The Army West Point Water Polo team competed in their Annual Home Memorial Tournament. This was the team’s second tournament of the spring semester, and was an excellent opportunity for the team to compete together against some good opponents. The team began the tournament with a match-up against NYC LaFemme, a masters team composed of several ex-D1 players; after a relatively even first quarter, CDTs Shelby Lee and Brendon Cagney took charge of the offense and racked up a large lead for Army, which they were able to maintain to secure the win. In the second game, Army faced off against the Naval Academy; after a Navy comeback in the second quarter to counter Army’s early lead, CDTs Shelby Lee, Colin Stone, Leonid Milman, and Jeff Stark shut down the Navy offense and continued scoring throughout the third and fourth quarters, resulting in an 11-7 victory for Army. For the New York Conference, the Army West Point Water Polo team was honored to have five players nominated for All-Conference awards including CDTs Shelby lee, Brendan Cagney, Jeff Stark, Colin Stone, and Matt Fox. Army was honored to have 11 players chosen for scholar-athlete awards. Three of those players received outstanding distinction, CDTs Halle Kotchman, Elizabeth Challenger, and Timothy Gorman; six players received superior distinction including CDTs Cole Garriott, Jeff Stark, Robert Cavotti, Shelby Lee, Colin Stone, and Nathan Swanson; two players received excellent distinction, including CDTs Cole Highum and Leonid Milman.

Over Spring Break, the West Point Army Crew conducted their spring training on Hartwell Lake in Clemson, SC. CDTs Brad Wagner ’16 and Jefferson Wilkes ’16 served as the lead planners for the FTX-equivalent trip section. All teams conducted rigorous morning and afternoon practices, accelerating their preparation for the spring program. The Varsity and Novice Men prevailed in two of five x1500 meter scrimmages against a strong Purdue program. The Women’s Team scrimmage was cancelled due to incoming inclement weather. For the second year in a row, the entire team conducted their Spring Training with a mission of developing team unity, pride, and respect for one-another with a vision of building “one team of significance, worthy to win”. By all accounts, the operation was a tremendous success.

The Army West Point Fencing Team was proud to host the 88th Annual National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association Championships at home in Arvin Gymnasium. The Women’s Foil Weapon Squad captured their first team title ever in this weapon, finishing third Place behind nationally ranked NCAA DIV I Temple University, and nationally ranked NCAA DIV III Stevens Institute of Technology. The Women’s Foil Squad was led by CDT Claudia Sun, with team mates CDT Samantha Verduzco and CDT Rachel Pennington. Both advanced to Individual Finals, and in the bracket of 16 (a direct elimination), CDT Sun finished 8th place being awarded that finish (now 8th in the Nation) and a berth on the 2nd Team All Conference; CDT Verduzco finished 11th. The Women’s Sabre Squad led by CDT Bethany Forte, with team mates CDT Taylor Sharpsten and CDT Callie Pace, finished 4th place, and both CDT Forte and CDT Sharpsten advanced to the Direct Elimination (DE) of 16 to finish 9th and 10th respectively. The Women’s Team outpaced Navy in two out of three weapons, earning a higher ranking than their service academy rivals all day long. CDT Laura Pleake was presented with the “NIWFA All Academic Award”, a distinction made to her of her academic achievements while also being a member of the Fencing Team. Fencing Coach Bob Grieser was presented with the “NIWFA Founders Award” by the Conference Board in a presentation at the Championships; he is the only male recipient of this award in the 88 year history of the conference.

HAMILTON, NY - The No. 16/18 Army West Point lacrosse team steamed out to a 7-2 lead in the first half and hung on to defeat Colgate, 11-7, in Patriot League action on Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium. The Black Knights (7-2, 4-0 PL) was led by Cole Johnson with another huge game with seven points on three goals and four assists. He has at least six points in his last five games for a total of 35 points. Jimbo Moore chipped in with three points and tied a career high with two goals. Conor Glancy recorded two goals in the win as well. Army was incredible at moving the ball to beat the zone as eight of the 11 goals scored were assisted. Read More

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - The Army West Point baseball team jumped out to a 5-0 lead in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Seton Hall and split the twinbill with a 8-2 victory over the Pirates. The victory ended a three-game losing skid for Army (9-13) and also snapped Seton Hall's 12-game winning streak.

"I thought our guys showed some urgency in game two today in getting us an early lead," head coach Matt Reid said. "Our pitching staff competed in the zone and good things happened for us as a result. We were proud of the execution and effort in game two." Stu Schley went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs to lead the Black Knights' offensive effort. Kris Lindner and Keegan Vega each contributed two hits and Josh White, John McCarthy and Jacob Page recorded one apiece. Read More

SPRINGFIELD, MA - Five members of the Army West Point men's gymnastics team combined for 10 USAG All-America honors with senior Jesse Glenn, junior Leo Genders and freshman Cole Casanova setting the pace with four and two certificates each Saturday afternoon at host Springfield's Blake Arena. Glenn was crowned a USAG National champion on high bar, where he is ranked fourth nationally, after beating the field with a score of 14.825. He claimed USAG All-America (top six) honors in all-around (second), high bar (first), parallel bars (14.275, third) and vault (15.25, fourth).

Glenn has earned nine USAG All-America honors in his Army career having earned five in 2014. A finalist for the Nissen-Emery award, Glenn is just the second Black Knight crowned a USAG champion and the first since Brian Lee took top honors on still rings in 2003. Casanova claimed his first USAG All-America certificate following a third in all-around Friday evening and earned his second on still rings behind a fourth place finish (13.775). Genders picked up a couple of individual event honors following a fourth on high bar (14.175) and tying for fifth on floor exercise (13.825). Read More

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Sophomore wing Jake Lachina's record day included the game-winning try as Army West Point men's rugby powered its way to a 27-22 victory over Navy on Saturday. "I'm very proud of this team," said head coach Matt Sherman. "I thought we showed great composure to rebound from a rough patch in the first half and regain momentum before grinding the game down in the second half. As thrilled as we are with this victory, I firmly believe our best rugby is ahead of us. We will need to remain humble and hungry in advance of our first round playoff fixture with a good Oklahoma squad.

"I'd like to commend Navy on their effort. Those young men played with tremendous tenacity." The Black Knights concluded their regular season at 8-4 while going 3-1 in the spring. Lachina scored Army's first three tries in the fifth, 10th and 14th minutes and added the only try on either side in the final 40 minutes in the 70th to secure the win for the Cadets. The Thousand Oaks, Calif., native became the first Black Knight in program history to score four tries and 20 points in a game. David Huff, Jacob Banarhall and Luke Heun all held the previous record with three tries while Thomas Del Pino was the prior record holder for most points in a match with 18 at West Virginia this fall. Read More

WEST POINT, NY - Down 7-6 with the threat of extra innings on the horizon, the Army West Point softball team rallied late in the seventh inning when Caroline Smith notched a two run RBI double to win the game for the Black Knights 8-7.

"The great thing about this team continues to be that every game someone new steps up in a big way," said head coach Michelle DePolo. "A different person and various aspects of the game whether it's defense, at the plate, base running, or in the circle. There are too many individuals to name that did things to edge us closer or get to that next big play."

The Cadets win today completed the three-game series sweep over Patriot League foe Boston University in the opening weekend of conference play and pushed Army to 18-11 overall and 3-0 in the league. Today's win also increased the Black Knights' winning streak to seven straight. Full Story»

Show your support for wounded, ill and injured service members and Veterans competing from all services and the British Armed Forces in this year’s Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games, all service members, veterans, organizations, families, caregivers and all who support our wounded, ill and injured athletes to participate in the 2016 DoD Warrior Games Spirit Poster Challenge. You may submit your spirit poster design from March 21 – April 3, 2016. Posters will be posted on the Warrior Games Facebook page for voting from April 4 – 8, 2016. The TOP 3 posters, determined by number of “likes,” will be announced on the Warrior Games Facebook page and website on April 11, 2016. The top posters will also be featured all throughout the DoD Warrior Games held at West Point in June. Click here for full details.

WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point guard Kelsey Minato was selected as an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, the organization announced Monday. The senior is the first player in the 39-year history of the Army women's basketball program to be honored as an AP All-American. Minato drew Patriot League Player of the Year honors for the third time in her career earlier this month and became the conference's first player to be named first-team all-league four times. A native of Huntington Beach, Calif., Minato set career scoring marks for Army and the Patriot League after averaging a league-record 23.2 points per game in 2015-16. She finished her career with 2,556 points and led the Black Knights to a 29-3 record and their second Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons. Read More

CENTER VALLEY, PA - Sophomore Briyah Brown and freshman Abby Halbrook of the Army West Point women's track and field team have earned Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, the league announced Monday. Halbrook was named the Rookie of the Week for the second-consecutive week. This is the fourth time this season that the Tyler, Texas, native has been recognized by the Patriot League. Brown earned her first Field Athlete of the Week honors of the 2015-16 season.

"I'm happy for both of them because they're winning these awards at the right time," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mike Smith. "It's one thing to win them in the beginning of the year and another to win them going into the championship season and the meets that matter. It's encouraging that they're at the top of their game and performing at a high level." Halbrook recorded Army's sixth-best 1500m time in history at 4:33.88 at Saturday's Penn Challenge. Read More

CENTER VALLEY, PA - Sophomore Lee Bares and freshman Ben Sims of the Army West Point men's track and field team have earned Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, the league announced Monday. Bares was named the Field Athlete of the Week for the second-consecutive week. This is the third time this season that the sophomore from Lakeville, Minn., has been recognized by the Patriot League. Sims earned his first Rookie of the Week honors, and his second overall recognition of the 2015-16 season after being named the Track Athlete of the Week on Dec. 7.

"I'm happy for both of them because they're winning these awards at the right time," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mike Smith. "It's one thing to win them in the beginning of the year and another to win them going into the championship season and the meets that matter. It's encouraging that they're at the top of their game and performing at a high level." Bares won his third individual pole vault title in as many meets, tying his season-high 5.20m at the Penn Challenge on Saturday. Read More

Cadet Curtis Valencia ’16 conducted research for his thesis at the U.S. Army Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute, where he gained a greater understanding of the Army’s role in advising other countries that have experienced mass atrocity. Advanced research opportunities like these are offered through the Academy Scholars Program, which secured great levels of support from West Point graduates, families, and friends through the For Us All Campaign and remains a strategic priority for the Academy. Click here to watch to video interview.

OVERLAND PARK, KS Senior infielder Kasey McCravey was chosen as one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate softball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. McCravey, the second-year captain, leads the Army softball team as the lone senior in 2016. She was named the Patriot League's Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 for the second-straight season and notched her second NFCA All-Region First-Team accolade. She was also an All-Patriot League selection for the third time in her career last spring. Read More

CYPRESS, TX - Army West Point senior Kelsey Minato took part in the 2016 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships on Thursday night at the Berry Center. Click here to watch the video.

She joined 23 other seniors from around the nation at the event and was one of eight women's competitors in the three-point championship. Minato placed second in the women's competition and turned in a 20-point performance in the semfinal round to mark the highest score during the entire contest. Story

For Cadet Joy Schaeffer ’18, Glee Club is more than just an extracurricular activity. She sees her fellow club members as a team, and through music, they inspire, educate, and strengthen the Long Gray Line. Click here to watch the video. The Glee Cub is a Margin of Excellence activity that helps to ensure cadets a well-rounded experience and is supported by gifts to West Point. “Thank you for making these opportunities possible,” she says, “and for your investment in the future leaders of our Army and Nation.”

Senior third basemen and two-year captain Kasey McCravey has made a lasting impact on the Army West Point softball program. Whether it is her strength on the field, or her leadership capabilities, she is always looking to lead her team to the next level. Click here to watch the video. As someone who appears in almost every category of the program's record book, McCravey's selfless approach to the sport is what truly makes her the spark of Army softball. The Senior CLASS Award Finalist reflects on her time at West Point and how softball has and always will fuel her forward. Read More

“General Caslen, on behalf of all Army Rangers and the Class of 1975 and the West Point Society of South Carolina, we present you with Paladin!” said Steve Townes ’75, CEO and Founder of Ranger Aerospace LCC, who has been West Point’s “mule donor in perpetuity” for well over a decade.

Four-year-old Paladin, whose name refers to 1 of the 12 legendary peers or knightly champions in Charlemagne’s court, began his West Point experience on March 31, 2016, reporting to Ranger III, now gray in his muzzle.

In a ceremony to welcome the Army team’s newest mule, Director of Cadet Activities COL Tom Hansbarger ’92 officially signed in Paladin, who had two green duffel bags tied on his back. Several notable guests were on hand to witness the event, including VA Secretary Bob McDonald, another member of the Class of 1975, and LTC Anne Hessinger, an Army veterinarian who served at West Point from 2003 to 2006 and is now an equine officer at Fort Bragg, NC.

Paladin, small in stature, posed calmly for a round of photos after reporting to Ranger III, the mule in the red sash, before being led across the street to the barber while onlookers cheered him on with a rousing “Beat Navy!” chant. Paladin showed his spunk though when he kicked out his left hind leg toward the barber who was trying to get close tom him in order to shave a big “A” into his hind quarters. “He’s just nervous, just like every other plebe on their R-Day,” remarked an officer in the crowd who was watching the event.

At the conclusion of the event, Ranger III and Paladin were loaded into horse trailers for a trip to Morgan Farm, where Paladin will spend his summer at his quarters. He will be officially introduced to the West Point Community and Army football fans on September 10 when Army West Point hosts Rice. The mule mascots will lead the team onto the field, carrying flags and interacting with fans.

Paladin, whose name was selected by the Corps of Cadets and approved by the Superintendent, is the third mule donated by Townes, a former mule rider and former Army officer with the 75th Ranger Regiment who has set up an endowment ensuring the Academy’s future mascots. Ranger III and his brother Stryker, Townes’s last donations, both reported for mascot duty at West Point in 2011. Go to Flickr to see more photos of the ceremony.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Army West Point women's tennis team got revenge for its lone loss against Navy in the last meeting between the two as the Black Knights topped the Midshipmen 6-1 on Saturday afternoon. Army improves to 7-1 in the all-time series against the Mids while moving the season record for the Star Series presented by USAA to 9-8-1 in advantage of Navy. The Black Knights have now won 10 straight games as they improve to 17-3 this year and 3-0 in the Patriot League. The Midshipmen fall to 15-9 this spring and 1-2 in conference.

Senior Carolyn Pitman remained undefeated in her career against Navy. She teamed with Kirby Einck to stay unbeaten with the freshman this spring in doubles for a 6-2 victory. The pairing is now 13-0 in 2016 while Pitman is 5-0 against the Midshipmen in doubles. The West Chester, Ohio, native won for the sixth time in as many tries against the Mids in singles play with a victory in the top singles flight. She had to rally against sophomore Amanda Keller to ultimately take a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. In the academy record books, Pitman took sole possession of eighth place in career singles wins (70) and broke a tie for career dual wins in the number one position (19) as she now stands alone in seventh place. Read More

ATLANTA, GA - For the second season in a row, Army West Point senior Kelsey Minato was recognized as a Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention choice. Minato also drew Associated Press All-America honorable mention praise earlier this week.

The two All-America accolades add to a growing list of Minato's postseason accomplishments this season, as the Huntington Beach, Calif., native was also named espnW Mid-Major Player of the Year, Patriot League Player of the Year and Patriot League Tournament MVP, and was selected to the Senior CLASS Award first team and the ECAC Division I first team.

The senior became the sixth All-American in the 39-year history of the Army women's basketball program after landing WBCA All-America honors last season and now becomes the only player in team history to be selected as an All-American three times. Read More