ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #15 Navy water polo team (10-2, 1-0 MAWPC) is set for a pair of Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference road games as the Midshipmen travel to Mercyhurst (2-13, 0-4) and Bucknell (8-6, 3-1) over the weekend. The Mids open the weekend on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Hallman Aquatic Center in Erie, Pa. against the Lakers at 1:00 p.m. before concluding the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa. against the Bison at 12:00 p.m. Both games will be live streamed.
 
Social Media
For more information on Navy water polo, follow the team on Instagram (@NavyWaterPolo), X (@NavyWaterPolo), and Facebook (@NavyWaterPolo).
 
Milestone Watch
Kiefer Black began the 2026 season with 233 career goals. The senior enters the weekend in third place in program history with 248 in the category behind Doug Munz ('95) who is second with 273 goals. Navy head coach Luis Nicolao ('92) is the program's all-time leader in goals scored with 282.
 
Black is the all-time leader in Navy history in career points with 478, while also sitting atop the Midshipmen annals with 230 assists. After entering the season with 198 assists, the San Diego native finished the Navy Open with eight helpers to become the first player in program history with 200 or more assists.
 
Several additional Midshipmen are also approaching some career milestones.
 
Junior Orion Erwin is three points shy of 100 for his career with 97, while senior team captain Connor Cashman is 10 points away from the 100-point plateau with 90. Senior Billy Zech and junior Austin Kahn enter the weekend with 89 and 81 points, respectively.
 
Senior Luka Sekulic became the most recent Midshipmen to score 100 career goals. Sekulic entered the season with 84 scores and hit the 100-goal plateau during the Mids' trip to Irvine, California. Junior Quinn Bartlett has 98 career goals with 100 career scores on the horizon. Senior Aiden Day has 87 scores heading into the weekend, while Zech is 18 goals shy of his 100th career goal with 82.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Navy water polo team enters the weekend 10-2 overall with a 1-0 mark in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference. Last week, the Midshipmen posted a 3-1 record – defeating Air Force (W, 14-13) for the Freedom Vase; #17 Santa Clara (W, 13-10), #11 Loyola Marymount (W, 19-18 in overtime); while being edged by #8 UC Irvine (L, 10-11).
 
Kiefer Black leads the team with 47 points on 15 goals and a team-best 32 assists. He is followed by Quinn Bartlett who has 36 points on a team-high 28 goals and eight assists. Declan Bartlett has 22 goals with six assists for 28 total points. Luka Sekulic (17g 7a) and James Mulvey (10g 11a) round out the top-5 point scorers with 24 and 21, respectively, with Aiden Day (4g 16a) closing out the 20-point scorers.
 
Aiden Berry and Connor Cashman follow with 17 points apiece. Berry has 17 points on 13 goals and four assists, while Cashman has 17 points on a balanced nine scores and eight helpers. Maximus Arnold (10g 6a), Jack Reif (11g 3a), and Declan Murphy (8g 2a) close out Navy's double-digit point scorers with 16, 14, and 10 points, respectively.
 
Defensively, Navy used three goalkeepers – Ryan Munch, Jack Rodoni, and Oren Penning. Munch leads the team with 78 saves, while Rodoni and Penning follow with 31 and 20 stops, respectively.
 
Munch leads the team with 18 steals with Mulvey following with 11 takeaways. Rodoni (9), Black (8), and Sekulic (7) round out the Mids' top-5 in the category. Austin Kahn adds six with Berry, Saul Biddle and Jack Mason next with five steals each. Q. Bartlett leads the team with 27 ejections drawn with Reif following with 20. Zech (15) and Black (13) are next, while Mulvey and Murphy add 10 each to close out the Midshipmen's double-digits in the category.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Mercyhurst enters the weekend 2-13 overall with a 0-4 mark in the conference. Last weekend, Mercyhurst hosted the Laker Invitational. The home team finished 1-3 overall with an 18-16 victory over Penn State Behrend to highlight the weekend. During the invitational, Mercyhurst fell to conference foes Bucknell (L, 20-9) and Mount St. Mary's (L, 24-8).
 
Bucknell is 8-6 overall and 3-1 heading into the weekend. The Bison ride a five-game winning streak into this weekend's action. Bucknell went 2-0 last weekend in conference action. The Bison blitzed Mercyhurst (W, 20-9) and buried Mount St. Mary's (W, 27-14) in an aquatic doubleheader. The 27 goals scored against the Mount represented the largest amount for Bucknell since tallying 34 in 1994 versus Johns Hopkins.
 
Up Next
Following the games against Mercyhurst and Bucknell, the Midshipmen continue conference play in New York next weekend. Navy will travel to the Bronx to take on Fordham on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3:00 p.m. before concluding the weekend in Staten Island to face Wagner on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 10:00 a.m.