ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 18 Navy water polo team begins the 2024 season at home with the Navy Open this weekend. The Midshipmen will play five games during the tournament, which runs from Saturday, Sept. 7 through Sunday, Sept. 8. Navy will host 10 teams – Biola, Gannon, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, McKendree, Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary's, Occidental, Princeton, and Salem – in the event.
 
The Mids officially open the season with a game against Salem at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday morning. The tournament continues for the Midshipmen with Gannon at 2:15 p.m. before the Mids conclude day one with a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game against Mount St. Mary's at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Midshipmen play a pair of games, starting at 9:15 a.m. against Biola. Navy closes out the opening weekend of play against Occidental.
 
Eight (8) of the 12 games on Saturday will be played at Lejeune Hall with four contests held at Scott Natatorium. Seven of the nine matchups on Sunday will take place at Lejeune. All five of Navy's games will be played at Lejeune with the Mids' matchups against Gannon, Biola, and Oxy being streamed on YouTube.
 
Social Media
For more information on Navy water polo, follow the team on Instagram (@NavyWaterPolo), X / Twitter (@NavyWaterPolo), and Facebook (@NavyWaterPolo).
 
Accessing the USNA
The USNA is closed to all vehicles without a Department of Defense-approved identification card. All other visitors are encouraged to park downtown and walk through the security gates at Gate 1. When walking on, those ages 18 and over must present a photo identification card (driver's license) to gain access and those ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
 
McInerney Named 2024 Water Polo Team Captain
Navy water polo head coach Luis Nicolao announced that senior Liam McInerney will be the team captain for the 2024 campaign. McInerney is a three-time member for the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic Team. The Annapolis native has played in 20 games with four goals and four assists for eight total points, while adding four steals and three ejections drawn.
 
National Ranking
The Midshipmen enter the 2024 campaign ranked 18th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll. Additionally, the Mids start the year in 18th according to the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches as well. Navy closed out the 2023 season ranked in the final CWPA national rankings, coming in at No. 17. The Midshipmen were ranked each week of the year, starting during the preseason poll. Additionally, the Mids were ranked 17th in the final ACWPC poll.
 
2023 Season in Review
The 2023 water polo team finished the season 21-6 overall, including a 9-3 mark in conference play, ultimately finishing at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference runners-up.
 
Navy attacker Kiefer Black and goalkeeper Caden Capobianco ('24) were named honorable mention All-Americans. For Capobianco, it was the second All-American accolade in his career, while Black became the first Navy freshman to be named All-America since Kyle Wertz ('12) earned the first of his two All-American honors in 2008.
 
Additionally, three Navy student-athletes were selected All-Conference – Black (first team), Capobianco (first team), and Aiden Day (second team). Black was also honored as the league's Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Midshipmen in program history – second under head coach Luis Nicolao – to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining Isaac Salinas ('22) and Kyle Wertz ('12) who were named top freshmen in 2018 and 2008, respectively.
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen tallied 372 goals in 27 games (13.8 gpg) with 23 different student-athletes finding the back of the net. Navy was led by Black, Day, and Sam Collingwood, who had 125, 56, and 51 points, respectively. Black led the team with 68 goals and a team-high 57 assists, while Day was second on the squad with 42 goals. Collingwood and Hayden Kahn ('24) follow with 37 and 36 goals, respectively, while Nathan Duchez ('24) rounded out Navy's top five with 22 goals. In addition to Black's 57 assists, Rory Begin, Ivan Pang ('24), Collingwood, Day, and Henry Williams each had double-digit helpers.
 
Defensively, Capobianco saw a majority of time between the posts. The team captain has appeared in 23 games, notching 237 saves and a 55.9 save percentage. Capobianco led the team with 52 steals. Black was the team's leading position player with 33 steals, while Holden Seybold, Jack Hightower, Begin, Collingwood, Luka Sekulic, Day, Duchez, Kahn (12), and Michael Heller followed with double-digit takeaways. Tommy McKnew (44), Kahn (39), and Black (24) paced the squad in ejections drawn.
 
Once again, Navy participated in a daunting schedule, playing eight (of 27) games against teams ranked in the national rankings. The Mids squared off against a pair top 10 opponents, including a 10-9 victory over #9 Long Beach State and a game against #1 Cal who won its third consecutive national champion in 2023.