Navy Sports

GreatAmerican · March 16, 2007, 10:12am

Navy sends six wrestlers to day two of NCAA Championship

For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

All Six Navy Wrestlers Move on at NCAA Championship

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — All six of Navy’s wrestlers will be back in action on Friday at the 77th NCAA Wrestling Championship at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan, but all six are fighting to stay in the tournament via the consolation bracket. Four of the Mids’ six wrestlers won their opening-round matches, but all six lost in the second round, as they will now join senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) and junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) in the consolation bracket.

“We had a pretty good first round,” said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. “Every time you step out onto that mat, you have to be ready to wrestle your best. I thought we got off to a slow start in some of our matches which makes it difficult to come back from.

“We had some tough draws, Baker faced last year’s No. 1-seeded wrestler Mack Reiter, Jarred went against the No. 4 seed and Miranda was up against the top guy in his weight class. We competed hard and we still have everyone in the tournament which I’m really proud of.

“Our guys are representing the Naval Academy well here in Michigan and we are excited about what tomorrow holds.”

Cox and Stolpinski kept their All-America hopes alive Thursday evening, as both wrestlers turned in wins in the first round of consolations. At 149 pounds, Cox dominated Oregon State’s Derek Kipperberg from start to finish as he built an 8-1 lead after the opening period. After a pair of takedowns and an escape, Cox pushed his lead to 13-5 after two periods and went on to claim the match, 16-5.

Stolpinski earned an early 2-0 lead over 174-pound Doug Umbehauer of Rider, but it was trimmed to one point by the end of the first period. Umbehauer knotted the score with an escape to open the second period, but Stolpinski took the lead for good on an ensuing takedown. With a 9-4 win, Stolpinski took a step closer to becoming only the third wrestler in program history to record 40 wins in a season. He currently stands 39-6.

In the championship bracket, 133-pound Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) faced seventh-seeded Mack Reiter, a 2006 All-American who finished fourth in last year’s NCAA Championship. Baker fell behind 4-1 at the end of the first period, but got right back in the match with a takedown to open the second. Reiter escaped and followed with an immediate takedown to grab the lead for good and score the eventual 12-5 victory.

The biggest heartbreak of the evening for the Mids was a 1-0 decision suffered by team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) at 157 pounds. He and fourth-seeded C.P. Schlatter from Minnesota battled for a scoreless three periods before Schlatter was awarded a point for riding time.

Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) won his opening match of the tournament by fall at 184 pounds, but he wouldn’t be as lucky in his second-round match against No. 1-ranked Jake Herbert from Northwestern. Herbert, who had defeated Miranda earlier in the season by major decision, nearly duplicated the score, as he cruised to a second-round win over Miranda, 16-6.

Sixth-seeded Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) fell out of the championship bracket after dropping an 8-3 decision to West Virginia’s Dustin Rogers. Prendergast pinned Rogers in the semifinals of the Navy Classic in November, but Prendergast would ultimately pay the price on Thursday evening as an injury proved to be the difference in the match.

Minnesota, which has seven wrestlers still in the championship bracket, leads the field with 34 points. Missouri is second with 29.5 points and three wrestlers in the championship bracket, while Iowa State is in third place with 27.5 points. Penn State is fourth with 24 points and three wrestlers in the winners’ bracket. Iowa is fifth with 20 points and three wrestlers still alive in the championship pairings. Six Navy grapplers will work their way through the consolation bracket in Friday’s session. Quarterfinal bouts start at 11:00 am on Friday.

GreatAmerican · March 16, 2007, 2:37pm

For Immediate Release
Friday, March 16, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Mids Picked Second in Preseason Poll, Open Outdoor Season on Saturday

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men’s outdoor track & field team has been picked to repeat its second-place finish at the league championship in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, it was released on Thursday afternoon. The Midshipmen will open their 2007 outdoor slate with the Point Loma Invitational in San Diego on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST.

Navy picked up three first-place votes and 87 points to land only behind 15-time defending league champion Army. Bucknell placed third with 70 points, followed by American, Lafayette, Lehigh, Colgate and Holy Cross.

The Midshipmen finished second at the 2006 outdoor league championship and return five all-league performers from that meet this year. Paul Harris (Woodbury, Minn.) claimed first-team all-league recognition in the 800-meter run, while Michael Niemi (Duluth, Minn.) and Stephen White (Marietta, Ga.) each earned first-team all-league status in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and high jump, respectively. John Olsen (Staten Island, N.Y.) made it to the Second-Team All-Patriot League in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Dante Marshall (Hermitage, Pa.) earned second-team all-league accolades in the triple jump.

The Mids are fresh off a 41st-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in Arkansas last weekend, as Harris earned All-American honors in the 800-meter run. Navy finished the indoor slate with a 6-1 record, highlighted by a N-Star win at Army. The Midshipmen placed second at the Patriot League Championship, hosted by Army, and went on to finish 41st at the IC4A Championship in Boston.

Navy will make its 12th-straight appearance at the Point Loma Invitational to open its outdoor schedule. The Midshipmen have come away victorious in each of the nine meets that were scored. Last season, Navy registered eight first-place marks during the non-scoring meet.

Following this weekend’s action on the West Coast, the Midshipmen return home to host American and Maryland at Ingram Field in Annapolis on Saturday, March 24.

GreatAmerican · March 16, 2007, 2:38pm

For Immediate Release
Friday, March 16, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Tabbed Second in League Preseason Poll

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Navy women’s outdoor track & field team has been tabbed to finish second at this year’s league championship, according to the Patriot League Preseason Poll released on Thursday afternoon.

Navy tallied two first-place ballots and 85 points to rank behind preseason favorite Bucknell, who has won each of the last-three league championships. Army and Lafayette tied for third, followed by Lehigh, Holy Cross, Colgate and American.

The Midshipmen finished second at the 2006 Patriot League Outdoor Championship and welcome back four all-league members this season. Last year’s most outstanding field performer of the meet Danielle Still (Lawnside, N.J.) returns after setting Patriot League Championship records in the javelin throw and the heptathlon. Kirsten Andrews (New Holland, Pa.) earned first-team honors in the 100-meter hurdles and second-team all-league accolades in the long jump. Jacquelyn Charnigo (Medina, Ohio) made it to the second team in both the high jump and pole vault. Justine Whipple (Duxbury, Mass.) rounds out Navy’s returning all-league members, as she brought home First-Team All-Patriot League recognition in the 10,000-meter run last spring.

Navy is coming off its second-consecutive undefeated indoor season, finishing the year with a 7-0 mark and a dominating, 107-73, win at Army to capture the N-Star. The Mids concluded their indoor campaign at the ECAC Championship earlier in the month, as four members competed in the meet. Andrews saw action in three different events (pole vault, long jump, 60-meter hurdles), while Loni Forsythe (Chattanooga, Tenn.) set a school record in the 200-meter dash.

The Midshipmen will open their 2007 outdoor slate by hosting a six-team meet at Ingram Field in Annapolis on Saturday, March 24.

GreatAmerican · March 16, 2007, 2:43pm

For Immediate Release
Friday, March 16, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Heads to Temple for Regular Season Finale

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy gymnastics team will round out its 2007 regular season with a dual meet at Temple on Saturday at 2 p.m. in McGonigle Hall. The Midshipmen will enter Saturday’s action with a 9-9 mark, while the Owls sport a 13-3 record.

The two teams have met each other on one prior occasion this season at the West Point Open on Jan. 26, as Temple scored 199.5 points to finish ahead of Navy’s 190.25 points.

Saturday’s meet will feature four all-around gymnasts ranked among the top 20 in the nation. Navy junior Christopher Tam (Draper, Utah) ranks 18th in the country with a placing score of 49.567 points. He has scored 48.0 points or more during five of his seven meets on the year, posting an 8.0 in each of the six disciplines during the same meet twice. Temple’s Sterling Kramer (ninth, 51.0 points), John Vogtman (12th, 50.7 points) and Luke Vexler (14th, 50.467 points) represent the home contingent ranking in the top 20.

Tam’s best event this year has proven to be the high bar, where he ranks 23rd in the country with a 9.067 scoring average. The Navy junior has scored higher than a 9.0 in two of the last-three meets, recording a season-best 9.2 at the All-Academy Championship last month. Two weeks ago, he registered a 9.1 on the high bar to place third against Penn State and William & Mary. With Tam guiding the way, Navy enters the weekend with a higher team scoring average on the high bar (33.6 points) than Temple (33.083 points).

The parallel bars looks to be an event that will be closely contested, as Temple owns a slight advantage in its team scoring average over Navy (33.6 points vs. 33.117 points). Sophomore Joseph Atzenbeck (Broomfield, Colo.) has scored above an 8.0 in all four tries at the event this season to lead the way for the Midshipmen. For Temple, Kramer and Vogtman each own a ranking score within 0.25-point of Atzenbeck. The Navy sophomore also leads the Mids in scoring on the pommel horse with an average score of 8.35. Two weeks ago, Atzenbeck registered a season-best score of 8.4 on the apparatus to finish third.

Navy junior Brandon Cook (Longmont, Colo.) tops the squad in disciplines heading into Saturday’s dual meet. Cook owns an average score of 9.0 in the floor exercise to rank 45th nationally, following his 9.1-point performance two weeks ago at William & Mary. Cook also heads the group on the vault with an 8.367-point ranking score and has earned higher than an 8.0 in all six of his competitions.

Classmate Rich Mehlmann (Bristol, R.I.) rounds out the events with an 8.617 average tally on the still rings this season. Tam is on the heels of Mehlmann with an 8.533 ranking average, while senior team captain Sean Blackman (Fayetteville, Ga.) is working his way back on the rings following an injury that sidelined him for much of the first half of the year.

Following this weekend’s regular season finale, the Midshipmen will head down to Williamsburg, Va., to take part in the USAG Collegiate Championship. At last year’s championship in Ithaca, N.Y., Navy finished second out of five teams.

GreatAmerican · March 16, 2007, 4:56pm

For Immediate Release
Friday, March 16, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy-Duquesne Saturday Doubleheader Postponed

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy’s baseball doubleheader against Duquesne scheduled for Saturday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium has been postponed due to freezing temperatures and strong winds forecast for the day. Sunday’s scheduled nine-inning contest has been changed to a doubleheader, starting at 12 noon.

The Midshipmen enter the weekend with a 14-6 record following a 9-7 win over Buffalo on Thursday in Annapolis. Sunday’s doubleheader with the Dukes will cap off Navy’s eight-game homestand over the last-nine days.

Live stats will be available for Sunday’s doubleheader via GameTracker on <a href="http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D">www.navysports.com</a> (.)

GreatAmerican · March 17, 2007, 5:13am

Navy sends one to consolation semifinals

For Immediate Release
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Navy's Matt Stolpinski Earns All-America Status, Advances to Consolation Semis

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Winning a combined four matches on Friday in the consolation bracket, Navy junior 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) is assured of at least a sixth-place finish and will battle Saturday to finish as high as third at the 77th NCAA Wrestling Championship held at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan.

With three wrestlers on tap for championship bouts Saturday, Iowa State has taken over the top spot in the standings with 83.5 points. Minnesota trails by just 3.5 points with one wrestler in the finals and four in the consolation bracket. Missouri (69.5), Oklahoma State (62.5) and Northwestern (62.0) round out the top five. Navy, meanwhile, is tied with Illinois for 22nd with 26.5 points. The Midshipmen have not turned in a top-30 finish at the NCAA Championship since the 2001 campaign when Navy placed 30th under the direction of then first-year head coach Bruce Burnett.

The lone Navy wrestler left in the competition, Stolpinski will be back in action Saturday at 10:00 am where he will face unseeded Brandon Mason from Oklahoma State. ESPNU will provide live covereage of the consolation semifinals, as well as the third through seventh-place medal round matches.

By making it to the medal round, Stolpinski becomes the first Navy wrestler to garner All-America recognition since Frank Edwards placed seventh at 165 pounds at the 2003 NCAA Championship.

Stolpinski opened the day with a 4-0 victory over Cornell's Joey Hooker. Controlling from the opening whistle, Stolpinski scored an early takedown in the first and rode out the period. Starting in the down position to open the second period, he added an escape to push his lead to 3-0. In the third, Hooker chose down and Stolpinski again rode out the period to pick up the extra point for riding time.

In his second match of the day, Stolpinski faced sixth-seeded Kenneth Cook of UC Davis, his second-consecutive opponent he had not faced this season. After a scoreless opening period, Stolpinski starts the second stanza down and produces the match's first point with an escape. He took a 3-0 lead after diving in for a single-leg takedown to end the period. Cook escaped to start the final period, narrowing the lead to 3-1, however Stolpinski pulled Cook in for a takedown. After an injury timeout for Cook, he escaped Stolpinski's grasp and trailed 5-2. Stolpinski sealed the win by spinning around Cook and taking him down for a 7-2 decision.

Following a two-hour break between sessions, Stolpinski was back on the mat, this time facing a familiar foe in EIWA member Rudy Rueda of American. Stolpinski defeated the AU wrestler, 4-2, in the Mids' dual match in early December. The match was scoreless until the second period when Stolpinski began in the down position but was able to convert the reversal for a 2-0 advantage. Rueda escaped to narrow the lead to 2-1. Rueda shot at Stolpinski, but the All-American was able to fend him off as time ran out in the second period. Rueda knotted the score at two apiece as he got out from under Stolpinski to start the third. Stolpinski scored the go-ahead takedown with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to earn the 4-2 victory.

In a rematch of the EIWA 175-pound championship bout, Stolpinski met ninth-seeded Matt Palmer from Columbia. Stolpinski pinned Palmer at the Nittany Lion Open, but needed extra minutes to claim his first-collegiate EIWA title two weeks ago at East Stroudsburg.

In Friday's match, Palmer took the early lead with a takedown midway through the first period. Stolpinski got out and immediately shot at Palmer and got the takedown to take a 3-1 lead. Palmer, though, escaped and at the end of the opening period to even the score. Stolpinski took down Palmer quickly in the second period to go up 5-3 and pushed his lead to 8-3 after getting a three-point near fall. Following an injury timeout by Palmer, he reversed the hold and nearly got Stolpinski caught with his back to the mat. Down 8-5, Palmer began the third period down where he was awarded a reversal to cut the lead to one. Palmer gave up the escape to Stolpinski who scored a last second takedown to earn the 11-8 win and advance to the consolation semifinals.

Stolpinski became only the third wrestler in program history to produce 40 wins in a season when he cruised past Hooker in his opening match Friday morning. Stolpinski is tied with former teammate Tanner Garrett (2005-06) for second on the Navy single-season wins list with 43, just one shy of the record held by two-time All-American Mark Conley who won 44 matches in 2001-02.

"It's not the path I would have liked to have taken, but I can't let that get in my way," said Stolpinski following his match against Palmer. "I had a good day today and I'm really excited, but it's not overwith. I have two matches to take care of tomorrow and I'm looking forward to them."

Sophomore 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) won his morning match against Central Michigan's Connor Beebe, 5-1, before dropping a heart-breaker to Andrae Hernandez of Indiana.

Heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) put up a valiant effort after suffering a knee injury Thursday evening. Prendergast turned in his 17th fall of the season, pinning Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt at 6:32. Prendergast ended his season with a 6-2 loss to UT-Chattanooga's Matt Koz who built a 4-0 lead at the end of the first period. The Navy junior finishes his season ranked third on the program's season pins list, while he is tied for 11th on the career pins list with 23.

Seniors John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.), John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) and Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) ended their careers with morning losses. Jarred dropped an 8-2 decision to UT-Chattanooga's Jacob Yost, while Cox fell to eighth-seeded Aaron Martin of UT-Chattanooga. Miranda dropped out after a 6-3 decision to Oklahoma State's Jack Jensen.

"It's been a long road for Matt, but he did a really good job today," said Burnett, now in his seventh season at the helm of the Navy program. "I'm disappointed for the seniors, but I'm so proud of John (Jarred), John (Cox) and Antonio (Miranda). They have had great careers and represented themselves and the Naval Academy very well."

Navy Wrestlers at the 77th NCAA Wrestling Championship
March 15-17, 2007 ? The Palace of Auburn Hills ? Auburn Hills, Mich.

133 Pounds - Joe Baker (2-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 21-9; Career: 33-15)
Joe Baker (Navy) dec. #10 Evan Sola (North Carolina), 5-1

<h1>7 Mack Reiter (Minnesota) dec. Joe Baker (Navy), 12-5</h1>

Joe Baker (Navy) dec. Conor Beebe (Central Michigan), 4-3
Andrae Hernandez (Indiana) dec. Joe Baker (Navy), 7-5

149 Pounds - John Cox (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 29-9; Career: 112-38)

<h1>10 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) major dec. John Cox (Navy), 10-2</h1>

John Cox (Navy) WBF Derek Kipperberg (Oregon State), 5:31

<h1>8 Aaron Martin (UT-Chattanooga) dec. John Cox (Navy), 8-1</h1>

157 Pounds - John Jarred (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 32-12; Career: 77-31)
John Jarred (Navy) major dec. Victer Crenshaw (Cleveland State), 8-0

<h1>4 C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 1-0</h1>

Jacob Yost (UT-Chattanooga) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 8-2

174 Pounds - Matt Stolpinski (5-1 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 43-6; Career: 98-34)
Nick Hayes (Northwestern) dec. #8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 6-5 TB1

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Doug Umbehauer (Rider), 9-4</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Joey Hooker (Cornell), 4-0</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #6 Kenneth Cook (UC Davis), 7-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Rudy Rueda (American), 4-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #9 Matt Palmer (Columbia), 11-8</h1>

184 Pounds - Antonio Miranda (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 33-11; Career: 67-31)
Antonio Miranda(Navy) WBF Jared Ricotta (Duquesne), 3:20

<h1>1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern) major dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 16-6</h1>

Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State) dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 6-3

Heavyweight - Ed Prendergast (2-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 37-7; Career: 67-24)

<h1>6 Ed Prendergast (Navy) WBF David Zabriskie (Iowa State), 1:20</h1>

Dustin Rogers (West Virginia) dec. #6 Ed Prendergast, 8-3

<h1>6 Ed Prendergast (Navy) WBF Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 6:32</h1>

Matt Koz (UT-Chattanooga) dec. #6 Ed Prendergast (Navy), 6-2

GreatAmerican · March 17, 2007, 5:34pm

For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Stolpinski Finishes Fourth at NCAA Championship

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Navy junior 174-pound wrestler Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) registered a fourth-place finish at the 77th NCAA Wrestling Championship held at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan on Saturday. Stolpinski pinned Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State in his first match before dropping a 3-2 decision to Iowa?s Eric Luedke in the third-place bout.

With his pin during his first match of the day, Stolpinski pushed Navy?s team score to 32 points, which ranks 16th out of 74 teams heading into the championship matches at 8 p.m. this evening. The Midshipmen can finish no lower than 19th place following the evening?s action, which is the best finish under Navy head coach Bruce Burnett?s seven-year tenure and the highest placing for the Mids since a 13th-place performance at the 1990 NCAA Championship.

"I am really proud of Matt and the rest of the guys who competed," stated Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "It was a team effort that allowed to finish as high as we did. Everybody contributed with team points. We certainly have a lot to build on for next year."

Stolpinski met Mason in his first bout on Saturday for the right to compete in the third-place match. The Navy junior looked to avenge a loss to Mason earlier this season in the consolation bracket at the Lone Star Duals, as Mason came away with a 4-2 decision victory.

Mason opened the match low and picked up two minutes of riding time over Stolpinski during the opening period of play. The action started off the mat in the second period and Stolpinski wasted little time to bounce back from the first-three minutes, recording a toes-on-the-line takedown 15 seconds into the second stanza. The Navy junior let Mason go after the optional restart before Stolpinski made his final move of the match. Stolpinski grabbed Mason by legs and pushed them over his head to stick him vertically and get the pin while working on a takedown 4:55 into the match.

With the victory, he advanced to meet Luedke for the first time in his career in the consolation bracket final. The third-place bout opened with very little action, as each wrestler?s shot attempt ended up out of bounds. Luedke scored his first point with an escape and posted a two-point takedown of Stolpinski before the Navy junior recorded an escape and nearly registered a reversal before the match came to an end.

"Matt had a really good tournament," said Burnett. "He was one of only two wrestlers that lost his opening round match and came through the wrestlebacks to compete on Saturday. They had him seeded eighth coming in, and he doubled everybody else?s expectations. He took the long road back, but made it happen.
"He has put himself in a great position to build on for his senior year. Truly, this is one sport where you get back the effort that you put in. His hard work all year has paid off for him."

Stolpinski concluded his efforts at the NCAA Championship with a 6-2 record and earned All-America status yesterday by winning each of his four matches in the consolation bracket to advance to Saturday?s action. He is Navy?s 41st All-American in program history and the first since Frank Edwards earned the honors at the 165-pound weight class during the 2001-02 season. His fourth-place finish is the highest by a Navy wrestler at the NCAA Championship since Scott Schleicher place second at 158 pounds during the 1990 national championship.

The product of Westfield, Mass., finished his junior campaign with a 44-7 record and a EIWA title. His 44 wins this season tied the program record held by two-time All-American Mark Conley in 2001-02, and Stolpinski?s 51 matches wrestled broke Conley?s program-record of 49 bouts competed in 2001-02.

174 Pounds - Matt Stolpinski (6-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 44-7; Career: 99-35)
Nick Hayes (Northwestern) dec. #8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 6-5 TB1

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Doug Umbehauer (Rider), 9-4</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Joey Hooker (Cornell), 4-0</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #6 Kenneth Cook (UC Davis), 7-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Rudy Rueda (American), 4-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #9 Matt Palmer (Columbia), 11-8</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) fall Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State), 4:55</h1>

<h1>5 Eric Luedke (Iowa) dec. #8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 3-2</h1>

GreatAmerican · March 17, 2007, 7:21pm

For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Mids Finish Third at Temple Tri-Meet

PHILADELPHIA - Navy junior gymnast Christopher Tam (Draper, Utah) led the team in three events and placed fourth in the all-around as the Midshipmen finished third out of three teams at a tri-meet with Temple and Army on Saturday afternoon in McGonigle Hall. The Mids concluded their regular season with a 9-11 mark, while the Owls improved to 15-3 and the Black Knights moved to 11-5.

Host Temple led the way with 206.15 points, followed by Army’s 199.6 points and Navy’s 193.2 points. Saturday’s tri-meet was scheduled to be a dual-meet between Navy and Temple, but Army made the trip south to Philadelphia after its dual-meet against MIT was cancelled due to weather in the Northeast.

Tam concluded the day with 49.3 points in the all-around, scoring an 8.0 or higher in five of the six disciplines. The Navy junior tied with Temple’s Sterling Kramer for the individual title on the high bar with 8.85 points. Tam also tied for second on the parallel bars with Temple’s John Vogtman and Army’s Mike Oliveira, scoring 8.35 points. Tam and Navy senior team captain Sean Blackman (Fayetteville, Ga.) tied for the team lead on the still rings, each receiving an 8.4 from the judges.

Sophomore Adam Stanton (Centennial, Colo.) also had a productive afternoon, scoring above an 8.0 in two events. He tied for second place with Temple’s Luke Vexler on the pommel horse with a season-best score of 8.75. Later in the day, Stanton earned an 8.05 on the parallel bars for the team’s second-best effort on the apparatus.

Junior Brandon Cook (Longmont, Colo.) led the squad in two disciplines and finished the day with three performances scoring higher than an 8.0. He placed third in the floor exercise with an 8.8 and paced the Midshipmen with an 8.1 from the judges on the vault. The Navy junior also recorded an 8.2 on the high bar, matching his season-best effort from the James Madison Invitational.

The Midshipmen will begin post-season play next weekend when they head down to Williamsburg, Va., to take part in the USAG Collegiate Championship. Navy finished second among five schools during last year’s championship.

GreatAmerican · March 18, 2007, 11:28am

For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Wins Point Loma Invitational to Open Outdoor Season

SAN DIEGO - Navy men’s track & field junior thrower Darryl Hunter (Des Moines, Iowa) won two events with IC4A-qualifying marks to lead the Midshipmen to a first-place finish at the Point Loma Invitational to open the outdoor slate on Saturday in San Diego.

Navy topped the field with 141 points, while Point Loma Nazarene finished second with 133 points and Baker rounded out the scoring with 38 points. Highlighted by Hunter’s efforts in the shot put and discus throw, the Midshipmen racked up 48 of their 141 points in the four throwing events.

Hunter opened his day with a toss of 53'11" (16.43 meters) in the shot put to pace the field. Two hours later, the Navy junior competed in the discus throw, where he out-distanced the competition with a 156'7" (47.72 meters) effort.

Junior Bo Lawson (Fredon, N.J.) joined Hunter with an IC4A-qualifying mark in a throwing event on Satuday. Lawson uncorked a career-best toss of 202'3" (61.64 meters) in the javelin throw to win the event. Freshman Mark Van Orden (Morris Plains, N.J.) accounted for Navy’s other throwing victory, as he topped the field with a mark of 164'5" (50.11 meters) in the hammer throw.

One week after earning All-America status in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, junior middle distance runner Paul Harris (Woodbury, Minn.) won the 800-meter run with an IC4A-qualifying time of 1:51.94. His showing on Saturday was nearly nine seconds better than the second-place clocking.

Senior distance runner Michael Niemi (Duluth, Minn.) registered a career-best time in the 1,500-meter run with a 4:01.82 showing. His effort to open the outdoor season was nearly five seconds better than his previous career mark.

Two Navy freshmen also tallied victories on the track in their first-collegiate outdoor meet. Vince Carpentier (Branchburg, N.J.) won the 400-meter run by more than a second, crossing the finish line in 49.48 seconds. Matthew Hanley (Rapid City, S.D.) registered a 15.42-second clocking in the 110-meter hurdles to lead all competitors on Saturday.

Navy’s relay teams enjoyed a successful start to the season, winning both events. The 4x100-meter relay posted a time of 44.55 seconds to claim the event title, followed by a 3:23.02, first-place showing in the 4x400-meter relay to close out the meet.

The Midshipmen (2-0) return to Annapolis to host American and Maryland next Saturday, March 24, at Ingram Field.

GreatAmerican · March 18, 2007, 11:30am

For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Finishes 18th at NCAA Championship

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Navy wrestling team concluded its season with a 18th-place showing at the 77th NCAA Championship following the weight-class finals on Saturday night in the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan.

Minnesota won the 2007 national championship with a team score of 98 points, edging second place Iowa State’s 88.5 points. Missouri finished third with 80 points, followed by Northwestern’s 71.5 fourth-place points and Oklahoma State’s 69-point total for fifth place. Meanwhile, Navy tallied 32 points over the three-day championship to place 18th out of the 74 teams at this year’s championship.

The 18th-place showing is the highest during Navy head coach Bruce Burnett’s seven-year tenure in Annapolis and the best by the Midshipmen since a 13th-place finish at the 1990 NCAA Championship.

The Midshipmen concluded their scoring earlier in the day when junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) finished fourth in the 174-pound weight class and earned All-America status. Stolpinski pinned Oklahoma State’s Brandon Mason in the seventh round of wrestlebacks to open his day and advance to the third-place bout, where he was edged in a 3-2 decision by Iowa’s Eric Luedke.

Navy sent six wrestlers to the national championship this season, matching the contingent sent to the 2005 NCAA Championship. Sophomore 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.), senior 149-pounder John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.), senior 157-pound team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.), Stolpinski, senior 184-pounder Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) and junior heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) each won at least one bout and advanced to Friday’s action.

Capped by their performance at the national championship, the Midshipmen concluded the 2006-07 campaign with an 11-4 dual-meet record, including a 7-0 mark in EIWA contests and a second-place finish at the EIWA Championship.

Navy Wrestlers at the 77th NCAA Wrestling Championship
March 15-17, 2007 ! The Palace of Auburn Hills ! Auburn Hills, Mich.

133 Pounds - Joe Baker (2-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 21-9; Career: 33-15)
Joe Baker (Navy) dec. #10 Evan Sola (North Carolina), 5-1

<h1>7 Mack Reiter (Minnesota) dec. Joe Baker (Navy), 12-5</h1>

Joe Baker (Navy) dec. Conor Beebe (Central Michigan), 4-3
Andrae Hernandez (Indiana) dec. Joe Baker (Navy), 7-5

149 Pounds - John Cox (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 29-9; Career: 112-38)

<h1>10 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) major dec. John Cox (Navy), 10-2</h1>

John Cox (Navy) WBF Derek Kipperberg (Oregon State), 5:31

<h1>8 Aaron Martin (UT-Chattanooga) dec. John Cox (Navy), 8-1</h1>

157 Pounds - John Jarred (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 32-12; Career: 77-31)
John Jarred (Navy) major dec. Victer Crenshaw (Cleveland State), 8-0

<h1>4 C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 1-0</h1>

Jacob Yost (UT-Chattanooga) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 8-2

174 Pounds - Matt Stolpinski (6-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 44-7; Career: 99-35)
Nick Hayes (Northwestern) dec. #8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 6-5 TB1

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Doug Umbehauer (Rider), 9-4</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Joey Hooker (Cornell), 4-0</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #6 Kenneth Cook (UC Davis), 7-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Rudy Rueda (American), 4-2</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. #9 Matt Palmer (Columbia), 11-8</h1>

<h1>8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) WBF Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State), 4:55</h1>

<h1>5 Eric Luedke (Iowa) dec. #8 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 3-2</h1>

184 Pounds - Antonio Miranda (1-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 33-11; Career: 67-31)
Antonio Miranda(Navy) WBF Jared Ricotta (Duquesne), 3:20

<h1>1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern) major dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 16-6</h1>

Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State) dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 6-3

Heavyweight - Ed Prendergast (2-2 NCAA Tourney Record; Season: 37-7; Career: 67-24)

<h1>6 Ed Prendergast (Navy) WBF David Zabriskie (Iowa State), 1:20</h1>

Dustin Rogers (West Virginia) dec. #6 Ed Prendergast, 8-3

<h1>6 Ed Prendergast (Navy) WBF Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 6:32</h1>

Matt Koz (UT-Chattanooga) dec. #6 Ed Prendergast (Navy), 6-2

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2007, 11:30am

Navy Women’s Lacrosse Returns Home on Monday

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women’s lacrosse team returns home for the first time in almost a month with a Monday night matchup against Anne Arundel Community College. The game is slated for 7:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The Mids enter the contest with a 5-2 overall mark, including a 5-0 record against Non-Division I teams. Navy’s two losses came to Division I opponents, Bucknell (14-10) and Longwood (18-16). Navy’s five wins over non-Division I teams have come by an average margin of 11 goals per game. In Navy’s last contest, an 18-16 loss to Longwood on March 10, the Mids were led by Amanda Towey with six goals. Elise Chapdelaine and Erin Rawlick scored three goals each, while Kaylene Klingenstein and Brittany Amerau tallied a pair each.

For the season, Towey paces Navy with 39 points (31 g, 8 a), while a pair of freshmen, Mary Ruttum and Rawlick, have scored 30 and 27 points respectively. Chapdelaine has 23 points and Klingenstein has 18 points. The five players have combined for 137 of Navy’s 152 points.

In goal, Natalie Blandon has seen the majority of action, stopping 94 shots for a save percentage of .577.

Anne Arundel Community College is 3-0 with all of its wins coming against three different NCAA schools, including a pair of wins against Division III schools and one against a Division II foe. Courtney Highsmith leads the way with eight goals in the first two games of the year.

Navy will be in action next on Saturday, March 24, hosting Catonsville Community College, at 1:00 pm in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2007, 11:31am

For Immediate Release
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771

Navy Splits Doubleheader with Duquesne

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy junior right-handed pitcher retired the final-12 batters he faced in the opener as the Midshipmen split a doubleheader with Duquesne on Sunday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids won the first game, 6-1, but the Dukes came back with a 16-0 victory in the nightcap. Navy’s record moved to 15-7 on the year, while Duquesne’s went to 5-8.

“Today was a tale of two games, all of which was dictated by starting pitching,” stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “Our style of play is most effective when we have the lead. When you are down six runs right off the bat, it takes away several components of our game.”

Harris logged 5.2 innings on the hill to get the win and improve to 5-1 on the campaign. He allowed only two hits, both of which came in the second inning, and one unearned run with two walks and seven strikeouts. The right-hander moved into fifth place on the career strikeouts list during his outing on Sunday, pushing his total to 185 and passing Kevin Carlson’s 182 strikeouts between 1994-97. Harris has struck out more batters than innings pitched during each of his six starts of the year.

“Mitch was almost a different style of pitcher today,” said Kostacopoulos. “He did a good pitching with the lead and did not over-pitch. He did a solid job of filling up the strike zone with the lead.”

Duquesne opened the day by taking a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the second inning, but Navy answered back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Senior team captain Michael Garcia (Kailua, Hawai’i) singled down the right field line, but the ball got away from the right fielder to allow Garcia to move to third. He would come home to score during the next play, as the pitcher’s pickoff attempt sailed away from the third baseman.

Navy grabbed its first lead of the game one inning later, bringing in three runs. Freshman Michael Speciale (Pearland, Texas) belted a two-run double to the gap in right-center and would touch home on freshman Drew Lydon’s (White Plains, Md.) single up the middle.

The Midshipmen tacked on two insurance runs in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 6-1. With two outs and nobody on, Speciale and Lydon each singled and Garcia walked to load the bases for freshman Steven Soares (Coral Springs, Fla.), who smacked a two-run single through the left side.

In the nightcap, Duquesne touched up Navy junior starting pitcher Mark McCoy (Parkland, Fla.) for nine runs on nine hits in two-plus innings of work. McCoy fell to 3-3 on the year with the loss. The Dukes scored one run in the fourth, four in the fifth and two in the ninth off a Midshipmen bullpen that summoned five guys to the hill in the second game.

Speciale registered a 3-for-8 effort during the doubleheader with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. The Navy freshman has hit at a .600 (9-for-15) clip over his last-four contests.

“Michael had a great week at the plate for us,” commented Kostacopoulos. “Having not played during the fall, he’s beginning to get into the swing of being a baseball player.”

Junior outfielder Renaldo Hollins (Virginia Beach, Va.) pushed his hitting streak to seven-straight games with a 2-for-6 performance at the plate with a triple on Sunday.

Sunday’s twinbill capped an eight-game in nine-day stretch for the Midshipmen in Annapolis and concluded a 12-game homestand which began on Feb. 28. Navy went 5-3 over the last-nine days and posted a 7-5 record during the home swing.

Navy will play its first road game in nearly a month when it travels to Fairfax, Va., to take on George Mason this Tuesday at Hap Spuhler Field for a 3 p.m. start. The Midshipmen last played on the road at the Service Academy Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn., on Feb. 23-25.

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2007, 11:37am

Mids improve to 6-0 in lacrosse

Published in the Annapolis Capital:

<a href="http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_18-44/NAS%5B/url%5D">http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_18-44/NAS</a>

[quote]
Junior Nick Mirabito scored three goals and assisted on two others to lead the fifth ranked Navy Midshipmen to an easy 12-2 Patriot League victory over Holy Cross in front of a terrific crowd of 4,482 fans at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
The game was the first Division I lacrosse game played in the Dallas Metroplex area.

Navy improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League. Holy Cross dropped to 2-5, 0-4 Patriot League....

[/quote]

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2007, 1:38pm

Overall Navy Sports Record, 226-128-3 (.637)

Baseball (15-7)

Last Week: Defeated Buffalo, 7-0; lost to Mount St. Mary?s, 18-3; defeated Buffalo, 9-7; defeated Duquesne, 6-1; lost to Duquesne, 16-0

This Week: at George Mason (Tuesday, 3 p.m., Fairfax, Va.); Yale (Friday, 2:30 p.m., Annapolis, Md., GameTracker on navysports.com); Yale (Saturday, 1 p.m., Annapolis, Md., GameTracker on navysports.com); Yale (Sunday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md., GameTracker on navysports.com)

Heavyweight Crew (0-0)

Last Week: Idle

This Week: vs. Columbia, vs. George Washington (Saturday, 1 p.m., Camden, N.J.)

Lightweight Crew (0-0)

Last Week: Idle

This Week: at Princeton (Saturday, Princeton, N.J.)

Women's Crew (0-0)

Last Week: Idle

This Week: at the Murphy Cup (Saturday, Philadelphia, Pa.)

Golf

Last Week: Finished fourth at the Cat Classic

This Week: at the George Washington Invitational (Saturday-Sunday, all day, Bethany Beach, Del.)

Gymnastics (9-11)

Last Week: Lost to Army, 199.60193.2; lost to Temple, 206.15-193.2

This Week: at the USAG Collegiate Championship (Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., Williamsburg, Va.)

<h1>5 Men's Lacrosse (6-0, 3-0 in the Patriot League)</h1>

Last Week: Defeated Canisius, 13-5; defeated Holy Cross, 12-2

This Week: Colgate (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Annapolis, Md., GameTracker on navysports.com and audio on Navy All-Access); at Bucknell (Sunday, 1 p.m., Lewisburg, Pa., 1430 WNAV)

Women's Lacrosse (5-2)

Last Week: Idle

This Week: Anne Arundel Community College (Monday, 7 p.m., Annapolis, Md.); Catonsville Community College (Saturday, 1 p.m., Annapolis, Md.)

Intercollegiate Sailing

Last Week: Finished fifth out of 19 teams at the Truxtun Umstead Regatta

This Week: Southern New England Team Race (Saturday-Sunday); TR Challenge (Saturday-Sunday); Inerclub National Championship (Saturday-Sunday); Aaron Szambecki Team Race Intersectional (Saturday-Sunday)

Tennis (6-9)

Last Week: Defeated Eastern Kentucky, 4-3; lost to Florida Atlantic, 6-1

This Week: at Penn (Wednesday, 3 p.m., Philadelphia, Pa.); Colgate (Saturday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.); Bucknell (Sunday, 12 noon, Annapolis, Md.)

Men's Outdoor Track & Field (2-0)

Last Week: Defeated Point Loma Nazarene, 141-133; defeated Baker, 141-38

This Week: American and Maryland (Saturday, 11 a.m., Annapolis, Md.)

Women's Outdoor Track & Field (0-0)

Last Week: Idle

This Week: American, Colgate, Delaware George Mason and Maryland (Saturday, 2 p.m., Annapolis, Md.)

No. 21 Wrestling (11-4, 7-0 in the EIWA)

Last Week: Finished 18th at the NCAA Championship

This Week: Season concluded

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2007, 1:39pm