May 27, 2004

The United States Naval Academy announced its major athletic award winners Thursday afternoon at the annual prizes and awards ceremony at Alumni Hall.

Craig Candeto (Orange City, Fla.) was named the winner of the NAAA Sword for Men, presented to that man of the graduating class who is considered by the Association's Athletic Council to have personally excelled in men's athletics during his years of varsity competition.

Candeto earned six varsity letters in his four years at Navy, three each in football and baseball. Candeto was a two-year starter at quarterback on the football team and started for three years in the outfield on the baseball team.

Candeto will best be remembered for his senior year on the gridiron as he led Navy to an 8-5 record, a berth in the EV1.net Houston Bowl (Navy's first bowl appearance since 1996) and helped bring the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy back to Annapolis for the first time since 1981.

He finished his football career ranked No. 2 in school history in rushing touchdowns (33), tied for third in total touchdowns (33), became the fourth player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards and pass for more than 2,000 yards in a career, finished sixth on the school's all-time rushing list (1,949), third in career average yards per completion (16.3), first in average yards per attempt (7.9) and became just the 23rd player in NCAA history and second in Navy history to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.

On the diamond, Candeto led the Mids to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002 where Navy defeated George Washington for the Mids' first NCAA win since 1982. Candeto finished his career third in school history in home runs (15), games played (172) and at-bats (582).

Candeto is the 68th football player to win the award, which was established in 1893, and first since Chris McCoy in 1998. He is also the 23rd baseball player to win the award and the first since Andy Ponseigo, who also played football, in 1984.

Courtney Davidson (New Oxford, Pa.) was awarded the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women, which is presented to that woman of the graduating class who is considered by the Association's Athletic Council to have personally excelled in women's athletics during her years of varsity competition.

Davidson won four varsity letters in women's basketball and graduates as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,857 career points. She broke 17 school records including career three-point field goals made (245), career free throw percentage (.832), double figure scoring games (94), career games with 20 or more points (44) and games played (113). Davidson was also a standout in the classroom as she graduated with a 3.72 GPA and won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

She is the sixth women's basketball player to win the award, established in 1980, and the first since Becky Dowling in 1998.

Billy Hurley (Leesburg, Va.) was awarded the Thompson Trophy Cup, which is presented to that midshipman, male or female, who has done the most during the year to promote athletics at the Naval Academy.

Hurley is arguably the greatest golfer to ever play at the Naval Academy. His career stroke average of 72.93 is the best in Naval Academy history, while he holds 15 of the top 20 lowest single competitive rounds in school history, including the top six. His final round 61 in the 2003 Navy Fall Classic is the fourth lowest score in NCAA history and is the current Naval Academy course record.

During the summer of 2003, Hurley qualified for the U.S. Amateur where he made the cut to the final 64 (out of 350 golfers) by shooting a two-round total of 139, the second best score at the tournament. Those who made the final 64 then played in a single-elimination tournament; Hurley won his first match before being eliminated on the final hole of his second match.

Hurley has been selected for the 2004 Arnold Palmer Cup, which will take place in August 2004 in Ballybunnion, Ireland. The Arnold Palmer Cup pits the top-eight American college golfers against the top- eight European golfers. Hurley is also a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award, given to the NCAA Division I Player of the Year.

He is the first-ever golfer to win the Thompson Trophy, which was started in 1893.

Marshall Boyd (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was awarded the men's Coaches' Calvert Award, presented to that man in the graduating class who has persevered the most in his career.

Boyd, who was the 2003-04 men's swimming & diving captain, was named First-Team All-Patriot League this season after reaching the finals in each of his three individual events where he finished fifth in the 100 and 500 freestyle and seventh in the 200 free.

Boyd was also a member of Navy's 200 medley (school record 1:32.24) and 800 freestyle (Patriot League meet record of 6:44.6) relay teams that won 2004 Patriot League titles. The 400 freestyle relay team that Boyd was a member of became the first Navy relay team to win at the Eastern Championship since 1999.

He is the first-ever swimmer to win the award, which was started in 1973.

Quinn Rinehart (Winter Garden, Fla.) was awarded the women's Coaches' Calvert Award, presented to that woman in the graduating class who has persevered the most in her career.

Rinehart was a member of a Navy women's soccer team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first tine in school history and became the first-ever Service Academy women's soccer program to advance to the NCAA Tournament as the Mids posted a 17-5-1 record and won the school's first-ever women's soccer Patriot League Tournament championship.

Rinehart was part of a defense that gave up just 1.28 goals per game, the seventh-lowest goals against average in school history. The defense produced eight shutouts and held the eventual National Champion, North Carolina Tar Heels, to just one goal (73rd minute). Rinehart, who was the Brigade Commander for the 2004 spring semester, graduates Friday with a 3.85 GPA and a class ranking of 50th out of 1,002.

She is the first-ever women's soccer player to win the award, which was started in 1970.