Annapolis Guide 8.30.26 - Flipbook - Page 34
34 Annapolis Guide | Sunday, August 30, 2026
EDUCATION
YEAR IN REVIEW
Football success kicked off
banner year for Navy athletics
By Bill Wagner
Serving as leader of the Naval Academy athletic department was described
as a “dream job” by Michael Kelly.
Kelly’s first year as Navy athletic director had to be considered a dream
come true, as it was a smashing success
from start to finish.
Navy football kicked off a banner year
by posting an 11-2 record, capturing the
coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy
and beating Cincinnati in the Liberty
Bowl. The Midshipmen finished in a
three-way tie for first place in the
American Conference.
Navy men’s and women’s basketball
highlighted the winter season as both
claimed Patriot League regular-season
championships and earned berths in the
National Invitation Tournament.
Navy women’s lacrosse wrapped up
the 2025-26 school year by capturing
the Patriot League Tournament title and
advancing to the quarterfinals of the
NCAA Tournament.
Along the way, Navy dominated archrival Army in the annual Star Series,
presented by USAA. The Midshipmen
posted a 17-8-1 record in Star competitions and clinched the series in February.
Navy captured the 2025-26 Patriot
League President’s Cup for the 11th time
in the last 12 years. Navy claimed 10 Patriot League championships on the way
to compiling 154 points to finish atop
the standings after placing second the
previous year.
Kelly, who succeeded Chet Gladchuk
as athletic director, was particularly
proud that Navy finished 73rd out of 361
Division I schools in the Learfield Directors Cup. The Midshipmen amassed
321 1/2 points, which was the most
among the three service academies, the
most of any Patriot League school, and
the most of all American Conference
members.
It is believed to be Navy’s best finish
in the history of the Learfield Cup, a
competition administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
“There is no question this has been an
incredible and very storybook year for
Navy athletics,” Kelly said in late May.
“To win the Star Series so convincingly
was very rewarding and we take great
pride in reclaiming the President’s Cup.
We also place emphasis on the Learfield
Cup, which evaluates Division I pro-
Navy football coach Brian Newberry and Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, the Naval Academy superintendent, hoist the Liberty Bowl
championship trophy. Steve Ehrhart, the Liberty Bowl executive director, made the presentation. RONNIE GILLIS/NAVY ATHLETICS
grams nationally.”
Quarterback Blake Horvath and nose
guard Landon Robinson, the senior cocaptains, led the way as Navy football
started the season with seven straight
wins before finally falling to North
Texas, 31-17, on the road in Denton. That
defeat would wind up costing the Midshipmen as the head-to-head result determined the tiebreaker that put the
Mean Green in the American Conference championship game.
Standout slotback Eli Heidenreich delivered a record-setting receiving performance as Navy defeated Air Force in
a thriller, 34-31. Horvath connected
with Heidenreich on the game-winning
touchdown pass as Navy beat archrival
Army in a nailbiter, 17-16
Navy put an exclamation point on the
superb campaign by blowing out Cincinnati of the Big 12 Conference, 35-13,
in the Liberty Bowl. It marked the second straight season the Mids beat a
Power Four Conference team in the
postseason.
Navy’s 21 wins marked the most in
back-to-back seasons in the 147-year
history of the program. Navy was ultimately presented with the Lambert
Trophy as champions of the East.
“I think winning is contagious. Football laid the foundation, and things took
off from there,” Kelly said.
Other highlights during the fall season included men’s cross country, men’s
and women’s golf and sprint football
Navy men’s basketball coach Jon Perry
talks to Austin Benigni, left, and Aidan
Kehoe, right, on the bench.
PAUL W. GILLESPIE/STAFF FILE
capturing conference championships.
Kelly made the first coaching change
of his tenure by firing men’s soccer
coach Tim O’Donohue and hiring John
Hackworth. Landing Hackworth was
quite a coup as he has enjoyed a highly
decorated career at all levels, including
Major League Soccer and with the
United States national team.
Jon Perry was promoted to replace
his mentor, Ed DeChellis, as Navy men’s
basketball coach and made an outstanding debut. Perry directed a veteran
squad to a 17-1 conference record. It was
only the second time a men’s basketball
team had lost just one game since the
Patriot League expanded to 10 teams
and an 18-game schedule in 2013-14.
Senior point guard Austin Benigni
was named Patriot League Player of the
Year. Senior center Aidan Kehoe, who
led the nation in field goal shooting percentage, was the Defensive Player of the
Year.
“Going 17-1 in the conference is pretty
darn good; Coach Perry did an extremely effective job of leading that
team,” Kelly said.
Meanwhile, Navy women’s basketball
enjoyed the finest season of the Tim
Taylor era, going 22-9 overall and 16-2
in the conference. The Midshipmen
captured the Patriot League outright
regular season crown for the first time
since 2014.
Versatile junior guard Zanai BarnettGay was named both Patriot League
Player of the Year and Defensive Player
of the Year. Freshman Zoe Mesuch was
tabbed Rookie of the Year, the third
straight season that honor went to the
Midshipmen.
Barnett was also an Associated Press
honorable mention All-American, becoming just the second Navy player so
honored, along with Jennifer Coleman
(2022).
“Tim Taylor has shown tremendous
resilience to bring the women’s program
back from a 1-29 season [in 2022-23].
He’s done a terrific job of recruiting and
the depth of talent in the program just
keeps getting better and better,” Kelly
said.
Unfortunately for both teams, the
2025-26 basketball season came to an
