ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The second-ranked Navy men's rugby team (11-1) seeks its second national title in four years on Saturday as the Midshipmen face top-ranked and reigning-champion California (16-0) in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I-A National Championship. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
 
Fans can stream the game for free on the CRAA YouTube channel, with links available at navysports.com.
 
Ticket Information
Tickets are available through the Kuntz Stadium web site or via links at navysports.com.
 
Championship Coverage
Fans can follow the action in Indianapolis on Instagram (@navyrugby) and receive live scoring updates on X (@navymrugby).
 
Navy's Road to Indianapolis
Navy secured the top seed in the East bracket after finishing the regular season with an 8-1 record. Playing on their home pitch for the early rounds, the Mids scored 35 or more points in each playoff games.
 
The Midshipmen opened the postseason by defeating 11th-ranked Mary Washington (40-11) and then rival and sixth-ranked Army (38-10) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Navy overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit to eventually beat a physical Life squad. The Mids erupted for five second-half tries while holding the Running Eagles scoreless to secure a 35-21 comeback victory.
 
Navy's Championship History
Navy is competing in the national title game for the third time in its four seasons as a varsity program. The Midshipmen capped their 2023 inaugural varsity campaign by defeating California 28-22 for the championship. Navy returned to the final in 2024 but fell 26-22 to Saint Mary's.
 
Navy Team Notes

• Roanin Krieger is the only Midshipman to have scored in both of Navy's previous varsity national title appearances. He has 15 championship points: eight against Cal and seven against Saint Mary's.
• Krieger has scored 54 career points against the Golden Bears, including 15 in the loss earlier this season.
• Six other Midshipmen have recorded tries against Cal in their careers: Avion Ganse (3), Andrew Baublitz (2), Max Smith (2), Jake Cornelius (1), Aidan Gerber (1) and Dalton Sand (1).
• Baublitz, the program's all-time leader with 37 tries, leads the team with 10 this season. The junior has been dominant this spring with six tries in four games.
• Krieger leads the roster in points (175), conversions (61) and penalty kicks (11). The program's all-time leading scorer (666), Krieger surpassed the 200-conversion career milestone in last week's win over Life.
• Navy's offense has scored at least 35 points in 10 games this season and eclipsed 50 points five times.
• The Mids have posted a 3-1 record in games played away from Annapolis this year with victories over Penn State (36-7), Army (21-16) and BYU (54-28).
• The Midshipmen have tallied a 2-1 record against top-five CRAA teams (rankings at the time of the game), with wins over fifth-ranked Army and fourth-ranked Life. Their lone loss came at fourth-ranked Cal (52-45).
• Navy has posted a 9-1 record in playoff games played in the Eastern time zone.

 
Navy Service Assignments

• Aidan Bryan – Navy Pilot
• Marek Enters – Surface Warfare Officer
• Ryan Flaherty – Navy Pilot
• Roanin Krieger – Naval Officer
• Dominic Lockwood – Marine Corps
• Max Smith – Marine Corps
• Michael Strehle – Marine Corps
• Austin Taylor – Marine Corps
• Reece Thacker – Naval Officer
• Jonathan Wells – Marine Corps

 
California's Road to the Final
The Golden Bears are chasing their second-consecutive national title after their 16-0 regular season earned them the top seed in the West. California dominated its bracket at home, defeating San Diego (88-5), BYU (96-12) and Saint Mary's (59-19) to advance to Indianapolis.
 
California's Championship History
California has been the nation's premier program for decades as it is making its 36th appearance in a 15s national title game since 1980. The Golden Bears are seeking their 30th national title and their first back-to-back championships since 2016-17. Cal famously won 12-consecutive titles from 1991 to 2002. Last season, the Bears defeated Life 55-38 in the final.
 
California Notes

• The California offense has scored 70 or more points seven times this season, including a 101-0 shutout of Cal Poly.
• Nate Comiskey leads the Bears with 21 tries and ranks second on the team with 105 points.
• Filip Edstrom is the primary kicker, leading the team in conversions (57) and total points (162). Edstrom was the leading scorer in last year's final with 15 points.
• The Bears return five of their seven try-scorers from last year's championship squad, including Masi Koi, who scored twice in that game.
• Koi and Max Threlkeld are tied for second on the team with 10 tries each this season.

 
Navy vs. California Series History

• Navy holds a 3-2 series lead over California since 2022.
• The Golden Bears have won two of the last three meetings, with both victories occurring in Berkeley.
• Navy has narrowly outscored California 157-152 over the five games, an average of 31.4 to 30.4 points per game.
• Navy was the last team to defeat California in 15s competition before this season, as it scored 27-unanswered points to win (27-3) in Annapolis last year.
• This is the second meeting between the programs this season. Navy suffered its only loss of the year in Berkeley in March, falling 52-45.
• Avion Ganse (three tries) and Roanin Krieger (six conversions and one penalty kick) each scored 15 points in the March loss.
• Oliver Newall led Cal in the previous meeting with two tries, while Rand Santos added a try and six conversions.

 
Navy Sports Magazine
Senior Roanin Krieger recently joined Tim Nolan on the Navy Sports Magazine Show to preview the national championship. The full interview is available on the Navy Athletics YouTube channel.