Press Release

71st ANNUAL BRIGADE BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS

NOTE TO EDITORS AND REPORTERS: Media interested in covering this event must contact the Public Affairs Office NLT noon, Friday, Feb. 24. For the event Friday, Feb. 24, check-in with Public Affairs staff at Gate 8 between 5:30- 6 p.m. for credentials and parking. Please note the venue for this year.s event is Alumni Hall. Pedestrian access at Gate 3 will close at 10 p.m., Gate 1 pedestrian access will remain open until 2 a.m., please plan accordingly.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.. The Naval Academy’s 71st Annual Brigade Boxing Championships will be held Friday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall. This event is open to the public and admission is free.

The Brigade Boxing Championships will showcase the most elite midshipmen boxers who are the current champions in their weight class. The winners of the event go on to a regional competition in order to qualify for the national collegiate boxing championships held each spring.

This year’s championship will feature 10 bouts, including participation from two national boxing champions in two different weight classes: Midshipmen 1st class (seniors) Lucas Culver of Bumpass, Va., and Thomas Payne of Park City, Utah.

“We are really excited about having the Brigade Championships in Alumni Hall this year,” said Jim McNally, USNA Boxing Coach. “The finals are a highlight at the academy and have definitely become a ‘must see event’ that showcases the warrior spirit of our future leaders. It will be great for the Brigade of Midshipmen and the people of Annapolis to experience it in an even bigger venue this year.”

As part of the academy’s physical education program, all midshipmen are required to participate in boxing, and it is also offered as a club sport. The boxing team participates in invitational competitions in the fall and spring, as well as in ongoing intramural bouts.

Athletics play a major role in the Naval Academy.s mission to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to serve as leaders in our Navy and Marine Corps.

For more information about boxing at the Naval Academy and this semester.s tentative boxing schedule, please visit the USNA Boxing Team Facebook page or visit www.usnaboxing.com.

Visitors attending this event may walk through Gate 1 (King George Street) and Gate 3 (Maryland Avenue) of the academy and will be required to show valid, government-issued picture identification. Pedestrian access at Gate 3 will close at 10 p.m., Gate 1 pedestrian access will remain open until 2 a.m., please plan accordingly. Vehicles without Department of Defense decals are not permitted on Naval Academy grounds. Authorized vehicles may enter through Gate 1 (King George Street) or Gate 8 (Maryland Route 450). Visitors are also welcome to park at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5 for parking) and ride the courtesy shuttle to Alumni Hall. Handicapped visitors with proper decals and identification are permitted through Gate 1 during normal business hours and may be subject to a vehicle inspection. All bags are subject to search.

Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy today is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to be professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries make up the student body, known as the Brigade of Midshipmen. Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects like small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, tactics, naval engineering and weapons, leadership, ethics and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a tax-payer funded Bachelor of Science degree in a choice of 23 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.

For more information about the Naval Academy, please visit: www.usna.edu or our Facebook page.

USNA