ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #17 Navy water polo (4-4, 1-0 MAWPC) begins a 10-game homestand to close out the month of September with the Navy Open this weekend. The Midshipmen will play six games during the tournament, which runs from Saturday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 14. Navy will host nine teams – Connecticut College (0-0), George Washington (2-7), LIU (0-6), MIT (1-3), Mount St. Mary's (2-5), Penn State Behrend (1-3), #10 Princeton (5-0), Salem (5-2), and Wheaton College (0-0) – in the event.
 
The Mids open the tournament with a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game against Mount St. Mary's at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The tournament continues for the Midshipmen with #10 Princeton at 9:20 a.m. and Wheaton College at 10:40 a.m. before the Mids conclude day two with against MIT at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Midshipmen play a pair of games, starting at 8:00 a.m. against Salem before closing out the weekend of play against Penn State Behrend (9:20 a.m.).
 
Seventeen (17) of the 20 games over the weekend will be played at Lejeune Hall with three contests held at Scott Natatorium. All six of Navy's games will be played at Lejeune with the Mids' matchups against Mount St. Mary's, #10 Princeton, and MIT being streamed on YouTube.
 
Social Media
For more information on Navy water polo, follow the team on Instagram (@NavyWaterPolo), X (@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.
 
Milestone Watch
Kiefer Black began the 2025 season with 296 points on 162 goals and 134 assists. With 13 points at the Triton Invitational, he became the seventh player in program history with 300 or more career points. The junior currently has 318 points on 175 goals and 143 assists.
 
Black enters the weekend in fifth place in program history with 318 points and is 19 points back of Tom Popp ('89) who is fourth with 337. Navy head coach Luis Nicolao ('92) is the program's all-time leader in points with 377.
 
Additionally, the San Diego native is approaching Navy's all-time top 10 in career goals. With 175 goals entering the weekend, he is 11 goals shy of David Kaye ('86) who stands in 10th-place with 186 goals.
 
The junior is the all-time assists leader in Navy history with 143, passing Tom Popp ('89) who had 139 career helpers for the record.
 
Last season, Black registered his second consecutive 100-point season (125 points in 2023; 171 points in 2024), joining Nicolao (118 point in 1990; 114 points in 1991) and Doug Munz (113 points in 1993; 184 points in 1994) as the only players in program history with multiple 100-point seasons. Through eight games, Black has 22 points in 2025.
 
Water Polo Sweeps MAWPC Weekly Awards
The MAWPC announced its weekly awards and Navy's James Mulvey and Ryan Munch swept the honors. Mulvey was named Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, while Munch claimed Defensive Player of the Week distinction. The duo helped lead Navy to a 3-0 record at the Princeton Invitational over the weekend, notching victories over Wagner (W, 13-12), LIU (W, 22-9), and #16 Harvard (W, 13-12).
 
Mulvey led the Midshipmen with a team-high 12 points on a team-best eight goals, while adding four assists and notching a pair of hat tricks. Munch anchored the Navy defense, finishing the weekend with nine saves in two games played with seven steals.
 
National Ranking
The Midshipmen enter the weekend ranked 17th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll, moving up two spots from last week's poll. The Mids began the 2025 season ranked 20th in the preseason poll. Last season, the Mids were ranked or receiving votes each week of the year, starting during the preseason poll. This weekend, Navy will face another ranked foe in #10 Princeton.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Following a 3-0 performance at the Princeton Invitational, Navy enters the weekend 4-4 overall and 1-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference.
 
James Mulvey and Kiefer Black lead the team with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Mulvey has a team-high 14 goals with Black one back with 13 scores. The duo leads the team with nine assists apiece.
 
Orion Erwin is third on the team with 13 points on a balanced seven goals and six assists. Quinn Bartlett and Connor Cashman follow with 11 points apiece. Bartlett has seven goals and four helpers, while Cashman has found the back of the net nine times with a pair of assists. Luka Sekulic and Aiden Berry close out Navy's double-digit point scorers. Sekulic has four goals and six assists for 10 points, while Berry has eight goals and a pair of helpers for his 10 points.
 
Defensively, Navy used three goalkeepers over the first weekend the year. Ryan Munch leads the team with 39 saves, while Jack Rodoni and Jack Hightower follow with 17 and eight stops, respectively.
 
Munch leads the team with 15 steals with Berry and Black next with nine takeaways apiece. Jack Mason (7) and Sekulic (6) follow to close out the Mids' top five in steals. Maddox Garrahy leads the team with 14 ejections drawn with Jack Reif coming in second with 13. Billy Zech adds 11 ejections drawn, while Bartlett and Black follow with seven and six kickouts drawn, correspondingly.
 
Up Next
Following the Navy Open, the Midshipmen continue their homestand as Navy takes on Air Force for the Freedom Vase on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Lejeune Hall. The game will be live streamed on YouTube.