Dear Friends of Navy Athletics,
As we persevere and move forward during these uneasy times, we are thankful for your continued loyalty to Navy Athletics and our midshipmen student-athletes. At the Naval Academy, we are committed to cultivating the leaders of tomorrow—leaders who can face uncertainty and challenge with understanding and success. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the way our midshipmen have transitioned to this “new normal” may indeed be the finest example of this leadership in action. As supporters of these fine young men and women, you are, in large part, responsible for their success.
Your investment through Navy Football Season Tickets, membership in the Blue-N*-Gold and donations to The Fund for Athletic Excellence, provide critical funding for our 33 varsity sports programs and is the largest source of support for the Naval Academy Athletic Association. This support has helped fuel many incredible achievements over the years, including the following from the 2019-20 Academic Year:
2019-2020 Athletic Achievements
*Won 63 percent of our contests
*Won the Star series vs. Army 10-6-1
*Was on track to win a seventh-straight Patriot League Presidents Cup
*Baseball was off to its best start in school history (14-1)
*Football won a school record tying 11 games, beat Army, won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, beat Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl
*Men's Golf set a school record in its final round before spring sports were cancelled
*Men's Gymnastics was ranked fifth in the nation when the season was cancelled
*Rifle qualified for the NCAA Championship before it was cancelled
*Men's Soccer won 12 games, tied for the third-most wins in school history
*Men's Swimming & Diving won the Patriot League Championship for the 17th-straight year
*Men's Track & Field won the indoor championship for the seventh time in the last eight years
*Women's Lacrosse was ranked #21 in the country when the season was cancelled
*Women's Soccer won the Patriot League Tournament Championship for the first time since 2007
*Women's Swimming & Diving won the Patriot League Championship for the ninth year in a row.
*Women's Tennis was 17-4 when the season was cancelled
*Women's Track & Field won the Patriot League Indoor Championship for the second-consecutive year
As we close the book on the 2019-20 academic year, I hope you, as I do, remain proud of our many athletic accomplishments on the playing field, court, pool, floor, range, water, course, etc. In addition, please join me in congratulating the Class of 2020, including our 225 first-class midshipmen student-athletes, as they prepare to commission and graduate later this month.
Our next task as a department and as a community is to look forward to the return of our athletic programming. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has raised many questions surrounding the ability to hold NCAA competitions in the fall. I have recently participated in virtual meetings on the conference and national levels discussing the many issues that we will face when we resume play. It is still too soon to make any concrete decisions but rest assured that we will be prepared for all options.
In the interim, as our coaches, staff and Midshipmen have made the transition to the “new normal”, we have found new ways to communicate and stay in touch. With that in mind, I’d like to share this new video below with you as a reminder of all the great accomplishments and memories surrounding the Physical Mission. You can find plenty more engaging content that our social media team has produced in the last two months on the navysports.com ‘Safe at Home’ Page.
We remain hopeful that the Brigade of Midshipmen can return to the Yard in the fall and we can play our home football games as currently scheduled. In the event, that the schedule is not played as a result the pandemic, full ticket and parking refunds will be made. Please contact the Ticket Office at 1-800-US4-NAVY or visit
www.navysports.com/tickets if you have further questions. As a reminder, Blue-N*-Gold contributions will receive a 100% tax deduction minus the cost of goods and will receive a tax letter at the end of the year. We cannot thank you enough for the generous support of Navy Athletics through your membership contributions as it remains vital for the intercollegiate athletics programs at the United States Naval Academy.
We know this is a trying time for many and that under a veil of uncertainty it can be hard to plan ahead. That said, we at Navy remain open for business and rely now, more than ever, on your support and investment. We hope you will feel confident to continue your support in our programs. My objective is not to simply manage an athletic program for the Academy, but to accentuate championship aspirations in everything that we do. We are a Championship Program—our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. Thank you for all you do!
I hope you remain safe and healthy with your family in the upcoming months and I look forward to seeing you at a Navy Athletics contest soon. We are all in this together and always keep in mind, above it all we Expect to Win!
With Appreciation,
Chet
