Naval Academy Athletics

Former Navy standout Mike Mulvey joined the Midshipmen water polo coaching staff as an assistant coach in April of 2019. A member of the USNA Class of 2009, Mulvey earned All-America honors, while also being named the 2008 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Player of the Year.
 
In his first season as an assistant coach, Navy finished the 2019 season 16-13 overall, and 6-6 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference – East Division. It marked the second consecutive season that the Midshipmen finished the season with a winning record. For their efforts during the season, Isaac Salinas and Trevor Clark (’20) were named to the 2019 MAWPC-East Region All-Conference team. Salinas was named to the first team, while Clark was tabbed second team.
 
Navy water polo earned the No. 4 seed in the MAWPC Championship. The Mids opened the tournament with a 16-12 victory over fifth-seeded Wagner to advance to the semifinals. Navy was edged by eventual champion Bucknell, 7-5, in the semifinals, but defeated No. 2 seed Fordham, 9-5, to finish the tournament in third place. Salinas was named First Team All-MAWPC Tournament. Salinas finished the tournament with 10 goals and two assists for 12 total points. He was the only player selected to the first team that did not play in the championship game.
 
The ACWPC announced the 2019 Men’s Water Polo All-America teams and Navy attacker Isaac Salinas was an honorable mention selection. He became the first Mid to earn the accolade since Carl Dowzicky (‘16) was an honorable mention selection as a senior in 2015. In addition, he is also the first Midshipmen All-American under head coach Luis Nicolao.
 
Mulvey worked primarily with the Navy goalkeepers. The Midshipmen used a trio of goalies – Ronan Williams, Brandon Shields, and Max Sandberg. The Navy goalies recorded 309 saves and a save percentage of 46.7. Sandberg recorded a team-best 149 saves, while Williams added 125. Williams led the team with a 49.0 save percentage with Sandberg registering a 45.3 clip.
 
Senior captain Ronan Williams (’20) etched his name into the Navy record book. Entering the final game of his collegiate career against No. 16 Fordham, Williams had 597 career saves. The senior posted 12 stops, giving him 609 for his career, making him just the fourth goalie in program history with 600 or more saves. He allowed just five goals to the nationally-ranked Rams en route to the victory.
 
The Navy water polo team had 10 of its student-athletes named to 2019 ACWPC All-Academic teams. Graham Lindner, Jonas Greer, Kyle Faison, Peter Hillen, Jake Altmayer, and Jamie Cassidy led Navy as members of the Outstanding ranks (3.71-4.00 GPA), while Kenny McKinlay and Jesse Hainze were named to the Superior team (3.41-3.70). Andrew Shashin and Trevor Clark rounded out the Midshipmen on the list on the Excellent team (3.20-3.40). In total, the 10 accolades extend the program's stretch of four or more individuals on ACWPC All-Academic Teams dating back to 2005.
 
Navy once again played a demanding schedule in 2019, playing 16 games against teams that were ranked in or receiving votes for the top-20, including No. 2 Stanford – eventual national champion – and No. 2 UCLA. The Midshipmen posted three victories over ranked opponents in 2019. The Mids defeated No. 16 Fordham, 15-12, in the Bronx before claiming a 14-8 win over No. 17 George Washington at home. Navy closed out the 2019 campaign with a 9-5 victory over No. 16 Fordham at the MAWPC Championship in Lewisburg, Pa.
 
As a player, Mulvey became the third water polo player in school history to win the NAAA Sword for Men, presented to that man of the graduating class who is considered by the Association's Athletic Council to have personally excelled in men's athletics during his years of varsity competition. He joins Luis Nicolao (1992) and Tom Popp (1989) as the only water polo players to win the sword.
 
Mulvey came to the Academy after working as a mathematics teacher and high school water polo coach at Oceanside High School in Oceanside, Calif. He began working as a teacher in 2016, taking the reins of head water polo coach in 2018.
 
Mulvey led a team of teachers, special educators, and teacher aides to teach complex high school mathematics curriculum. The Carlsbad, Calif. native was recognized for innovative teaching methods, culture building processes, and strong relationship building with groups of at-risk teenagers.
 
As a head coach at Oceanside, he led a team of 20 diverse athletes to its first playoff appearance in three years by teaching character, building community, and strong fundamentals. In addition, Mulvey fundraised over $3,000 for equipment and tournaments by energizing families and local businesses around our team.
 
Mulvey got his start in coaching in 2012 as he joined the Carlsbad Water Polo Club as an age group coach. He coached over 200 male and female athletes between the ages of 10 and 18 through six club seasons and National Junior Olympics. In his time with the Carlsbad Water Polo Club, he developed more than 20 players who continued their career at institutions such as University of California, San Jose University and University of California San Diego.
 
After graduating in 2009 with a bachelor of science in computer science, Mulvey was active duty in the United States Navy for seven years. He gained extensive leadership experience preparing hundreds of junior naval officers and sailors for combat operations in the Persian Gulf.
 
In addition, he successfully oversaw a $200,000 budget both as the ship’s Damage Control Assistant and as a lead trainer for Navy ships in the Pacific Ocean. Mulvey was acknowledged through multiple inspections for excellent quality training in Damage Control and later in Search and Rescue.
 
As a four-year starter at Navy, Mulvey led the Midshipmen to a 96-31 record (.756), three-consecutive Eastern Championships and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Mulvey was named an All-American as a junior (honorable mention) and senior (third team). He finished his career with 314 points, 205 goals, and 109 assists. When he finished his career he ranked fifth in school history in points, sixth in career goal, and second – behind Popp – in assists.
 
Mulvey is married to the former Ronda Cicchillo, and the couple lives in Annapolis.