Navy personnel are fine with making life tough, and the Naval Academy rugby team has embraced that ethos this season with a tough lineup of opponents and games for all levels.

The Midshipmen made the move to D1A Mid-South because they “wanted the most competitive 15s schedule possible,” said head coach Gavin Hickie. Navy may very well have the toughest schedule in all of collegiate rugby after adding a bevy of D1A Mid-South teams to its already challenging rivalries with powerhouse Penn State and service academies Air Force and Army.

The Midshipmen will put out three sides this fall season all playing at least six matches. 

Hickie says there are challenges to having three competitive sides, but there is also an upside. 

“Win, lose, or draw, this fall season will test us in every possible way," he said. "From coaching resources to player resources to medical resources it will be a trial by fire and that is what the Midshipmen want.” 

Last season, Navy’s second side did not have any development games. Hickie believes the lack of match play set the Midshipmen back in developing their rugby IQ. The Navy athletes can compete physically with anyone in the country considering their daily physical training regimen. A few of the first side players have prior rugby experience, but for the most part, the team will draw from the freshman class, who on the Naval Academy campus are called plebes.

 

Plebe Performance

Last season one 6-foot-4, 215-pound plebe began his first season of rugby and landed himself on the Collegiate All-American 7s list. Hickie expects Phil Dalke to make an even greater impact this season as he matures. 

“I have never seen a player take to the game so well,” Hickie said. 

Dalke was an integral cog in Navy's sevens side in the CRCs, where the Midshipmen faced similar top level opponents to those they will face this fall in 15s. Is Dalke an early favorite for the Scholz Award? 

Who’s Next?

Former Midshipmen captain Connor McNerney was recognized as the best men's college rugby player in the nation this past season after winning the 2017-18 Scholz Award.

“Connor is a special human being and what he did is set the tone for our culture," Hickie said. "At Navy, we pride ourselves on our leadership, and Connor Mcnerney raised that standard. If we continue in that direction we just ask ‘who's next?’”

This season Navy will be captained by wing Mike Samaniego, who will have huge shoes to fill following the standard set by McNerney. 

In the D1A quarterfinals, Navy fell six points short of Cal, which eventually lost to Life in the championship game. This season, the Midshipmen will have three sides developing throughout the season with the first side facing arguably the toughest schedule in college rugby. If Navy survives its trial by fire, the Midshipmen will position themselves well in the D1A playoffs to come and could potentially put forward more Scholz Award nominees.