Navy Sports

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
721

<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>

<p>Navy Rowing Teams to Compete at Eastern Sprints Championship Sunday</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy crew teams will each be taking part in their respective Eastern Sprints Championship this coming Sunday. The two men's team will travel to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., for their event, while the women's team will be competing on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J.</p>

<p>The first varsity boat for the women's team is seeded eighth in a field of 16 at its championship, with the second varsity crew seeded 10th in its flight. Navy placed 13th overall in the varsity division last year, with its second varsity crew placing sixth. The latter crew became the initial varsity eight boat in school history to advance to the grand final at the Eastern Sprints.</p>

<p>In addition to the varsity seeding, Navy's freshman eight and varsity four boats are both seeded seventh.</p>

<p>"The Eastern Sprints is one of the most prestigious rowing leagues in the country," said Navy women's head coach Mike Hughes. "Representatives from our league have won about half of the NCAA Championship titles and always place at least one boat among the medalists at the national event.</p>

<p>"Our varsity seeding is one of the best we have ever had, so we are very happy about that. Our main goal is to advance to the grand final, which we can do by placing first or second in our heat."</p>

<p>Navy's heavyweight team placed 11th as a program in the team points standing at the 2006 Eastern Sprints Championship, with the varsity crew placing ninth and the second varsity boat placing 10th. Those two crews are both seeded eighth in their respective flights this year, with the third varsity boat seeded ninth and the two freshman crews seeded 10th and fifth, respectively.</p>

<p>"Our heats are tough," said Navy heavyweight coach Rick Clothier. "I believe we will be completely prepared and probably in our best health of the year, so far."</p>

<p>Navy's lightweight squad enters the 2007 Eastern Sprints as the defending team points champion for the first time in program history. The Mids placed first or second in each of the five divisions last year to win the Jope Cup for the first time.</p>

<p>Navy's varsity eight boats are seeded sixth, fourth and second, respectively, at this year's championship, while its two freshman crews are seeded second and first.</p>

722

<p>For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Navy Heads to IC4A Championship This Weekend</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After finishing third at the Patriot League Championship last weekend, the Navy men’s track & field team will head to the 131st IC4A Championship at Princeton’s Weaver Track & Field Stadium this Friday through Sunday.</p>

<p>The Midshipmen placed 38th out of 53 schools that scored in last year’s IC4A Championship. Going into the weekend, Navy returns five All-East performers and will have five competitors partaking in two events.</p>

<p>Highlighting the cast of returning All-East runners is middle distance runner Paul Harris (Jr./Woodbury, Minn.), who has earned the honors in back-to-back years in the 800-meter run. The school record-holder in the event posted a time of 1:48.86 at the Florida Relays in April and owns seven of the ten-fastest times in program history.</p>

<p>Harris will also team up with Craig Meekins (Jr./Baldwin, N.Y.), William Ricks (Jr./Sussex, Va.) and Cameron Lindsay (Sr./Kernersville, N.C.) for the 4x400-meter relay on Saturday afternoon. Last week at the Patriot League Championship, they combined for a time of 3:09.71, the third-best time in school history.</p>

<p>Meekins will also join Harris in the 800-meter run on Saturday, as he produced a career-best time of 1:49.59 last week, which ranks him fifth on the program’s all-time list. Ricks, a 2005 All-East competitor, will see action in the 400-meter dash after racing to a career-best 48.06-second showing at the Patriot League Championship.</p>

<p>The high jump features a pair of Midshipmen that earned All-East status during the 2006 outdoor slate. Stephen White (Sr./Marietta, Ga.) won the event at the league championship one week ago with a height of 6’10-3/4” (2.10 meters). Cole Herron placed right behind White last weekend, as he cleared the 6’8-1/4” (2.04 meters) bar.</p>

<p>Returning All-East thrower Darryl Hunter (Jr./Des Moines, Iowa) will also compete in two events, the shot put and the discus. Hunter qualified for NCAA regional action in the shot put, uncorking a throw of 56’1” (17.09 meters) at the Penn Relays. One week later in the discus at the league championship, he posted a season-best toss of 162’10” (49.65 meters). Classmate Andre Barber (Jr./Carrollton, Texas) won the discus last weekend with a distance of 163’4” (49.79 meters) and will join Hunter in the event this Friday.</p>

<p>Providing a scoring threat for Navy in the 3,000-meter steeplechase will be John Olsen (Jr./Staten Island, N.Y.) and Michael Niemi (Sr./Duluth, Minn.). Olsen qualified for the NCAA regional championship with a 9:05.75 showing at the Penn Relays. Niemi ran the event in 9:11.13 at the Patriot League Championship and owns a career-best time of 9:08.07.</p>

<p>Multi-event competitor Ron Belany (Jr./Haiku, Hawai’i) will serve the Midshipmen in the 110-meter hurdles and the pole vault on Saturday. He recorded a career-best time of 14.66 seconds at the league championship last weekend to win the event. During the same meet, he cleared the 15’7” (4.75 meters) in the pole vault to finish fourth. Bo Fisher (Jr./Longview, Wash.) will accompany Belany in the pole vault, as he also surpassed the 15’7” (4.75 meters) height during Navy’s home-opening meet in March.</p>

<p>Following this weekend, the Mids will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to compete in the NCAA East Region Championship on May 25-26. Qualifiers from that meet will advance to the NCAA Championship in Sacramento, Calif., on June 6-9.</p>

723

<p>For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Mids to Compete at ECAC Championship This Weekend</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Coming off its second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship last weekend, the Navy women’s track & field team will head up to Princeton University to partake in the 24th ECAC Championship this Friday through Sunday.</p>

<p>Last season, the Midshipmen finished 18th out of 46 teams that scored during the ECAC Championship. This year, Navy will turn to several of its seniors that will be competing in multiple events over the three-day championship.</p>

<p>Kirsten Andrews (Sr./New Holland, Pa.) will see action in the pole vault, 100-meter hurdles and the first leg of the 4x100-meter relay, all events that she owns program records in. The 2007 Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet topped the school record in the pole vault against Army with a height of 13’3/4” (3.98 meters). She won the 100-meter hurdles last weekend with a time of 14.14 seconds and posted a program-best time of 13.95 seconds last year. Also during the league championship last weekend, she ran the opening leg of a 4x100-meter relay team that smashed the school record with a time of 47.11 seconds.</p>

<p>Joining Andrews on the 4x100-meter relay this weekend will be Loni Forsythe (Sr./Chattanooga, Tenn.), Priscilla Lewis (Sr./St. Andrews, Jamaica) and Danielle Still (Sr./Lawnside, N.J.), each of who will be competing in an additional event this weekend.</p>

<p>Forsythe, a 2005 All-East performer in the 100-meter dash, will race in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events on Saturday. The school record-holder in both distances, she has twice produced a time of 11.88 seconds in the 100-meter event this season, the second-fastest times in program history. Last weekend at the Patriot League Championship, she recorded the second-quickest 200-meter dash time in school history, a 24.65-second clocking.</p>

<p>Lewis will join Forsythe in the 100-meter dash on Saturday, as she also ranks among one the five-fastest runners in school history. She raced to a time of 12.10 seconds in the event against Army earlier this year and owns a career-best time of 12.03 seconds.</p>

<p>Still will look to capture All-East honors in the javelin throw for the third-consecutive year on Sunday morning. The school and Patriot League Championship record-holder in an event uncorked a toss of 160’8” (48.98 meters) to claim the league title last weekend.</p>

<p>A pair of Navy seniors, Justine Whipple (Sr./Duxbury, Mass.) and Allison Barlow (Sr./Orange Park, Fla.), will open the action for the Midshipmen on Friday night in the 10,000-meter run. Whipple, selected this year’s Patriot League Track Athlete of the Meet, produced a league championship record time of 35:20.79 last weekend. Barlow ran the event in 36:47.61 during the outdoor season-opening meet in March.</p>

<p>Navy hurdles competitor Michelle Bostic (Jr./Rockwall, Texas) will race in both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles during Saturday afternoon. She raced to a time of 14.44 seconds at the league championship and owns a career-best time of 1:00.87 in the 400-meter hurdles, an event that she earned All-East honors in last year.</p>

<p>Following this weekend, the Mids will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to compete in the NCAA East Region Championship on May 25-26. Qualifiers from that meet will advance to the NCAA Championship in Sacramento, Calif., on June 6-9.</p>

724

<p>For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Patriot League Championship Series Broadcast Information</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 2007 Patriot League Baseball Championship best-of-three series at Lafayette's Class of 1978 Stadium on Saturday and Sunday will be televised nationally on a tape-delayed basis through CSTV and video streamed online, in addition to SIRIUS satellite radio's live broadcast of Sunday's game(s) on channel 122.</p>

<p>CSTV will air the first game of the championship series on Wednesday, May 16, at 2 p.m. Game two will follow at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and the third game, if necessary, will be shown on Monday, with the time to be determined. On the Lafayette Sports Network All-Access, Saturday's championship opening contest will be broadcast on Saturday night at 7 p.m., and Sunday's game(s) will be shown live. </p>

<p>Gary Laubach (play-by-play), John Leone (color) and Scott Barr (field reporter) will serve as the talent for Saturday's game. Laubach, Leone and field reporter Dan Mowdy will provide the commentary on Sunday afternoon. </p>

<p>Frank Santore will call all of the action for the SIRIUS satellite radio coverage on Sunday afternoon.</p>

<p>Third-seeded Navy (35-19) will take on second-seeded Army (23-21-1) in an elimination game at 12 noon on Saturday in Easton, Pa., with the winner taking on top-seeded Lafayette (30-17) in the championship series. The Patriot League Tournament champion earns an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament, which begins on June 1.</p>

725

<p>Navy Women's Lacrosse Breezes Past Oregon in Opening Round</p>

<p>DENVER, Colo. -- The Navy women's lacrosse team got off to a fast start and breezed past Oregon, 22-7, in the opening round of the 2007 USL WDIA National Championship, hosted by the University of Denver. The Mids, seeded second in the tournament, improve to 16-4 with the victory, and will battle seventh-seeded Colorado, who defeated the No. 10 seed, UCLA.</p>

<p>"It was important for us to get off to a good start and we really did that today," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "We played well from the start and didn't really allow them (Oregon) anything offensively. It was good to play a lot of bodies as well, because it will keep us fresh as we move on this tournament. I was proud of our effort and our offense is really clicking right now."</p>

<p>Navy, one of two teams to compete in all seven USL WDIA tournaments along with six-time defending champion Cal Poly, bolted out to a 13-2 halftime lead and cruised in the second half for the 22-7 decision. The 22 goals are tied for the second most ever scored in the tournament, behind just the 23 scored by Navy against Michigan State in the 2001 tournament. Leading the charge for the Mids was freshman Erin Rawlick with 11 points (7 g, 4 a). It marked the fourth straight game that Rawlick has scored at least 10 points and she now has 111 points on a team-best 77 goals with 34 assists. Rawlick's 11 points were the second most ever in a USL WDIA national tournament game behind Navy's Tiffany Hill (15 pts. vs. Michigan State in 2001). Her seven goals tied for the third most in tournament history.</p>

<p>Senior Elise Chapdelaine added six points (5 g, 1 a). Amanda Towey contributed with six points (4 g, 2 a) and Mary Ruttum chipped in with four points (2 g, 2 a). Sarah Bushong (1 g, 1 a) and Jamie Howe (1 a) rounded out Navy's attack.</p>

<p>Natalie Blandon earned the win in goal, stopping four shots in just over 35 minutes of action. Vanessa Nieves added two saves in about 15 minutes of action and Ellyn Creasey closed out the game in goal.</p>

<p>The Mids and Buffaloes will square off on Thursday morning at 10:00 am (MST) in the quarterfinals. Navy is looking for its first semifinals appearance since the 2003 tournament.</p>

726

<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902413.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902413.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Billy Hurley III, a 2004 Naval Academy graduate, has been given a sponsor's exemption into the field at the Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open in two weeks at the Country Club at Woodmore in Mitchellville.</p>

<p>Hurley was an all-American collegiate player as a senior, as well as the winner of the Byron Nelson Player of the Year award and captain of the 2004 U.S. team in the Palmer Cup competition. He's played in several events on the PGA and Nationwide tours while still on active duty in the Navy. A native of Leesburg, he now lives in Annapolis and teaches at the academy.</p>

<p>The tournament also announced yesterday that all military personnel will be allowed to attend the event at no charge, as will youngsters under age 12.

[/quote]
</p>

727

<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2007-05-09-security-workshop_N.htm?csp=34%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2007-05-09-security-workshop_N.htm?csp=34&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
With security concerns at sports venues on the minds of athletic administrators in the post-9/11 world, representatives of 38 colleges from across the nation met Wednesday at Temple University for the first intercollegiate athletics sport security and safety workshop.</p>

<p>The workshop was presented by ADT Security Services and coordinated by the Center for Spectator Sports Security Management at the University of Southern Mississippi and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. The gathering represented a chance for a formal meeting about security concerns and an opportunity for administrators to exchange ideas....

[/quote]
</p>

728

<p>Army To Battle Akron In Inaugural First Merit Patriot Bowl (Army Athletic Communications)</p>

<p>Courtesy: Army Athletic Communications</p>

<p>CLEVELAND, Ohio * The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission announced Wednesday its newly created, owned and operated event, The First Merit Patriot Bowl. The Patriot Bowl is an annual college football game featuring a Mid-American Conference (MAC) University from Ohio and one of the Service Academies * Army, Navy or Air Force. The inaugural game will pit Army against Akron on Sept. 1.</p>

<p>Each year, the game will take place over Labor Day weekend at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Surrounding the football game will be patriotic, civic events, including a tailgate, Cleveland Firefighters vs. Cleveland Police flag football pre-game match and spectacular halftime show. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.</p>

<p>The Patriot Bowl will be the season opener for both the Akron Zips and Army Black Knights and will serve as the Zips home game.</p>

<p>"We're excited about the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Patriot Bowl," said Army Director of Athletics, Kevin Anderson. "It's always a thrill being a part of a tremendous event the first time it is held and we feel very strongly that the Patriot Bowl will be a highly popular event with the people here in this great city of Cleveland. We view this as an outstanding opportunity to showcase our institution and our cadet-athletes on a national forum."</p>

<p>The winner of the Patriot Bowl will walk away with the "Cleary Trophy" named for Michael Cleary, long-time Executive Director of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in recognition of his lasting service to the Cleveland community, collegiate athletics and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.</p>

<p>"If past events put on by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is a barometer, the Patriot Bowl will be a success and a great experience for the teams and fans," said Akron athletics director Mack Rhoades. "Not only do we have the opportunity to face a storied program like Army, but we are proud to represent the Mid-American conference in this game. This event will be first class, gives our fans a great environment to participate in a number of game-day activities and gives our student-athletes the opportunity to play in Browns Stadium, which is one of the finest venues around."</p>

<p>The Patriot Bowl will be guided and enhanced by a Local Organizing (Steering) Committee comprised of individuals dedicated to planning a spectacular event. Many of these individuals are high-level business and civic leaders with a connection to military service, military academies and MAC schools. This group will utilize its experience, influence and resources to ensure success and significant community-wide promotion and marketing will surround this event.</p>

<p>Tickets go on-sale to the general public May 14, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). Tickets are available through Ticketmaster: online at <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ticketmaster.com&lt;/a>, via phone at 216.241.5555 or at Ticketmaster locations (Macy's and select Giant Eagle stores).</p>

<p>Ticket prices for the game are $45 for mid-field lower level seating, $30 for lower level seating between the end zone and 30-yard lines, and $20 for the lower level corners and lower west end zone. ADA seating is available in each price category. The Cleveland Browns welcome Visa cards.</p>

<p>Expected attendance is 30,000+ based on average attendance at Army away and neutral-site games (averaged 47,836 in seven road and neutral-site games in 2006; these games included no significant community marketing), as well as Akron¹s close proximity to Cleveland and the tremendous support already demonstrated with the MAC basketball championships at Quicken Loans Arena.</p>

<p>Sponsors for the event include First Merit Bank, title sponsor for three years (2007, 2008 and 2009) and the U.S. Army. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be used to establish the Patriot Fund at First Merit Bank, which will serve to assist local military families in need. </p>

<p>"First Merit is honored to be the title sponsor for the first annual Patriot Bowl. We are committed to supporting the communities we serve and proud to celebrate football in Ohio," says Julie Anne Robbins, Executive VP, Retail Banking. </p>

<p>For more information, visit <a href="http://www.patriotbowl.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.patriotbowl.com&lt;/a>, or contact the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission at 216.621.0600.</p>

729

<p><a href="http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/sports/17204774.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/sports/17204774.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
This fall, the University of Akron football team will have the opportunity to showcase its talents in an NFL stadium.</p>

<p>The Zips will play in the inaugural FirstMerit Patriot Bowl on Sept. 1 against Army at Cleveland Browns Stadium.</p>

<p>The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission formally announced the game Wednesday during a news conference at the stadium....

[/quote]
</p>

730

<p>Navy wrestling program earns academic honor </p>

<p>For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773</p>

<p>Navy Wrestling Garners Recognition for its Classroom Success</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Junior All-American Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) was one of just 57 wrestlers in the country to be named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association's All-Academic Team this week, while the Midshipmen, as a team, placed 27th among all wrestling programs with their 2.8116 cumulative grade-point average.</p>

<p>Stolpinski enjoyed one of the most successful seasons by a Navy wrestler in recent memory. He compiled a 44-7 record, including a 13-2 mark in dual meet action, en route to finishing fourth at the NCAA Championship in the 174-pound weight class. Navy's first wrestling All-American since Frank Edwards picked up the honor in 2002-03, Stolpinski is Navy's highest finisher at the national tournament since Scott Schleicher placed second at 158 pounds in 1989-90. Additionally, he won individual titles at the Navy Classic, his third at the All-Academy Championship and he became Navy's first EIWA individual title winner (along with junior Ed Prendergast) since 2002. Along the way, Stolpinski set the program record for most matches wrestled with 51, while tying the record for most wins, matching Mark Conley's record of 44 set during the 2001-02 campaign. </p>

<p>In the classroom, Stolpinski has earned a 3.10 GPA in general science. He has been named to the Commandant's List three times (Fall '07, Spring of '05, '06) and earned mention on the Superintendent's List in the Fall of '07. Stolpinski is one of nine wrestlers from the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association to be honored, while Navy is one of seven EIWA members to earn a spot among the top-30 programs in the nation.</p>

<p>For teams to be eligible for consideration, teams comprise 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.</p>

<p>Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule - and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.</p>

731

<p><a href="http://www.gazetteextra.com/bier051007.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gazetteextra.com/bier051007.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Pete Bier is getting a chance to play pro football.</p>

<p>That is all the Milton High graduate wants.</p>

<p>The Green Bay Packers signed the Army graduate to a free-agent contract Sunday afternoon after he participated in the team's rookie orientation camp during the weekend. Bier will try to make the team at center....

[/quote]
</p>

732

<p>Navy Women's Lacrosse Holds Off Colorado In Quarterfinals</p>

<p>DENVER, Colo. -- The Navy women's lacrosse team held off a spirited Colorado rally to advance to Friday's semifinals of the USL WDIA national tournament with a 15-14 decision over the Buffaloes. The Mids advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2003 tournament and will battle third-seeded UC Santa Barbara. Navy improves to 17-4 with the victory.</p>

<p>"We looked a little tired and ragged today," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "We didn't have the same energy we had yesterday and had a tough time stopping them. We got up on them in the second half, but their speed really hurt us and fueled their comeback. But it's good to get a win and move on. We'll come out tomorrow with more energy."</p>

<p>Navy, one of two teams to compete in all seven USL WDIA tournaments along with six-time defending champion Cal Poly, fell behind early 2-1, but rallied to tie the game at halftime at 7-7. After surging ahead 15-12 with seven minutes left, the Mids tried to run out the clock. However, the Buffaloes forced a turnover and scored, trimming the margin to 15-13. Colorado then won the next draw control and scored again to cut the Navy lead to 15-14. The Mids then won the next draw control and were able to run out the last two minutes for the 15-14 victory. The 14 goals allowed were the most allowed by Navy against a club team this year. Nonetheless, Navy has outscored its two opponents, 37-21, in two games at the tournament. </p>

<p>"Our offense played pretty well again and we needed everything we got from it," said Timchal. "Our defense was on its heels today and we need to come out and be aggressive on Friday."</p>

<p>Junior Amanda Towey led the Mids with six points (3 g, 3 a), giving her 122 (69 g, 53 a) points for the season. Freshman Erin Rawlick tallied five goals to give her 17 points (13 g, 4 a) for the tournament. She had a 12-point (8 g, 4 a) effort in Wednesday's 22-7 win over Oregon, and now has 117 points (83 g, 34 a) on the season. Freshman Mary Ruttum also scored five points (4 g, 1 a) and is on the verge of joining Towey and Rawlick with 100 points, as she has 89 points (59 g, 30 a). Senior co-captain Elise Chapdelaine rounded out Navy's scoring with four points (3 g, 1 a). In goal for Navy, Natalie Blandon stopped seven shots.</p>

<p>Navy's opponent in the semifinals, third-seeded UC Santa Barbara, knocked off Northeastern (14-7) in the first round, before defeating Brigham Young, 16-10, in the quarterfinals. Action will get underway at 10:00 am (MST) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver.</p>

733

<p>Mids ready to take next step after record 35 wins</p>

<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_10-21/NAS%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_10-21/NAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Navy baseball fans who also play the stock market might think about rushing to buy large blocks of Procter & Gamble shares because it makes Crest toothpaste, which happens to be the product of choice for Navy's Mitch Harris. </p>

<p>The most ardent supporters know that when the Midshipmen face Army on Saturday at Lafayette College in the play-in game to the Patriot League Tournament, Harris, along with his teammates will want to get a bad taste out of their mouths and Crest usually does the job....

[/quote]
</p>

734

<p>A Look Ahead (Patriot League Tournament)...</p>

<p>Game 55 - May 12 - No. 3 Navy (35-19) vs. No. 2 Army (24-21-1)
Time: 12 p.m.
Stadium: Class of 1978 Stadium (500); Easton, Pa.
Probable Starters: Navy - RHP Mitch Harris (8-4, 2.30 ERA) vs. Army - LHP Nick Hill (6-3, 1.78 ERA)
All-Time Series: Navy leads, 100-83
Live Stats: GameTracker available on <a href="http://www.NavySports.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.NavySports.com&lt;/a>
This Year: Navy won one of four games (April 21-22; West Point, N.Y.)</p>

<p>IF NAVY WINS...
Game 56 - May 12 - No. 3 Navy at No. 1 Lafayette (30-17)
Time: 3 p.m.
Probable Starters: Navy – TBD vs. Lafayette - TBD
All-Time Series: Navy leads, 52-28-2
Television: CSTV; tape-delayed on Wednesday, May 16, at 2 p.m.; Talent: Gary Laubach (pxp), John Leone (color) and Scott Barr (field)
This Year: Navy won one of four games (April 8-9; Annapolis, Md.)</p>

<p>Game 57 - May 13 - No. 1 Lafayette vs. No. 3 Navy
Time: 12 p.m.
Probable Starters: Lafayette – TBD vs. Navy - TBD
Television: CSTV; tape-delayed on Wednesday, May 16, at 5 p.m.; Talent: Gary Laubach (pxp), John Leone (color) and Dan Mowdy (field)
Radio: SIRIUS satellite radio (live), Channel 122; Talent: Frank Santore (pxp and color)</p>

<p>Game 58 - May 13 - No. 3 Navy at No. 1 Lafayette (if necessary)
Time: 3 p.m.
Probable Starters: Navy – TBD vs. Lafayette - TBD
Television: CSTV; tape-delayed on Monday, May 14, time to be determined
Radio: SIRIUS satellite radio (live), Channel 122</p>

<p>Navy Making 12th Appearance in Patriot League Tournament
The Navy baseball team will play in the Patriot League Tournament for the 12th time in program history this weekend. The Midshipmen will take on second-seeded Army in an elimination game at Class of 1978 Stadium in Easton, Pa., with the winner taking on host Lafayette in a best-of-three series. The winner of the Patriot League Tournament will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament regionals, which will take place from June 1-4.
Navy owns a 3-1 all-time record in the opening round elimination game heading into its contest with arch-rival Army. During the three occasions that the Mids have advanced to the championship best-of-three series through the opening elimination game, they have played the full three-game series each time, winning the Patriot League Tournament in 1999. </p>

<p>Mids Come in as the No. 3 Seed
The Midshipmen come to Easton, Pa., for the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 3 seed for the second time in school history. In 1996, Navy came in as the third seed and blanked Lehigh, 10-0, before advancing to take on top-seeded Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa.</p>

<p>Navy Aiming For Ninth NCAA Tournament Appearance
The Navy baseball team will look to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in program history by winning this weekend’s Patriot League Tournament and claiming the automatic berth. The Midshipmen last appeared at the NCAA Tournament during the 2002 season, when they traveled to the Wake Forest Regional in Winston-Salem, N.C. During that trip, the Mids defeated George Washington, 6-4, in an elimination contest, becoming the second team in league history to win a NCAA Tournament game.</p>

<p>Navy’s History of Success in the Patriot League
Despite joining the Patriot League two years after it began competing in baseball, Navy has won more league postseason and regular season titles than any other team in league history. The Midshipmen, who entered the league in 1993, have won five Patriot League titles and been crowned regular season champions on eight occasions. Navy has won more Patriot League Tournament games (14) and played in more league tournament games (26) than any other team in league history.
Navy’s all-time winning percentage of .596 (180-122) in Patriot League action ranks second among teams currently affiliated with the league.</p>

<p>Navy Tabbed Second in Patriot League Preseason Poll
The Navy baseball team was picked to tie for second place in the 2007 Patriot League Preseason Poll, voted on by each school’s head coach and sports information contact. Each of the top-three teams in the preseason poll finished among the top-three squads this year to advance to this season’s Patriot League Tournament.</p>

<p>Scouting Army
Army makes the trip to this year’s Patriot League Tournament as the second seed with a 12-7 record in league play and a 24-21-1 overall mark. The Black Knights have won 11 of their last 15 games, with four of their wins coming in extra innings. Army has all three of its games on a neutral field this season, but are 9-15 in road contests in 2007.
Cole White leads the offense with a .407 batting average with 12 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 16 stolen bases and a .482 on-base percentage. Milan Dinga ranks second on the team with a .290 batting average and paces Army with 27 runs scored.
Pitching has been the strength for the Black Knights this year, posting a 3.77 team ERA. Staff ace Nick Hill owns a 6-3 record with a 1.78 ERA in 76.0 innings with only 18 walks and 87 strikeouts. In addition to his exploits with the bat, White also carries a 7-2 record with a 3.14 ERA in 63.0 innings. Another two-way player, Dinga serves as the closer, as he has saved five ballgames and holds a 0.93 ERA in 17 relief appearances.</p>

<p>All-Time Series: Navy 100, Army 83
Navy owns a 100-83 (.546) all-time advantage over Army in the 101-year series history that began in 1901. The Midshipmen recorded their 100th all-time victory over the Black Knights this year with a 6-4 victory in West Point on April 21.</p>

<p>Away From West Point ... Advantage Navy
This Saturday’s matchup between Navy and Army will be the 100th game played away from West Point in series history, with the Midshipmen holding a 61-38 (.616) all-time advantage. The Midshipmen have won 10 of their 13 games against the Black Knights at a neutral site.</p>

<p>All-American vs. All-American ... Round 2
Navy All-American right-handed pitcher Mitch Harris and Army All-American southpaw pitcher Nick Hill are slated to go in the elimination game on Saturday, marking the second time that the two will face off this year. On April 21 in West Point, Harris only allowed an unearned run over five-plus innings with seven strikeouts for the Mids and left with the lead. Hill was touched for three runs on eight hits over seven innings, but did not factor in the decision.
Prior to this year’s first meeting, two All-American pitchers had not faced off against one another during the storied 101-year Army-Navy series history.</p>

<p>Scouting Lafayette
Lafayette have earned the right to host this year’s Patriot League Tournament by winning the regular season title with a 17-3 record in league play and own a 30-17 overall record. The Leopards have been impressive on their home field in 2007, posting a 14-4 record at Class of 1978 Stadium.
Sparking a Lafayette offense that has averaged 5.34 runs per game is leadoff hitter James Conrad, who is hitting .352 with 59 runs scored, 42 stolen bases and a .456 on-base percentage. Jeff Butler (.366), Chris Luick (.327) and Mike Raible (.324) all sport batting averages above the .300 mark heading into the weekend. Kevin Leasure has belted 15 doubles and four home runs while driving in 44 runs and hitting .299.
Complementing the offense is a pitching staff that has 12 complete games and features a starting rotation that has combined for an ERA under 3.00. Starters Kevin Reese (6-1, 2.30 ERA), Matt Kamine (6-3, 2.55 ERA), Jeremy Atkins (6-2, 2.98 ERA) and Ted Gjeldum (2-3, 3.28) have logged 257.2 of the team’s 396.1 innings and have maintained a 2.78 strikeout/walk ratio (167 strikeouts/60 walks).</p>

<p>All-Time Series vs. Lafayette
Navy owns a 52-28-2 (.646) advantage in the all-time series against Lafayette, one that dates back to the 1900 season. The Midshipmen have gone 17-13 (.567) against the Leopards in Easton, Pa., which includes last year’s four-game series split between the two ballclubs at Class of 1978 Stadium.</p>

<p>Navy Breaks School Record for Wins
The Midshipmen broke the school record for wins in a season with its 35th victory of 2007 coming against Maryland-Eastern Shore on May 6 in Annapolis. The 2007 ballclub topped the previous mark of 34 wins set by a 1995 squad that won the Patriot League and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.</p>

<p>Records Were Made to be Broken
In addition to breaking the school record for wins, this year’s Navy baseball team has set two team records and will break another on Saturday. The Midshipmen have set school records for innings pitched (449.1) and strikeouts (402) and have matched the program record for games played (54).
The 2007 Midshipmen also rank among the top 10 teams in eight additional statistical categories: at bats (2nd, 1739), saves (2nd, 11), strikeouts/nine innings (3rd, 8.05), hits (4th, 463), total bases (5th, 597), runs scored (10th, 281), runs batted in (10th, 255) and shutouts (10th, 4).</p>

<p>Back-to-Back 30-Win Seasons
With their 6-4 win over Army in West Point on April 21, the Midshipmen posted back-to-back 30 wins seasons for the first time in the program’s storied 112-year history. In fact, the most wins by a Navy ballclub following a 30-win season prior to this year was 24 by the 1996 squad, as the 1995 team tallied a then-program record 34 wins.</p>

<p>Navy in the National Rankings
The Navy baseball squad ranks among the nation’s top 50 schools in three statistical categories going into this weekend’s action. The Midshipmen have fanned an average of 8.1 batters per nine innings in 2007, the 21st-highest mark in the country. Navy’s pitchers have also combined for a 3.93 team ERA, which ranks 45th in the nation. Navy’s .648 winning percentage by virtue of its 35-19 record places itself 44th on the national list.</p>

<p>Five Midshipmen Named All-Patriot League
The Navy baseball team landed five players on All-Patriot League teams, the second-most players selected in the league this year and the most for the Midshipmen since the 2003 campaign.
First baseman Thomas Hamilton (Houston, Texas) and second baseman Michael Garcia (Kailua, Hawai’i) each were named First-Team All-Patriot League as the Navy owned the two highest batting averages in league play this year.
Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) became the first Navy player in school history to earn All-Patriot League kudos at two different positions in the same year, as he was a second-team all-league selection as both a designated hitter and a pitcher. JD Melton (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) leads the league with nine saves in being named Second-Team All-Patriot League as a relief pitcher, while Drew Lydon (White Plains, Md.) was a second-team all-league selection at third base.</p>

<p>Two Patriot League Sweeps
With Navy’s series sweep of Lehigh on April 14-16, the 2007 Mids became just the second team in program history to record two Patriot League, four-game series sweeps in one season. The only other Midshipmen baseball squad to do so came in 1995, as they went on to win the league and advanced to the NCAA regional. </p>

<p>Seven Patriot League Rookie of the Week Awards
Navy claimed Patriot League Rookie-of-the-Week honors for the seventh time this year on April 17, establishing a Patriot League record for the most league awards won by one team in any of the three weekly honors (player of the week, pitcher of the week, rookie of the week).
Steven Soares (Parkland, Fla.) is the first Navy player to earn rookie-of-the-week honors twice, while Jonathan Berkowitz (Parkland, Fla.), Oliver Drake (Gardner, Mass.), Michael Speciale (Pearland, Texas), Drew Lydon (White Plains, Md.) and Yale Eckert (La Selva Beach, Calif.) each won the award once in 2007.</p>

<p>Patriot League Rookie of the Week: Five-for-Five
Navy won the Patriot League Rookie of the Week Award for five-consecutive weeks to open the year. The 2007 Midshipmen became the first team in Patriot League history to win one award for five-straight weeks, topping Navy’s four-consecutive pitcher-of-the-week accolades during the 1999 season.</p>

<p>He’s Going the Distance
Navy junior right-handed pitcher Mark McCoy (Parkland, Fla.) threw back-to-back nine-inning complete games against Army (April 21) and Bucknell (April 28) for the first time in his career. McCoy is the first pitcher since Scott Kozink in 1999 to go the distance in two-straight nine-inning contests.
The Navy right-hander followed with his third-consecutive complete game performance against Maryland-Eastern Shore in a seven-inning ballgame on May 5, becoming the first Navy pitcher since Rich McDevitt in 2003 to go the distance in three-straight contests. If McCoy were not relinquish the ball in his next start, he would be the first Navy hurler to record four-straight complete games since Matt Cooney tossed six-consecutive complete games during the 2001 slate.
Prior to his start at Army on April 21, McCoy had not gone the distance since his freshman year against Army in 2005, an effort in which he scattered five hits and struck out 10 Black Knights.</p>

<p>Freshmen Making Immediate Impact
Navy has relied heavily upon its freshman class during its successful start to the 2007 season. The Midshipmen have started no fewer than two freshmen in all 54 games this season. On eight occasions, the Mids have slotted six freshmen in the starting lineup, going 6-2 in those contests.</p>

<p>Pair of Eight-Game Winners
Navy junior right-handed pitchers Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) and Mark McCoy (Parkland, Fla.) each have won eight games this year, representing the fourth time that at least two Midshipmen pitchers have won a minimum of eight games in one season during their 112-year program history. Of the three prior occasions, the Mids advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1986 and 1995).</p>

<p>Mitch and Mark ... Mercy Me
Navy junior right-handed pitchers Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) and Mark McCoy (Parkland, Fla.) have combined to retire 176 batters via strikeout this season, marking the second-most potent strikeout tandem in program history. Harris has fanned 114 batters in 82.1 innings this year, while McCoy has used the strikeout 62 times over his 78.2 innings on the hill.
The Navy tandem needs only three strikeouts to top the Midshipmen duo of Scott Kozink and Shane Groover that teamed up for 178 strikeouts during the 1999 campaign.</p>

<p>23 Non-League Wins
Navy’s 23 non-league wins this season ranks as the second-highest total in school history, only one behind last year’s 24-win output during out-of-league games. Navy’s 18 wins prior to the start of Patriot League play also ranks second in program history, only one win shy of the record set by the 2006 squad.</p>

<p>Navy Reaches 1,600 All-Time Wins
Navy registered its 1,600th victory during its 112-year program history with a 2-1 win over Monmouth on March 11 in Annapolis. The Midshipmen entered the 2007 campaign as the 48th-winningest team in the nation, having won 60 percent of their all-time contests.</p>

<p>Kosty Gets Career Win No. 550
Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos picked up his 550th career victory with a 9-7 victory over Buffalo on March 15 in Annapolis. The 18-year veteran head coach reached the 550-win mark after spending his first-seven years at Providence in 1990-96, and nine seasons at Maine from 1997-05, before taking over the reigns of the Midshipmen baseball program in 2006.</p>

<p>Mids Use the Long Ball
After hitting four home runs during its first-26 games of the season, Navy pounded eight home runs over a five-game stretch from March 27 to April 1. Six different Midshipmen had a hand in on the act during this run, highlighted by Mitch Harris’ (Mt. Holly, N.C.) home runs in back-to-back-to-back games at Holy Cross. Thomas Hamilton (Houston, Texas), Drew Lydon (White Plains, Md.), Kendall Bolt (Stockton, Calif.), Jonathan Berkowitz (Parkland, Fla.) and Jack Ferrick (Stafford, Va.) each went deep in Navy’s 16-3 win at Mount St. Mary’s on March 27.</p>

<p>Harris Homered in Back-to-Back-to-Back Games
Navy junior Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) became just the second player in school history to belt a home run in three-consecutive games when he performed the feat at Holy Cross on March 31-April 1. The only other player to hit a round-tripper in back-to-back-to-back games was Mark Zematis at East Carolina on March 4-5, 2000.
Harris is the first player in program history to hit a four-bagger in three-straight Patriot League games.</p>

<p>Harris Ranking in Several Strikeout Categories
Junior right-handed pitcher Mitch Harris (Mt. Holly, N.C.) ranks among Navy’s top-five pitchers in career strikeouts, career strikeouts per nine innings and career strikeouts before his senior year, as well as third in Patriot League career strikeouts. Harris ranks second on the career strikeouts list with 249, which is also the highest total in school history before his senior campaign. His 12.43 career strikeouts per nine innings ranks first all-time, more than two strikeouts per game better than the second-best mark.
This year, Harris has struck out 114 batters in 82.1 innings, placing him first on the program’s and league’s single-season strikeouts per nine innings list with 12.46. His 114 strikeouts in 2007 tops the Patriot League all-time single-season list and ranks second second in school history.</p>

<p>Navy’s Melton on NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List
For his impressive performance coming out of the bullpen this year, Navy baseball freshman closer JD Melton (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) was one of 40 pitchers selected for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List. The third annual award is presented to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball.
Melton has come in relief 19 times during his first season in Annapolis, owning a 3-2 record with a Patriot League-best nine saves and 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings of work. The Navy right-hander has limited the opposition to a .238 batting average and has struck out 17 batters while walking only nine.</p>

<p>Melton: Saving the Game
Navy freshman reliever JD Melton (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) owns the Navy freshman saves record with nine saves this season, five more than the previous record held by Todd Bizba in 1985. Melton’s nine saves also places him second on the all-time single-season saves list, only behind Ryan Hefner’s 10 saves last year. The Navy freshman’s nine saves also places him for third on the career saves list and matches the seventh-highest single-season mark in Patriot League history.</p>

<p>Hollins Moving Up Stolen Base List
Junior center fielder Renaldo Hollins (Virginia Beach, Va.) ranks fourth on the career stolen bases list with 50 during his first two-plus seasons. Hollins is just the second player in school history to steal 10 or more bases in a year for three-consecutive seasons. Craig Candeto is the only other player to achieve this feat, swiping 10-plus bases during each of his four seasons from 2001-04.
Hollins’ back-to-back 20-steal seasons joins him with John Cocca in 2001-02 as the only Navy baserunner to swipe 20 bases in two-straight years.</p>

<p>Record-Setting Crowd Against Bucknell
During Navy’s Patriot League doubleheader against Bucknell on April 28, 1,267 fans poured into Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium in Annapolis to break the stadium’s attendance record since the crowd sizes started being kept in 1980. Prior to the game, there was a field dedication ceremony to the Terwilliger Brothers and the first 1,000 fans received a free Navy baseball hat.
The attendance on that day was the largest for a Patriot League game this season and the most to watch a league doubleheader since Army and navy played in front of 2,550 fans in Oriole Park at Camden Yards last season.</p>

735

<p>Ranking the non-BCS coaches</p>

<p>Tom Dienhart
Sporting News
10 May 2007</p>

<p>I haven't forgotten about the 53 non-BCS coaches. Here's how I rank 'em.</p>

<ol>
<li>Gary Patterson, TCU</li>
<li>Chris Petersen, Boise State
3. Paul Johnson, Navy</li>
<li>Jeff Bower, Southern Miss</li>
<li>Bronco Mendenhall, BYU</li>
<li>Dick Tomey, San Jose State</li>
<li>June Jones, Hawaii</li>
<li>George O'Leary, UCF</li>
<li>Art Briles, Houston</li>
<li>Pat Hill, Fresno State</li>
<li>Joe Novak, Northern Illinois</li>
<li>Larry Blakeney, Troy</li>
<li>Mike Price, UTEP</li>
<li>Todd Graham, Tulsa</li>
<li>Chris Ault, Nevada</li>
<li>Tom Amstutz, Toledo</li>
<li>J.D. Brookhart, Akron</li>
<li>Kyle Whittingham, Utah</li>
<li>Frank Solich, Ohio</li>
<li>Skip Holtz, East Carolina</li>
<li>Sonny Lubick Colorado State</li>
<li>Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic</li>
<li>Rocky Long, New Mexico</li>
<li>Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State</li>
<li>Bill Cubit, Western Michigan</li>
<li>Charlie Weatherbie, Louisiana-Monroe</li>
<li>Joe Glenn, Wyoming</li>
<li>Steve Roberts, Arkansas State</li>
<li>Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green</li>
<li>Brady Hoke, Ball State</li>
<li>Hal Mumme, New Mexico State</li>
<li>Tommy West, Memphis</li>
<li>Rickey Bustle, Louisiana-Lafayette</li>
<li>Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio)</li>
<li>Phil Bennett, SMU</li>
<li>Doug Martin, Kent State</li>
<li>Bob Toledo, Tulane</li>
<li>Mark Snyder, Marshall</li>
<li>David Bailiff, Rice</li>
<li>Mike Sanford, UNLV</li>
<li>Al Golden, Temple</li>
<li>Chuck Long, San Diego State</li>
<li>Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan</li>
<li>Brent Guy, Utah State</li>
<li>Turner Gill, Buffalo</li>
<li>Neil Callaway, UAB</li>
<li>Mario Cristobal, Florida International</li>
<li>Troy Calhoun, Air Force</li>
<li>Butch Jones, Central Michigan</li>
<li>Robb Akey, Idaho</li>
<li>Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech</li>
<li>Todd Dodge, North Texas</li>
<li>Stan Brock, Army</li>
</ol>

<p>Five best 60 and older</p>

<p>Dick Tomey, San Jose State 69
Joe Novak, Northern Illinois 62
George O'Leary, UCF 61
Mike Price, UTEP 61
Chris Ault, Nevada 60</p>

<p>Five best 45 and younger</p>

<p>Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 41
Chris Petersen, Boise State 42
Todd Graham, Tulsa 42
J.D. Brookhart, Akron 42
Skip Holtz, East Carolina 43</p>

<p>Five on the rise </p>

<p>Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green
Al Golden, Temple
Brady Hoke, Ball State
Steve Roberts, Arkansas State
Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State</p>

<p>Five on the decline</p>

<p>Joe Glenn, Wyoming
Sonny Lubick, Colorado State
Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic
Bob Toledo, Tulane
Tommy West, Memphis</p>

736

<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Friday, May 11, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>

<h1>11 Texas Defeats Navy in NCAA Tennis Opener</h1>

<p>AUSTIN, Texas - After narrowly losing the doubles point, the Navy tennis team dropped a trio of straight-set singles matches to lose a 4-0 decision to No. 11 Texas, Friday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Austin, Texas.</p>

<p>Navy, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the Patriot League, ends the season with a 15-11 record, while the 11th-ranked Longhorns improved to 19-8 with the win. Texas will play the winner of Friday's second match between Boise State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday in the second round of the postseason.</p>

<p>"This was a very competitive match, far more than the final score indicates," said Navy head coach John Officer. "We had great chances to win the doubles point and were involved in three very close singles matches."</p>

<p>Despite Navy's No. 2 doubles team of Jason Hill (So., Marietta, Ga.) and Adrian Lai (Sr., Adrian Lai) dropping an 8-4 decision to Luis Diaz Barriga and John Wiegand, the Mids had their opportunities to win the remaining two doubles matches and claim the doubles point.</p>

<p>Navy's No. 3 team of Alex James (Jr., Visalia, Calif.) and Ramsey Lemaich (Fr., Danville, Calif.) broke serve to take a 4-2 lead over Milan Mihailovoc and Jonah Kane-West, but James was immediately broken to put the players back on serve. James was broken again on his next serve to give the Longhorns a 6-5 lead then, after Texas held serve, Lemaich was broken to end the match and give Texas the 8-5 win in the match and the doubles point.</p>

<p>Navy's Nate Nelms (So., St. Mary's, Ga.) and Johnny Waters (So., Papillion, Neb.) had a similar match at No. 1 doubles against the 30th-ranked team in the country of Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala. The Mids recorded a break of serve to take a 5-3 lead, but Nelms was broken on his ensuing serve to cut the Navy lead to 5-4. With Navy holding a 6-5 lead and Texas serving, the Mids held a 40-30 lead to go up 7-5, but lost the point and the two ensuing points to tie the match at six games apiece. Waters had his serve broken to give the Longhorns a 7-6 lead when the match was stopped due the doubles point already being won by Texas.</p>

<p>In singles, both Lai and Stanley Kahl (Sr., Richland, Pa.) lost 6-1, 6-1 matches at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively, to put the Mids in a 3-0 hole. Waters then dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision to Luis Diaz Barriga at No. 2 singles to end the match.</p>

<p>In the unfinished matches, Lemaich held a 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 lead over Rook Schellenberg at No. 6 singles, Nelms trailed 7-6 (4), 1-0 to Dimitar Kutrovsky at No. 1 and Jonah Kane-West held a 7-5, 1-1 lead over James at No. 5.</p>

<p>"We lost decisively to North Carolina in the middle of the season and they are a very comparable team to Texas, so I think the results today showed how much we have improved in a very short time," said Officer.</p>

<p>"I was very pleased with how we came out ready to play today. The NCAA experience and the pressure of playing a nationally-ranked team in a big stadium was not overwhelming." </p>

<p>This was Navy's first Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years.</p>

<p>"Overall we are pleased with how the season went," said Officer. "We made a lot of strides forward for the program. Now we need to have a good summer and carry this momentum and experience into next year. We have to come back in the fall ahead of where we were at this year, which will result in us being ahead of the game come the start of the spring season."</p>

<h1>11 Texas (19-8) def. Navy (15-11), 4-0</h1>

<p>Penick-Allison Tennis Center
Doubles (Texas wins the doubles point)
1 - Kutrovsky / Zavala (T) led Nelms / Waters, 7-6
2 - Diaz Barriga / John Wiegand (T) def. Hill / Lai, 8-4
3 - Mihailovic / Kane-West (T) def. James / Lemaich, 8-5</p>

<p>Singles
1 - Dimitar Kutrovsky (T) led Nate Nelms, 7-6 (4), 1-0
2 - Luis Diaz Barriga (T) def. Johnny Waters, 6-4, 6-2
3 - Milan Mihailovoc (T) def. Adrian Lai, 6-1, 6-1
4 - Josh Zavala (T) def. Stanley Kahl, 6-1, 6-1
5 - Jonah Kane-West (T) led Alex James, 7-5, 1-1
6 - Ramsey Lemaich (N) led Rook Schellenberg, 6-3, 1-6, 1-0</p>

737

<p>Nieves Sparks Navy Into USL WDIA Finals
Mids rally past UC Santa Barbara, 11-8. </p>

<p>DENVER, Colo. -- Sophomore goalie Vanessa Nieves came off the bench to record 10 saves and lead second-seeded Navy to an 11-8 victory over third-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The win moves Navy into the USL WDIA national championship game on Saturday at 3:00 pm (MST) at the University of Denver's Barton Stadium against the winner of Cal Poly-Colorado State. </p>

<p>"Vanessa, obviously, came up big today in goal for us and really gave us a lift off the bench," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "She made several key saves and really controlled the game. It was a fantastic effort by her, and the defense as well. We played really well on the defensive end after yesterday's performance. It was good to bounce back with such a strong effort." </p>

<p>Nieves entered the game with Navy trailing 5-3 after just 11 minutes of play. The Long Branch, N.J., native allowed just three goals while making a career-high 10 saves in the final 41 minutes of the game. </p>

<p>UCSB freshman Maggie Aker scored two goals and an assist during a three-goal UCSB run in the first half that gave the Gauchos the 5-3 lead, but Navy scored the final three goals of the first half to take a 6-5 halftime lead. Navy freshman Erin Rawlick scored two of the three goals. </p>

<p>UCSB's Katie LaJoie scored first in the second half to tie the game at six, but Navy put together another three-goal run, capped by another Rawlick goal with 16:07 remaining, to go in front 9-6. UCSB was unable to get closer than two goals down the stretch. </p>

<p>Rawlick (4 g) and Amanda Towey (1 g, 3 a) led the Mids with four points each. Freshman Mary Ruttum tallied three goals, while Elise Chapdelaine scored twice. Valerie Cappalaere rounded out Navy's scoring with one goal. In addition to Nieves, Natalie Blandon stopped one shot in the first half. </p>

<p>The Cal Poly-Colorado State was being played at the time of release. Cal Poly is the six-time defending champion and entering today's game, was 23-0 all-time in the USL WDIA Tourmament. The title game will be televised nationally on a tape delay basis by CSTV with the first airing scheduled for Wednesday, May 16 at 8:00 pm (EST).</p>

738

<p>PRINCETON, N.J. -- Justine Whipple placed second in the 10,000-meter run to lead the Navy contingent at the IC4A Championships on Friday at Princeton University. Whipple was the lone placewinner for either squad in three events.</p>

<p>Whipple finished the 10,000-meter run with a clocking of 35:11.84, just three-and-a-half seconds shy of the school record. Her clocking was also just 11.84 seconds short of NCAA provisional qualifying status. The winner finished the race in 34:58.82, defeating Whipple by 13 seconds. Her finish gave Navy eight points on the women's side, good for fifth place after day one.</p>

<p>On the men's side, Andre Barber recorded Navy's best finish on the day, with an 11th-place showing in the discus at 152-07. Navy's other participant came in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, where Michael Niemi placed 28th with a time of 9:42.48.</p>

<p>Action in the IC4A Championships will continue on Saturday. Navy's first event on the men's side will begin at 11:00 am, while Navy's women's action gets underway at 1:00 pm.</p>

739

<p>Published in the Annapolis Capital:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_12-43/NAS%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_12-43/NAS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Sophomore goalie Vanessa Nieves came off the bench to record 10 saves and lead second-seeded Navy to an 11-8 victory over third-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The win moves Navy into the USL WDIA national championship game today at 5 p.m. at the University of Denver's Barton Stadium against the winner of Cal Poly-Colorado State.</p>

<p>"Vanessa, obviously, came up big today in goal for us and really gave us a lift off the bench," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "She made several key saves and really controlled the game. It was a fantastic effort by her, and the defense as well. We played really well on the defensive end after yesterday's performance. It was good to bounce back with such a strong effort."...

[/quote]
</p>

740

<p>For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Navy Drops 5-3 Decision to Army in Patriot League Tournament</p>

<p>EASTON, Pa. – The Navy baseball team had a pair of late-inning rallies come up just short as the Midshipmen fell to Army, 5-3, in the elimination game of the 2007 Patriot League Tournament at Lafayette’s Class of 1978 Stadium on Saturday afternoon.</p>

<p>The third-seeded Midshipmen finished the year with a 35-20 mark, while the second-seeded Black Knights improved to 25-21-1 and moved on to the best-of-three championship series against host Lafayette.</p>

<p>“We had some opportunities with our 11 base hits, but we never got that big extra-base hit with guys on,” stated Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “Striking out 14 times was a killer and I give a lot of credit to (Army starter) Nick Hill. That has been our nemesis all year, not putting the ball into play. That is something we definitely have to work on heading into next season.”</p>

<p>The Black Knights carried a 5-1 lead into the eighth before the Mids made things interesting. Renaldo Hollins (Jr./Virginia Beach, Va.) led off with a single and an infield single by Michael Garcia (Sr./Kailua, Hawai’i). After a strikeout, Hamilton roped a single to the gap in left center to score Hollins and advance Garcia to third. With the tying run at the plate in the form of Mitch Harris (Jr./Mt. Holly, N.C.), Hill induced an inning-ending double play to avoid further damage.</p>

<p>One inning later, Kendall Bolt (Fr./Stockton, Calif.) delivered a one-out single and would move to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Mike Hoosier (Fr./Pomona, N.Y.) roped a single to left to put runners on the corners and send Hollins to the plate as the tying run. Army lifted starter Nick Hill for its closer Milan Dinga, who was greeted with a hard-hit single to left that plated Bolt and moved pinch-runner Dominic Lopez (Sr./Quincy, Mich.) to second. With Garcia at the plate representing the go-ahead run, Dinga recorded a strikeout to end the ballgame.</p>

<p>Harris was tagged for the loss despite not giving up an earned run for his second-consecutive start. The right-hander allowed six hits and four runs, all unearned, with two walks and five strikeouts over six innings of work. Harris finished his junior campaign with an 8-5 record. He did not allow an earned run in 11.0 innings against the Black Knights this year and has a 0.53 career ERA in 17.0 innings versus Army.</p>

<p>Hill yielded 10 hits and two runs over 8.2 innings with no walks and a career-best 13 strikeouts. He improved his record to 7-3 on the campaign.</p>

<p>Navy manufactured the first run of the ballgame in the fourth inning. Thomas Hamilton (Jr./Houston, Texas) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Harris reached on a fielder’s choice putout at second base. Harris advanced to second on a passed ball and moved third on a wild pitch before Bolt.) laced a single off the pitcher’s glove to plate Harris and give the Mids a 1-0 advantage.</p>

<p>The lead would not last long, as Army plated four unearned runs off Harris in the bottom half of the fourth. After a leadoff walk, the Navy hurler induced what appeared to be a groundball double play to second. However, the ball took a bad hop and glanced off the second baseman’s shoulder and the Mids were unable to get any outs on the play. The Black Knights followed with sacrifice bunt before using a single, fielder’s choice, triple and double to claim a 4-1 cushion.</p>

<p>Hamilton, Bolt, Hoosier and Hollins each produced two hits on the afternoon as the Midshipmen out-hit the Black Knights, 11-9. Hamilton also was hit by a pitch twice in reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances on Saturday.</p>

<p>“Thomas did a real nice job at the plate today,” commented Kostacopoulos. “He really had a great at bat in the eighth inning, working, fouling off pitches before getting a hit to left-center. It was also nice to see Kendall (Bolt), Mike (Hoosier) and Renaldo (Hollins) produce with two hits today.”</p>

<p>This year’s Navy baseball squad won more games (35) and played more contests (55) than any other team in the program’s 112-year history. The 2007 Midshipmen also made the Patriot League Tournament for the 12th time in school history and the first since the 2004 campaign.</p>

<p>“Looking back on a 55-game season, there were certainly a lot of positives that came from this year’s team,” said Kostacopoulos. “We have come a long way in becoming a better baseball program over the last two years. We have continued to take steps in the right direction. This year’s squad has definitely built upon the progress from last year. With our youth this year, there’s a good opportunity next year to build upon the performances put forth this season.”</p>