go-ahead try from Sean MacLaney in the 70th minute lifted Navy to its first win over the Running Eagles by a score of 20-14
• The Mids produced a strong defensive performance in their next match to earn a 15-3 victory against St. Bonaventure
• Navy then kept possession of the Lt. Col. Kevin Shea Memorial Rugby Cup with a 50-8 win over Air Force. The Mids improved to 6-0 against the Falcons under coach Hickie with the victory
• Navy fell behind, 14-0, just seven minutes into its next match against Notre Dame College. The Mids regrouped after the slow start and outscored the Falcons, 50-5, over the final 68 minutes
• Navy secured the Rugby East title the following week with a 53-5 win over Penn State
• The Mids concluded the fall campaign with a dramatic victory in the inaugural Star Match against Army, which is part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. Roanin Krieger nailed a walk-off penalty kick in the 84th minute to propel Navy to a 23-21 win

Navy Team Notes
• Navy outscored its 11 opponents, 601-106, during the fall 
• The Mids averaged 8.09 tries per game
• Navy scored 50 or more points in eight of its 11 wins
• The Mids surrendered just 15 tries despite facing four teams who are currently ranked in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) power rankings (No. 3 Life, No. 12 Army, No. 17 Penn State, No. 19 Air Force). Additionally, Navy faced four programs ranked in the National College Rugby (NCR) coaches' poll (No. 1 Notre Dame College, No. 2 St. Bonaventure, No. 6 Kutztown, No. 8 Queens)
• The Mids held three teams scoreless last fall
• Navy owns a 29-0 record since becoming a varsity program
• The Mids are 4-0 against Army and 2-0 against Air Force in their varsity history
• Saturday's match will be one of four prior to the CRAA Division I-A Playoffs. Navy will also face Western Ontario (3/2) and Penn State (3/23) at home and California (3/16) on the road

Navy Individual Notes
• A league-leading nine mids were named All-Rugby East last fall. Krieger, Tanner Russell and Vaughn Schmitz received First-Team All-Rugby East recognition. Jake Beitia, MacLaney and Max Smith garnered second-team honors. Additionally, Jack Aleman, Ben Haugh and Austin Taylor collected honorable-mention accolades.
• Krieger led the Rugby East in scoring with 113 points against league opponents. He joined Lewis Gray as the only two players to score 100 or more points in conference play in the last two seasons. The sophomore finished in a tie for first in the league in made penalty kicks (nine) and in a tie for second in tries scored (six). He also compiled 28 made conversion kicks, which ranked second
• Krieger totaled 150 points overall in the fall. He needs to score just 17 points during the spring to pass Gray for the most in a single season
• Coach Hickie hopes to have Haugh back for the spring season. Navy's team captain missed the final seven games of the fall due to injury. In his limited action, the senior scored seven tries, which was in a tie for second on the team with Krieger and Russell
• Freshman Andrew Baublitz led the Mids in tries scored with eight. Half of his scores came in his collegiate debut against Delaware. The Glen Burnie, Md., native joined Gray as the second player in team history to record four tries in a match
• Additional freshmen who were big contributors were Jake Cornelius, Avion Ganse and Kade Williams
• Cornelius ended the fall campaign with 32 points in only five appearances from two tries and 11 conversion kicks
• Ganse led the team with 10 appearances and finished with five tries scored
• Williams, who totaled 22 points, was another reliable kicking option. He made seven conversion kicks and a penalty kick in his six games

CRAA Division I-A Power Rankings
• The Mids remained No. 1 in the February CRAA Division I-A Power Rankings (Feb. 16)
• Navy has been ranked first in all three polls this season
• Six of the top-20 teams are members of the Rugby East

1. Navy
2. Lindenwood
3. Life
4. Saint Mary's
5. Central Washington
6. BYU
7. California
8. Arkansas State
9. Arizona
10. Davenport
11. Mount St. Mary's
12. Army
13. UCLA
14. Mary Washington
15. Cal Poly
16. Grand Canyon
17. Penn State
18. Colorado State
19. Air Force
20. Michigan State

Scouting Mount St. Mary's
• The Mountaineers, who are currently ranked 11th in the country, enter the spring with a 6-2 record
• Mount Saint Mary's finished in fourth place in the Rugby East with a 4-2 record
• The Mountaineers defeated Southern Virginia (81-20), Kutztown (16-15), St. Bonaventure (37-17) and Queens (17-14) for their four league wins
• Mount St. Mary's was one of only five teams with a positive point differential (+22) in conference action
• Evan Corbett led the Mountaineers and finished fifth in the league in scoring with 51 points. The sophomore scored two tries, made 13 conversion kicks and five penalty kicks
• Additional scoring threats were Kiahi Horan and Xavier Lock. Both players scored five tries during the fall

Mids and Mountaineers Series History
• Saturday will mark the second time Navy will face Mount St. Mary's
• The two squads battled in Annapolis in the fall of 2022 and the Mids came out on top by a score of 59-12 thanks to a 30-point outing by Gray

Up Next
Navy will welcome Western Ontario to Annapolis next Saturday. The Mids and Mustangs will kickoff at noon at the Prusmack Rugby Center.