Around the Yard Navy Midshipmen: Winter Sports Championship Season

Navy Swimming and Diving Well Represented at NCAA Championships

The Mids are sending two swimmers and four divers to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas over the next week and a half. Representing Navy are swimmers Lauren Barber and Martina Thomas and divers Meghan Gerdes, Hannah Montau, Bradley Buchter, and Jake Hedrick.

This is Barber’s third trip to the championship, where she will compete in the breaststroke and 200m individual medley. Thomas is just the second mid to make the championship as a freshman, the first being Barber. Thomas will compete in both the 200m and 500m freestyle.

Gerdes and Montau are just the third and fourth Navy divers to make the NCAA championships, and the Mids have not sent a diver to the event since 1996. Both divers will compete in the platform event; additionally Gerdes will compete in the 3-meter and Montau will compete in the 1-meter.

Buchter advances to the championship for the third year in a row, and will compete in the 1 and 3-meter events. Hedrick is making his first championship appearance and will compete in the platform event.

Navy Wrestling Sending Five to NCAA Championship

The Mids are sending 1 senior, 3 juniors, and 1 sophomore to the NCAA tournament. All five Mids received the invitation because of their finishes in their weight class at the 2019 EIWA Championship earlier this month.

This is the 71st time Navy has participated in the tournament and the 5th time under coach Joel Sharratt. Navy has had at least one wrestler participate in the tournament for the last 23 years. Team Captain Nicholas Gil is the wrestler to watch, as he is just two wins shy of catching Peyton Walsh (108-39) for 11th best record in program history.

Navy Track and Field Cleans Up Patriot League Honors

Clayton Thompson, Sean Brennan, Sam Orie, and Chloe Alfieri all brought home Patriot League honors this week. Thompson (Track), Brennan (Field), and Orie (Field) were all announced as Athlete of the Week for their respective areas of competition; Alfieri was named female Rookie of the Week.

Thompson set Navy records for the 110m and 400m hurdles, and second place in long jump. Brennan took the top spot in the hammer throw, and took second in the shot put and discus.

Orie recorded top ten finishes in shot put (2nd), Hammer (2nd), and discus (6th). Alfieri also recorded 3 top ten finishes in the 100m (6th), 200m (2nd), and was the anchor in Navy’s first place finish in the 4x100