Navy Announces Class of 2012 & 2008 Schedule

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Twenty prospects from eight states are among the newcomers to the Navy water polo program's Class of 2012, which reported for Plebe Summer and the Naval Academy's "Induction Day" on July 2.

"Without question we have some big shoes to fill from last year's squad, it would be great to see several of these guys get right into the mix this fall. Our coaches are really excited to begin working with each and every one of them," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield.

The Navy program found a lot of success on the recruiting trail after last year's record-breaking season. The Midshipmen posted a school-record 30-6 record last year with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championship, the highest finish for the program in school history.

"Last year's results certainly helped out," said Schofield. "We landed some players who gave us a second look because of what we accomplished last year, and maybe as important, the Midshipmen they met here on their recruiting trips."

"I'm grateful to our players, coaches Stanicic and Popp, and our administration for creating the team environment that we all enjoy."

Twelve of the players come from talent-rich California, while two hail from Florida. The other six are from up-and-coming water polo states such as Illinois, Texas, Oregon, New Mexico, Massachusetts and Maryland.

NAVY WATER POLO CLASS OF 2012 (HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL)
Matt Carlson (Oak Park, Calif./Agoura)
Kasey Condon (Fullerton, Calif./Troy)
Christopher Chow (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades)
Scott Cotton (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad)
Jeffrey Davis (LaVerne, Calif./Bonita)
Matthew Downing (Hanford, Calif./Hanford West)
Austin Fleming (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Seth Freedman (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva)
Conor Handley (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North)
Chase Hansen (Newberg, Ore./Veritas School)
Chester Heer (San Rafeal, Calif./Marin Academy)
Darren McKay (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Northeast)
Stephen Ray (Baytown, Texas/Ross Sterling)
Darren Settle (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak)
Neil Sullivan (Worcester, Mass./Worcester Academy)
Taylor Sultz (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel)
Grant Thorne (Malibu, Calif./Malibu)
Steven Warren (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall)
Kyle Wertz (San Diego, Calif./Westview)
Blaine Worthington (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark)

In addition, Navy has released its 2008 schedule that will feature once again some of the top teams in the country. The Midshipmen will open the season on Sept. 6-7 with the Navy Open. Traditionally, the field in the Navy Open is one of the most competitive in the country and this year is no different, headlined by two-time defending NCAA Champion California. The full schedule can be found at www.navysports.com.