ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The 118th season of Navy wrestling kicks off this weekend with a dual meet against 21st-ranked Pittsburgh (0-0) on Saturday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, followed by the annual Navy Classic at Wesley A. Brown Field House on Sunday at 10 a.m.
 
The Navy-Pittsburgh dual will feature free live video coverage on the Navy Athletics YouTube channel with Dave McHugh and Jay Antonelli on the call. The Navy Classic will not have broadcast coverage, but will include free live results on FloArena and navysports.com(.)
 
Notes For Traveling Fans
•    Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
•    Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard.  The simplest way to do this is to park ($10 per vehicle) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  Fan shuttle bus will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
•    Fans also can park downtown and walk through the gate one visitors center (52 King George St., Annapolis, MD, 21402) or gate eight.
•    Whether a visitor rides the shuttle bus or walks through one of the USNA gates, everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license, student I.D., or a government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. 
 
Navy Projected Lineup
125: Nick Treaster -OR- Andrew Binni
133: Brendan Ferretti -OR- Hunter Heflin
141: Nicholas Vafiadis -OR- Caedyn Ricciardi
149: Kaemen Smith -OR- Frank Antonelli
157: Jonathan Ley -OR- Charlie Evans
165: #29 Dylan Elmore -OR- Davis Park
174: #5 Danny Wask -OR- Liam Kilrain
184: Gage Yackee -OR- Daniel Williams
197: #20 Payton Thomas -OR- Zyan Hall
285: #29 Spencer Lanosga -OR- Ben Farabaugh
 
Navy In the Rankings

• Navy is receiving votes in the preseason National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll. Additionally, four Midshipmen enter the season ranked in their weight class in the latest InterMat rankings.
• Dylan Elmore cracks the top 30 as the 28th-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds after he finished his freshman campaign with a 12-4 record.
• Returning All-American Danny Wask is Navy's highest-ranked wrestler at No. 6 at 174 pounds. Wask placed eighth at the NCAA Championship and was the runner-up at the EIWA Championship last season.
• Payton Thomas, ranked 24th at 197 pounds, looks to take the next step after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship as a freshman.
• Freshman Spencer Lanosga will make his collegiate debut as the 29th-ranked wrestler at 285 pounds.

 
Navy Notes

• The Mids will open the season with a dual meet for the third-consecutive year. Navy has split its last two openers, defeating No. 23 Illinois two seasons ago (23-18) and falling to No. 25 Pittsburgh last season (35-3).
• The Midshipmen finished 6-4 last season, including a 4-1 mark to share the Patriot Division regular-season title with Lehigh in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).
• The Mids boasted a 5-1 record in Annapolis last season which was highlighted by a 21-15 upset of No. 21 Lehigh for their first win over the Mountain Hawks since 2021.
• Navy tied Army for third place in the EIWA Championship with 116.5 points at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa. The Mids were led by Josh Koderhandt, who won his second-straight 141-pound title. Seven other Midshipmen also reached the podium, with four placing in the top three: Kaemen Smith (149, third), Jonathan Ley (157, third), Elmore (165, third) and Wask (174, second).
• Navy returns an experienced core, with nine of its 10 EIWA Championship wrestlers returning this season.
• The Mids produced two All-Americans for the first time since 2009, as Koderhandt (141, sixth) and Wask (174, eighth) earned honors at the 2025 NCAA Championship in Philadelphia, Pa.
• Navy finished 21st at the NCAA Championship, its best finish since 2016 (22nd).
• Eight wrestlers enter the season with at least 20-career victories: Brendan Ferretti, Smith, James Latona, Ley, Wask, Daniel Williams, Zyan Hall and Jacob Lucas. Wask leads the group with 48 wins.
• Navy has 10 wrestlers from Pennsylvania, the most of any state, including Smith (Erie), Ben Farabaugh (Media) and Andrew Binni (Canonsburg) who are all in the projected lineup.

 
Kaemen Smith Named Team Captain
Smith was selected as team captain for the 2025-26 season. He enters the year with a 43-41 career record, including a 10-14 mark in duals. Smith earned his first-career podium finish (3rd place) at last season's EIWA Championship.
 
Newcomers

• Navy has 16 newcomers on the 2025-26 roster, including four projected starters for the Pittsburgh dual.
• Andrew Binni was a two-time Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) medalist, placing second as a junior and fourth as a senior.
• Caedyn Ricciardi could make his debut at 141 pounds. The New Jersey native won two state titles at 138 pounds and was a four-time district and regional champion.
• Gage Yackee, a 2024 graduate of St. John's Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio, could debut at 184 pounds.
• Lanosga looks to make a major impact at 285 pounds. The three-time Louisiana state champion and 2022 NHSCA National Champion.

 
Pittsburgh Projected Lineup
125: Tyler Chappell 
133: Evan Tallmadge
141: #32 Briar Priest
149: #17 Kade Brown
157: Vince Bouzakis -OR- Finn Solomon
165: #21 Dylan Evans (ranking at 157)
174: #15 Luca Augustine
184: Chase Kranitz
197: #5 Mac Stout
285: #7 Dayton Pitzer 
 
Scouting Pittsburgh

• The Panthers finished the 2024-25 season with a 10-6 dual record and placed second in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship.
• Pittsburgh went 4-6 against ranked teams, earning wins over No. 18 Lehigh (21-12), No. 24 Maryland (25-12), No. 15 Stanford (24-15) and No. 22 West Virginia (25-17).
• The Panthers have six wrestlers ranked in InterMat's top 33. Leading the way are fifth-ranked and 2025 All-American Mac Stout (197) and seventh-ranked Dayton Pitzer (285) who was one win shy from earning All-America honors.
• Also in the projected lineup are NCAA qualifiers Briar Priest (141, No. 32), Luca Augustine (174, No. 15), Kade Brown (149, No. 17) and Dylan Evans (157, No. 21).
• Keith Gavin enters his ninth season as head coach and owns a 68-46 record.

 
Navy vs. Pittsburgh

• Navy leads the all-time series, 26-14-2, including a 12-11-2 mark in Annapolis.
• The programs have met in each of the past two seasons, splitting the duals. Navy won 21-12 in Annapolis in 2023, while Pitt took last year's opener at home, 35-3.
• The teams first met on Feb. 19, 1916, when Navy defeated Pitt 20-13 in Annapolis.

 
Navy Classic Notes

• Navy will host the 47th annual Navy Classic on Sunday which features a 10-team field: American, Binghamton, Bucknell, Drexel, George Mason, Nebraska, Morgan State, Navy, Pitt and Virginia.
• The Mids have won the team title 20 times, most recently in 2017.
• Nebraska has won the past three Navy Classic crowns and looks to extend its streak to four. Big Ten teams have won the event four-consecutive years, with Michigan State taking the 2021 title.
• Thirteen Midshipmen return from last year's tournament, including six place winners: Ferretti (third), Ley (fourth), Wask (champion), Hall (fifth), Williams (second) and Thomas (third).
• Wask will defend his title and aims to become the sixth Navy wrestler to win three individual championships at the Navy Classic.
• The field includes five EIWA teams (American, Binghamton, Bucknell, Drexel and Morgan State) and two top-25 teams in the latest NWCA coaches poll (No. 2 Nebraska and No. 21 Pittsburgh).

Navy and Nebraska are the only teams in this year's field that have previously won the Navy Classic.