2023-24 Army Athletics Season In Review

Army wins 2024 Patriot League Tournament Championship

Photo by: Mady Salvani

2023-24 Army Athletics Season In Review

July 24, 2024 | General

The Army football team celebrates winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy defeating Navy 17-11 on Dec. 9, 2023

Beginning in August and continuing through June, Army West Point athletics enjoyed another successful 2023-24 season.

The football program recaptured the coveted Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the 10th time in school history by beating service academy rivals, Air Force and Navy.

Three Black Knight programs were named Patriot League Regular Season Champions. Women’s Cross Country secured its first Patriot League Championship since 2007, and Baseball captured its sixth consecutive Patriot League title. Swimming and diving had a historic season, with five athletes qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials while sending its first swimmer to the NCAA Championships in over 30 years. Track and Field also qualified four members for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and two to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Wrestling celebrated its first All-American since 2008, and men’s lacrosse achieved a No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history.

The success was reflected in four conference Coach of the Year awards. A total of 25 individual conference titles contributed to the overall success, as each of the department’s 27 programs delivered exciting moments throughout 11 months of competition.

FOOTBALL

Army won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the 10th time in school history during the 2023 season (1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023).
Army defeated #17-ranked Air Force, 23-3 and Navy, 17-11 to reclaim the coveted Trophy.
- It was Army’s first win over an AP-ranked opponent since 1972, when defeating #19 Air Force.
- It was also Army’s first win of 20 or more points vs. an AP-ranked opponent since 1958 beating #18 South Carolina, 45-8.

Led by Defensive Coordinator, Nate Woody this season marked the fourth time in school history that the Army defense held both Navy and Air Force to 11 points or fewer in the same season (1981, 1986, 2020, 2023), two of those coming under Woody.
Freshman RB Kanye Udoh was named ECAC Rookie of the Year, rushing for 524 yards and one touchdown while 13 players were selected to Phil Steele Independent All-Conference Teams.
LB Leo Lowin was selected as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy – “Most prestigious and desirable” academic" award in college football."
Finished the season 6-6.
It was announced that Army football would join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) beginning in the 2024 season.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Army placed three runners in the top ten to finish as runners-up at the Patriot League Championship.
The men took home the crown in three events, the Maine Dual, the Iona Meet of Champions, and the Highlander Invitational.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Army placed five runners in the top ten at the Patriot League Championship to bring home the first Patriot League title since 2004.
The Black Knights also beat Navy for the first time since 2020, placing six in the top ten.
The program finished as high as ninth in the Northeast region, which was its highest ever placement.

WOMEN'S RUGBY

Army Women’s Rugby earned multiple 20+ point margin victories during the 15s season, winning 39-5 over LIU, 39-10 over Mount St. Mary’s, and 42-22 over Navy in the inaugural Star Match on the squad’s Senior Night.
In the spring 7s season, the Black Knights earned first place in the AIC 7s Tournament, wherein they earned wins over LIU, AIC, New Haven, and Northeastern, as well as second place overall in the Women’s Premier Cup at the Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s, led off by a shutout win over Northeastern (39-0).
Sophomore Alissa Eisenhart led the team with 63 points during the 15s season through two tries, 16 conversions and seven penalty kicks. She was named to the USA Rugby U20 squad for its summer tour in Wales with matches against Canada, Wales and England.
Freshman Yesenia Morales was named to the USA Rugby Women’s U20 Winter Camp Squad after an impressive first season with the Black Knights in which she scored three tries as a plebe with one against Dartmouth and a pair in the victory over Mount Saint Mary's.

MEN'S SOCCER

Army went unbeaten against service academy rivals; defeating Air Force 3-2 to open the season on Aug. 24, and earning a 1-1 draw vs. Navy in Philadelphia Oct. 13.
Defender Nick Atkinson was named to the Patriot League All-Conference Second Team.
Army players combined for five weekly conference awards during season.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Army went 10-6-4 (6-2-1 PL) en route to its second consecutive regular season Patriot League Championship.
For the first time since 2004 and only the third time in program history, the Black Knights beat Air Force and Navy in the same season. A PK goal from Kaelan Bradley tied the game after an hour-plus rain delay and then a last-minute goal by Kaitlin Palaian put Army on top against the Falcons. A Madison Niebish goal in the 13th minute opened the scoring against Navy and a Bradley PK gave Army some insurance to earn the right to sing second.
Head Coach Tracy Chao took home Patriot League Coach of the Year for the second season in a row.
Brigid Duffy and Kaelan Bradley finished tied for the team lead in points with 17 each.
Sage Strohman had the eighth-best goals-against average in program history, only allowing 0.89 goals per game.

SPRINT FOOTBALL

Army earned the star win a dramatic 10-3 win over Navy at Michie Stadium, the first star win since 2020.
Arthur Lavalais would become an Army hero with his 124 yards on 14 carries and his game-winning touchdown run.
The team was dominant on both sides of the ball, scoring 36 points per game while only allowing 7.29 points per game.
Against opponents other than Navy, the Black Knights outscored teams 219-20.
Luke Gigliotti took home CSFL Defensive Player of the Year honors after registering 40 tackles, including four for a loss, and one sack. He was the captain of the best defense in the league that only allowed 7.3 points per game.
Maurice Bellan was named CSFL Rookie of the Year after logging 315 receiving yards, 67 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns. He also had three kick returns for 66 total yards as well.

VOLLEYBALL

Army collected a 14-12 overall record with an 11-5 mark in league play to earn their fifth consecutive winning season.
Captain Isabella Sullivan collected numerous awards including selection as a Rhodes Scholar and being named Scholar-Athlete of the Year by West Point's Center for Enhanced Performance
Three of the squad’s seniors were chosen for places on All-Patriot League teams with seniors Savannah Bray and Paige Fixemer claiming places on the All-League First Team while Riley Parchment earned a spot on the All-League Second Team.
Fixemer and Bray were neck-and-neck for the squad offensively with 243 and 242 kills on the season respectively while Parchment led the squad defensively with 420 total digs on the season.

Feb. 10, 2024; West Point, New York — Army hosts Navy in basketball at Christl Arena inside the Holleder Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Photo: Danny Wild/Army West Point

MEN'S BASKETBALL

The Black Knights defeated Navy, capturing the star in dramatic fashion for the first time since 2020.
Army beat the Mids in overtime thanks to three Josh Scovens free throws with one second remaining. He went to the line with Army down by two and sunk all three.
Scovens went on to win Patriot League Rookie of the Year after leading all Patriot League freshman in points per game (11.9), rebounds per game (5.2), defensive rebounds per game (4.0), and blocks (1.2). He was also third amongst Patriot League rookies in assists (1.8).
Scovens won Patriot League Rookie of the Week five times during the season.
Army traveled to Indiana and took the Hoosiers to the brink thanks to a 20-point performance from freshman Ryan Curry in just the third game of his young career.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The Black Knights defeated Navy twice, capturing the star and securing their third consecutive win over the Midshipmen.
Army secured a spot in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals with nine conference wins.
Trinity Hardy was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team for her performance this season. The junior played in 28 games, starting 18, and led the team in scoring with an average of 11.5 points per game.
Fiona Hastick was selected to the All-Patriot League Rookie Team. The freshman averaged 9.1 points per game, the third-best on the team. She played in 28 games, starting 24.

GYMNASTICS

The Army West Point men’s gymnastics had five Black Knights earning spots on the All-ECAC first team.
Tucker Blanchard was honored as the 2024 ECAC Most Improved Gymnast.
Freshman Jaden Blank was the only gymnast from an ECAC program to qualify for the Winter Cup in Louisville.
The Black Knights made their mark nationally this season, boasting 13 individual qualifiers for the NCAA National Championships.
Maddox Pabellon delivered a solid performance on the pommel horse at Nationals, securing his spot in the championship finals.

HOCKEY

The Black Knights took down 16th-ranked New Hampshire in front of a sold out crowd at Tate Rink in December, marking the program's first victory over a ranked opponent since 2017.
Army renewed its rivalry with the Royal Military College of Canada for the first time in four seasons, defeating the Paladins 6-1 at Tate Rink to obtain the Challenge Trophy.
Freshman Mac Gadowsky had a breakout campaign for Army, leading all Atlantic Hockey rookie defensemen with 23 points in 28 games. Gadowsky was named to the Tim Taylor Award Watch List for the National Rookie of the Year Award and was a finalist for Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year.
Junior Joey Baez earned All-Atlantic Hockey honors for the second straight campaign with a career-best 31 points behind a team-high 15 goals.

RIFLE

Head Coach Leighton Dempster was named the GARC Coach of the Year.
Dempster was just the second Army coach to earn this prestigious award, joining former coach Ron Wigger, a three-time selection who earned honors in 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Led Army to its first winning season since 2014-15 authoring an 8-5 mark, along with posting its most wins since 2012-13.
Anusha Pakkam ranked among Army's top shooters in smallbore, air rifle and aggregate scoring throughout her final season. One of five shooters selected for All-GARC honorable mention in smallbore, Pakkam is the first Black Knight named to that unit since 2019.

SWIMMING & DIVING

The Black Knights put forward an incredible 2023-24 campaign with 26 out of 44 events seeing the program record fall.
Both squads claimed second place in the Patriot League Championships as the men boasted an overall score of 1,589 and the women posted a total of 1,199.
Molly Webber dominated the conference meet with three individual golds and two in the relays to eventually earn women's swimmer of the meet. She was also the highest point scorer on the women's side with 96 points. Wes Tate also picked up 96 points through three individual wins and was named the meet's highest scorer on the men's side.
Sophomore Kohen Rankin then became the first Army swimmer to reach the NCAA Championships since 1987 as he competed in both the 100 and 200 breast in Indianapolis.
Army’s success extended deep into the summer as five members of their program earned spots at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Kal Hahn made program history as the first Black Knight to ever qualify for the Trials in multiple events while Aurelie Migault made her mark in Army Swimming and Diving history as the first member of the women’s program to ever qualify for the Trials. Kohen Rankin, Owen Harlow, and Sam Wesley posted qualifying times as well throughout the year to claim places at the trials as well.
Migault earned the prestigious AAA Award, which is given annually to a male and female cadet-athlete who display the "most valuable service to intercollegiate athletics during a career as a cadet."
The squad also had a 5-2 overall record for the men’s program and a 4-2 overall record for the women’s program with a 3-1 record in league play from both teams.

WRESTLING

Ben Pasiuk finished 8th at NCAA Championships (174 lbs) in Kansas City, Mo., becoming the program's first All-American since 2008.
Pasiuk became just the fourth four-time NCAA qualifier in program history.
Six wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, including Pasiuk, Ethan Berginc (125 lbs), Braden Basile (133 lbs), Matthew Williams (149 lbs), Gunner Filipowicz (165 lbs) and Lucas Stoddard (285 lbs).
Army defeated Navy to capture the Star in Annapolis Feb. 16, with the dual coming down to the final bout in an 18-17 win.
The Black Knights finished third at the EIWA Championships on March 8-9.
Head Coach Kevin Ward was named EIWA Coach of the Year.

BASEBALL

Won the Patriot League Tournament Championship for sixth consecutive season, defeating Navy two games to none in the championship series.
Won the Patriot League regular season title, with a 16-8 conference record while going undefeated in the championship series.
Defeated Navy two games to one in Star Series, with a complete-game shutout from pitcher Justin Lehman in Game 1, and walk-off RBI from Chris Barr in Game 3.
Knocked off Air Force in Sugar Land, Texas on March 2, in 13-2 run-rule win.
Justin Lehman was Patriot League Pitcher of the Year.
Advanced to NCAA Athens Regional.

GOLF

Down 4-0 heading into singles match play, Army golf came from behind to defeat Navy in a playoff to earn its sixth Star victory in the last seven seasons.
Army won five of the seven singles matches on the second day and John Heckel Jr. won the first playoff hole after the teams tied 5.5-5-5 after all matches were completed.
Heckel Jr. was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team and the Black Knights finished 8th at the Patriot League Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.

MEN'S LACROSSE

Army Men's Lacrosse had a historic 2024 campaign that saw them peak at No. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history.
The Black Knights opened the season 7-0 for the first time since 1958.
They earned a thrilling win at Syracuse in overtime thanks to a game-winner from Jackson Eicher.
Army went 2-0 against ACC opponents after a win on the road at UNC.
The Black Knights took down Navy in front of a whiteout crowd at Michie Stadium, Paul Johnson returned to the field for the first time all season and wound up scoring the goal to put Army up for good en route to a 13-8 win over the Mids.

AJ Pilate won Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He became the first Army defender to take home back-to-back DPOY awards since Bill Henderson in 2010-11.
Evan Plunkett followed up his Patriot League Rookie of the Year campaign by winning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.
Will Coletti brought home Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year honors. He set the program record for career ground balls and faceoff wins during the year.
Jack Emmer Head Coach Joe Alberici won Patriot League coach of the year for the fourth time (2008, 2014, 2023, 2024), which is the most in league history.
Will Coletti, Evan Plunkett, AJ Pilate, and Jacob Morin were all unanimous All-Americans.

Stanford, CA - March 9, 2024: Allison Reilly and Brigid Duffy during a lacrosse match between Army West Point and Stanford University at Cagan Stadium. Stanford won the match 17-8.

Reilly and Duffy were the top two scoring underclassmen in the country during the regular season.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

Army posted its seventh consecutive winning season on the field which included a 7-2 mark in Patriot League play leading to the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
Army saw records fall throughout the season between the All-American sophomore duo of Brigid Duffy and Allison Reilly. The duo were each in the top-five in the country in points per game while each breaking the program record for points in a season as Reilly posted 95 points and Duffy ended with 94.
The duo was also named to the USA u20 National Team squad ahead of the u20 World Championships in August in Hong Kong, China. Noto Family Head Coach Michelle Tumolo will also serve as an assistant coach on the national team.

RABBLE ROUSERS

The Rabble Rousers ushered in a new era as Izzy da Rosa took the reins as head coach ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
The cheer team had its best showing in multiple seasons at NCA nationals in Daytona, making it to the finals sessions after a 81.4667 prelim mark. Army had the second-smallest deduction in their division with just .75 taken off following the stellar performance.
Army's cheer team performance at nationals also earned a Silver Star in the process, having topped Air Force's score in the intermediate large coed division 1A finals, topping the Falcons 90.3657-90.294.
The dance team also competed at pom nationals for the first time in Academy history, placing ninth in its prelim division at NDA's in Daytona.

MEN'S RUGBY

The Army West Point men’s rugby team concluded the season with a 5-6-1 overall record.
They clinched a berth in the D1A Rugby National Championship bracket snd secured several conference wins against Penn State, Queens, and Mary Washington.
Five members of the team were recognized as D1A Collegiate All-Americans.

SOFTBALL

The Army West Point softball team wrapped up their season as the fourth seed in the Patriot League, securing a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.
Throughout the season, the Black Knights secured nine victories in the Patriot League, including an impressive win against the then-unbeaten Lehigh.
Several players received individual accolades:
- Senior outfielder Kayla Edwards:
  Earned a spot on the All-Patriot League first team.
  Received recognition on the NFCA All-Region first team.
- Sophomore first baseman Ashton White:
  Earned All-Patriot League first team honors.
  Secured a spot on the NFCA All-Region second team.
Edwards and White's achievements mark a significant milestone for the team, as they became the first Black Knights in eight years to receive All-Region honors.

Firsties Samuel Haikal and Michael Rooney helped secure the doubles point against Lehigh in Army's Patriot League Quarterfinal victory

MEN'S TENNIS

Army continued to prove as one of the top programs in the Patriot League, reaching the conference tournament semifinals for the 30th consecutive season with a 4-2 quarterfinal victory against Lehigh from the Malek Tennis Courts. The Black Knights entered the tournament as the number four seed following a 4-2 mark in Patriot League play during the regular season.
Jake Huarte was named an All-Patriot League First Team selection after collecting four conference wins at flight one for the Black Knights. Freshman Alan Ton paced the squad with 13 singles wins on the season while combining for ten doubles wins with fellow underclassmen Marcus Sebastian.
Army boasted six shutout wins on the season out of its 13 victories including a pair in conference play over Loyola Maryland and Lafayette. The Black Knights also blanked Rider, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and Marist as part of its non-conference schedule.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

29-year Head Coach Paul Peck moved into the West Point record books this season, earning his 543rd career win against Air Force on February 17, moving into first place on Army's all-time wins list as a head coach at the Academy.
Army finished third in the Patriot League regular season standings and advanced to the Patriot League Semifinals.
The Black Knights defeated Air Force 4-1 at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.
Army's 15 shutout wins ranked second-most in program history.
Cooper Jackson made the Patriot League All-Conference First Team; Jenna Sabile made the Second Team.

TRACK AND FIELD

The Army women brought home the outdoor ECAC title for the first time in program history, locking them in as the top women's team in program history.
At the Patriot League Indoor Championships, Army won in the men's 800m and high jump and the women's 60m and shotput.
The Black Knights won the outdoor Patriot League Championship in the men's 4x100m, 4x800m, 100m, 800m, 400mH, hammer throw and the women's 100mH, shot put, discus, and 10,000m.
Emily Fink finished as a second team All-American after her performance at the NCAA National Championship Meet.
Four Black Knights qualified for the Team USA Olympic Trials with Brooke Stratman, Emily Fink, Luke Griner, and Brian Matthews all punching their tickets to Oregon for the trials.