ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Basketball players
Austin Benigni and
Zoe Mesuch along with swimmers
Dean Jones and
Lauren Walsh shared this week's Naval Academy Athletic Association Athlete-of-the-Week accolade. The two basketball teams swept Army to win the annual Star Games that were played at West Point and the swimming and diving teams both won Patriot League titles in Lejeune Hall.
Benigni, who also was named the Patriot League Player of the Week, averaged 26.0 points and 5.0 assists in the team's two wins over Lehigh and Army. He first made a career-high six three-point field goals and scored 25 points as the Mids defeated the Mountain Hawks 72-49 to secure Navy's first outright regular season title since 1997. Benigni then scored 27 points during Navy's 81-63 victory at Army.
Mesuch led the Mids to their first Star win over Army since 2018 with a game-high 14 points. She was particularly effective in the second half as the Mids were coming back versus the Black Knights with 11 points on 5-11 shooting, while never leaving the court. With the addition of her eight-point, three-rebound performance at Lehigh on Wednesday, Mesuch averaged 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 three-pointers per game.
Jones helped the Mids win the league title for the 21st time in their 22 years of competing at the meet. He won the 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly titles and placed fourth in the 100 fly. His winning times of 4:16.73 in the 500 free and 1:41.87 in the 200 fly qualified him for the NCAA Championship. Jones also swam on Navy's winning 400 and 800 free relay teams and the second-place finishing 400 medley relay team.
Walsh won a pair of individual event titles as Navy won the league crown for the 14th year in a row. She placed first in the 200 individual medley (1:58.46) and 100 breaststroke (59.78) finals in times that qualified her for the NCAA Championship. Walsh also finished in second place in the 200 breast and was part of three relay teams that medaled (second place in 200 medley, third place in 400 medley and 400 free).
