ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's rugby team begins its quest for a third-straight Division I-A National Championship appearance on Saturday against Mount St. Mary's (Md.). The match will kick off at 1:00 p.m. at the Prusmack Rugby Center. 
 
The match can be streamed for free on Navy Athletics YouTube and on navysports.com. 
 
"We are extremely excited to get our campaign up and running. By design, we have the toughest collegiate schedule in the country and as a result we will be tested significantly this year," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "With such a big class graduating last year we are very young and will look different this year but we set very high expectations of ourselves and will evolve week to week."
 
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. 
 
Recap of 2023-24 Season 
The Mids compiled a 17-2 overall record with a second-straight national championship appearance. 
 
Navy posted an 11-0 overall record and a 7-0 record in Rugby East play during the fall season. The Midshipmen earned 32 points in the league standings to capture its second-straight Rugby East Conference Championship. 
 
The fall season was highlighted with a pair of victories over service academy rivals Air Force and Army. Navy defeated Air Force, 50-8, in Annapolis, Md., to claim the Lt. Col. Kevin Shea Memorial Rugby Cup for the sixth-straight season. Navy later battled Army in West Point, N.Y., in the inaugural men's rugby Star Match, which is part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The Mids claimed a 23-21 victory thanks to a walk-off penalty kick by Roanin Krieger. 
 
Entering as the top seeded team of the CRAA Division I-A playoffs for the second year in a row, Navy opened the playoffs with a 41-7 victory over Mary Washington in the first round. The Mids then dominated Arkansas State, 57-5, in the quarterfinals. Navy punched its ticket to the national championship game for the second-consecutive season with a 27-17 win against Life in the semifinals. The Mids fell short of winning their second-straight national championship after falling to St. Mary's in the finals, 26-22. 
 
Navy outscored its opponents, 910-245, and posted an average margin of victory of 40.7 points. The Mids averaged 7.1 tries per match, while only surrendering 1.8 tries per contest defensively. 
 
Senior Ben Haugh, sophomore Roanin Krieger and freshman Jake Cornelius all garnered CRAA DI-A First-Team All-America accolades.
 
Meet the Captains: JD Bengston and William Webb
Bengston started 14 matches at the wing position last season. The Tifton, Ga., native scored six tries and 30 points including a try in the first-round playoff match against Mary Washington. 
 
Webb, a native from Lexington, Ky., appeared in 15 matches with 14 in the starting lineup last season. He finished with seven total tries for 35 points. Four of his tries came in the playoffs against Arkansas State (2), Life (1) and in the national championship match against Saint Mary's (1).
 
Key Returners on The Pitch
Navy is returning nine starters from last year's national championship runner-up squad. 
 
Krieger led the team with 238 total points as he tallied 10 tries and 70 conversion kicks. The Placerville, Calif., native garnered College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) First-Team All-America accolades and earned his third-straight First Team All Rugby-East recognition. 
 
Cornelius (Belmont, Mass.) looks to continue to be one of the Mids top scorers heading into his sophomore campaign. The CRAA First-Team All-American finished fourth on the team in scoring with 47 points and second in made conversion kicks with 11 during freshman campaign. 
 
Sophomore Andrew Baublitz led the team in tries scored (13) and second in scoring (65 points). 
 
Austin Taylor scored three total tries for 15 points to garner Rugby East Honorable Mention accolades. Taylor posted a try in Navy's, 57-5, victory over Arkansas State in the CRAA playoff quarterfinals. 
 
Senior Michael Kalalau returns for his final season in the prop position for the Midshipmen. The Hana, Hawaii, native scored his first try of his career in the 55-15 victory over Kutztown last season. 
 
Aiden Gerber was a young contributor on the offensive and defensive side of the ball at the flanker position as he registered two tries last season. The local Crofton, Md., native scored first collegiate try against Indiana to help Navy win the contest, 69-21.
 
Junior Reece Thacker appeared in a career-high 14 matches last season. Standing at 6-4, Reece is the tallest Mid listed on the roster; at the lock position, he is a vital piece to the scrum's power and a primary target in lineouts. 
 
Key Departures 
The Mids lost six starters from last season's team, including a CRAA DI-A First-Team All-American in Haugh who was second on the team in tries (11). 
 
Navy will also be without All-East honorees in Vaughn Schmitz (First Team), Jake Beitia (Second Team), Sean MacLaney (Second team), Jack Aleman (Honorable Mention) and Ben Haugh (Honorable Mention).  
 
Scouting Mount St. Mary's 
The Mountaineers opened their season with a commanding 41-12 victory over Air Force on Aug. 24.