2024 Patriot League Fan Guide: Another Close Battle Between the Navy and Army Men Looms

2024 PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 21-24, 2024
• Lejune Hall – Annapolis, MD
• 25 Yards (SCY)
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Navy (12x)
  • Men: Navy (19x)
• Start Times: 10am (ET) prelims/6pm (ET) finals
  • Day 1 finals: 5pm (ET)
• Psych Sheets
• Championship Central 
• Event Schedule
• Live Stream

2023 Standings

Women:

1. U.S. Naval Academy — 799
2. U.S. Military Academy — 615.5
3. Bucknell University — 540.5
4. Boston University — 381
5. Lehigh University — 377.5
6. Loyola University — 246
7. American University — 221
8. Colgate University — 202.5
9. College of the Holy Cross — 148
10. Lafayette University — 81

Men:

1. U.S. Naval Academy — 856.5
2. U.S. Military Academy — 846.5
3. Bucknell University — 538.5
4. Loyola University — 455
5. Boston University — 247
6. Lehigh University — 180.5
7. American University — 148.5
8. Lafayette University — 132
9. College of the Holy Cross — 110
10. Colgate University — 107.5

The 2023 Patriot League Championships followed a familiar script on the women’s side: the Navy women pulled ahead early in the meet and never looked back, winning their 12th consecutive conference title by 183.5 points. It was a different story for the men’s meet, which came down to the final relay as Army aimed to dethrone their arch-rivals. The Navy men won the relay, won the meet, and stretched their title streak to 19.

On the surface, things line up similarly to how they did last year. The Navy women are in control, and another battle between the Navy and Army men is brewing. But one big change is the addition of scored ‘C’ finals for all events, including diving. Navy and Army dominate the top of the field in a majority of the events, so the addition of the ‘C’ final may not change things so much for their race, but it could play a major role for the teams behind them.

Swimmers to Watch

Women:

Ela Habjan — Freshman, Navy: Habjan has wasted no time making her mark on the Patriot League. At December’s Star Meet, Habjan broke the Patriot League record in the 100 backstroke with a speedy 52.87. That makes her the favorite in the event by a wide margin; she’s the only swimmer in the league sub-53 seconds this season. She also owns the league’s top time in the 200 backstroke–a 1:55.79 personal best that she also swam at the Star Meet. She’s only a freshman but could realistically walk away from the meet with two individual titles.

Lily Mead — Senior, Loyola: Mead was one of two swimmers to go three-for-three in their individual events in 2023. She picked up her wins in the 200 IM/100 back/200 back. With Hajan’s arrival, she’ll have her work cut out for her to retain her titles in both backstroke events where she owns PBs of 53.43/1:55.80, both swum at 2023 Patriot League Championships. One of Mead’s biggest strengths is her versatility. She owns conference top 8 times in a whopping nine events (50 free, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM). Her 4:17.86 400 IM leads the Patriot League and would’ve finished 2nd at last year’s conference champs. So, if she wants to shake up her event schedule, she’s got plenty of options.

Mimi Watts — Senior, American: Watts was the other swimmer besides Mead to win three individual events. She won the 50 free/100 fly/100 free, winning American University’s first Patriot League title in 12 years. For her efforts, she was named the 2023 Female Swimmer of the Meet. Watts leads the conference in the 50 free (22.61) and 100 fly (53.05). She’s sitting 3rd in the 100 free (50.05) and has added the 100 backstroke to her repertoire this season. She’s reset her school record multiple times this season, bringing it to 53.61 (#2 in conference). She’ll likely stick to her 2023 event schedule and forgo the 100 back at conferences, but she’s positioned herself well to back up her junior year campaign.

Aurelie Migault — Senior, Army: Last year’s 100 breaststroke champion and 200 breaststroke runner-up, Migault has continued to excel this year. She’s swum personal bests in her three primary events already, dropping to 1:00.12 in the 100 breast (#1 in conference) and breaking 2:10 for the first time in her 200 breast career with a 2:09.92 at the Star Meet (#1 in conference). Her biggest improvement has come in the 200 IM, where she’s chopped 2.07 seconds off her best with a 1:59.19 at midseason (#1 in conference). Last year, Migault won the conference ‘B’ final in 2:01.61; her new personal best would’ve earned 2nd and would’ve made her the only swimmer besides Mead under the 2:00 barrier.

Men:

Ben Irwin — Freshman, Navy: Irwin made his way into the Navy history books before even arriving at Annapolis. He switched his commitment to the Midshipmen after originally committing to Georgia Tech, becoming the first Navy recruit with a sub-20 50 free. But, it’s his backstroke that’s shone in his first season. At the Star Meet, Irwin took down the Patriot League record with a 1:41.50. He’s also top of the conference in the 100 back by over a second thanks to his 46.18 personal best from the same meet. He’s got a choice to make between the 50 free and 100 fly when it comes to his third event; he’s ranked 11th in the conference in the 50 free (20.39) compared to 3rd in the 100 fly (47.10). Choosing the 100 fly would give him a double with the 100 back. Either way, he’s the favorite in both backstroke races.

Owen Harlow — Junior, Army: Last season, Harlow had huge midseason performances, setting Patriot League records in the 50 and 100 freestyle in 19.55 and 43.19, respectively. But he was off those times at 2023 Patriot League Champs, taking 3rd in the 50 free (19.98) and 4th in the 100 free (44.01). It seems like he’s taken a different approach this season as he holds season-bests of 19.77/43.80, which are both 2nd in the conference. But, we won’t really know how things have worked out until the championships. Army’s path to victory relies on every person on their roster being at their best and that includes Harlow. As their main sprinter, they’re relying on him not only for individual points but to make an impact on their relays as well.

Henry Mueller — Junior, Loyola: Mueller is the defending champion in the 200 backstroke, winning last year’s race in a personal best 1:44.42. With Irwin’s arrival on the scene, Mueller will need to do something really special to win the title for a second year in a row. Setting the title aside, Mueller has done well in his primary event this season, posting a season-best of 1:44.68 at midseason that’s #3 in the conference and just off his personal best. He’s also made big strides in the 100 backstroke. didn’t race the event last year (he swam the 200 free instead) but he’s dropped 1.57 seconds this season courtesy of a 48.30 at midseason. That would’ve qualified him for the ‘A’ final last year, and makes hm #5 in the conference.

Jonah Harm — Senior, Navy: The Navy and Army men rule the conference rankings this season, which makes it hard to choose swimmers for this section since you could make a solid case for many of them. We’re going with Harm, because like Harlow for Army, he could be a difference maker for Navy in the points race. He’s a versatile swimmer and scored 45 individual points in 2023 by finishing 1st in the 100 fly, 3rd in the 100 back, and 9th in the 200 IM. He’s switched things up a bit this season, racing the 50 free, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 100 free at midseason. He’s top of the conference in the 50 free (19.74). Last year, he led-off the 200 free relay in a personal best 19.67, which would’ve won the individual event. If the meet is as close as it projects to be, then Harm switching from the 200 IM to the 50 free could swing the meet in the Mids favor.

Showdown Races

Women:

200 Backstroke — Last year, Mead held off a charging Gabi Baldwin, the 2022 champion, for her third individual win of the meet. She out-touched Baldwin by half a second, 1:55.80 to 1:56.30. Baldwin’s already been faster than her runner-up time, posting a 1:55.89 PB in December while Mead owns a season-best of 1:57.55 from midseason. But Habjan’s arrival has shaken things up in this event. The freshman leads the conference with her 1:55.79. If she’s on that form or better, than both Baldwin and Mead will need to swim new personal bests to reclaim the conference title. Army sophomore Layne Peterson finished 4th last year and has kept herself in the mix with a 1:56.13 PB at the NC State Invitational.

100 Freestyle — Things get weird on the last day of a championship meet. And there’s even more room for weirdness when there isn’t a clear cut favorite in the event. A pair of Navy seniors, Maya Novak and Hannah Pratt, swam lifetime bests at the Star Meet to put themselves at the top of the conference. Novack broke 50 seconds for the first time (49.97) while Pratt just missed breaking that barrier with a 50.00. But the title is far from sealed up as Navy’s–Watts, the defending champion, sits 3rd with a 50.07 season-best and has a PB (49.31) well ahead of them. There’s also last year’s 5th place finisher Jennifer Bolden who swam a personal best 50.13 just last month. And Trinity Hoang has been sensational in her freshman year at BU–she’s set to be more of a factor in the 50 free but we can’t overlook her in the 100; she’s ranked 5th in the conference with a PB 50.17.

200 IM — Looking at lifetime bests, Mead’s got the clear edge on Migault. Mead’s best is a 1:58.37 and even though that’s from 2021, she was still 1:58.45 to win the title in 2023, which is .74 seconds faster than Migault has ever been. But Migault has been under 2:00 this season, while Mead’s sitting further back with a season-best of 2:02.36, putting her 5th in the conference. Migault is currently more than 2 seconds clear of anyone else, as her teammate Catriona Gilmore checks in at #2 with a 2:01.36. The recency of her time may give Migault the edge here, but Mead may have more in store. If they’re both at their best, it could be the first time since 2018 that two women have been under 2:00 at the Patriot League Championships.

Men:

50 Freestyle — You could make a case for any of the sprint freestyle events here. On paper, there should be close races in the 50/100/200 freestyle. Plus, Navy and Army dominate the fields in these events, particularly the 100 and 200, which means these races could gave huge implications for the team race. We’re going with the 50 free because it’s less certain how things will shake out in the splash n’ dash and it’s the only one of the three (and one of four in all events) where there’s a non-Academy swimmer in the top 3. We’ve talked about Navy’s Harm, who owns the top time in the league (19.74) and the implications of him switching to the 50 free from the 200 IM. Then, there’s the PL record holder Harlow, who is sitting just three-hundredths behind Harm. But Loyola’s Caleb Kelly got the better of Harlow for silver last year, and is lurking with a 20.00 season-best. Army’s Ben Vorthmann also returns from the 2023 ‘A’ final and turned in a 20.02 season-best, faster than he went in last year’s final. That makes potentially four men who have a realistic shot at the crown and promising chaos on the first full day of the meet.

100 Breaststroke — Army’s Kohen Rankin and Navy’s Juan Mora are separated by just a hundredth so far this season, 52.48 to 52.49. Loyola’s Max Verheyen is within striking distance of them with his 52.81 from midseason. Both Mora and Verheyen’s times are personal bests, while Rankin–the defending champion–has been as fast as 52.36 though that was two years ago. Along with what projects to be a close race for the title, the conference has gotten much deeper in this event. In 2023, it took 56.50 to make it back to finals. 26 men in the conference have already been faster than that this season. If we extend to 24th place, then last year that was a 58.10 and a whopping 41 swimmers have gotten under that mark.

400 Freestyle Relay — The Army men weren’t able to win back-to-back Star Meets, but the squad of Vorthmann (43.72), Thomas Hadji (43.24), Harlow (42.99), and Wes Tate (43.62) set a new Patriot League record of 2:53.57 to close the meet. Navy’s quartet was actually under the old record as well, clocking in at 2:53.95. Navy won the Star Meet by finishing 2nd and 3rd in that relay, but each team only gets one relay team at conference. Navy had swum that old mark to secure the 2023 Patriot League team title and if the meet comes down to the final relay again (a strong possibility), then it could take another record to win the title. The meet is also at Navy this year, which only adds to the potential drama that could ensue during this relay–the last event of the meet.

SWIMSWAM PICKS

Women: (Top 3)

1. U.S. Naval Academy
2. U.S. Military Academy
3. Bucknell University

The women’s meet certainly has more non-Academy swimmers set to make an impact and vie for titles, but Navy is just too strong for any team to overcome. Like last year, expect Navy to flex their depth and win the conference title. It doesn’t project to be particularly close either, as the Swimulator projects a gap of over 200 points before you account for diving.

Meanwhile, Army should be well ahead of Bucknell for 2nd place, while the Bison are projected for 3rd to make it the same top three teams as last year. Like we said earlier, the added ‘C’ finals should have more of an impact on the standings races further down the score sheet.

Men: (Top 3)

1. U.S. Naval Academy
2. U.S. Military Academy
3. Loyola University

The Swimulator predicts that Army West Point wins the meet by 38 points, 1445 to 1407. However, the Swimulator does not factor in diving, which is one of Navy’s biggest strengths; last year they earned 73 points on the 1-meter alone–the highest most points any team earned in a single event. Army has diving as well, but that’s a huge wave of points to overcome. Like last year, there’s clearly a path to victory for Army but they are going to have to be at their very best to do it.

It’s a two-team race for the title, but there are still battles happening further down the standings. The Swimulator projects that BU will finish 4th just 4.5 points ahead of Bucknell. The Bison finished 3rd last year and with 538 points were on an island behind Army but well ahead of Loyola. However, the Loyola men have looked strong all season with multiple men contributing to their success. We’ll take them to finish 3rd ahead of Bucknell.