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Navy Sports CentralAuthor: Karl Darden
What if I told you about a group of elite college athletes who compete in 36 different sports at one of the toughest institutions in the nation. For them, its not about name, image, and likeness or any other kind of major endorsement deal. Because at the end of the day, their ultimate goal is to serve their country. These young men and women represent the best our country has to offer. They compete at a high level on both the national and world stage, and their stories have mostly gone untold. Im here to change all of that. With Navy Sports Central, you'll get the latest news on the athletes, and their teams, gain some unique insights in our Deep Dive segment and hear from some great guests along the way. So please join me, Karl Darden, and check out Navy Sports Central wherever you get your podcasts to learn more about these incredible athletes and our nations future leaders. Language: en-us Genres: News, Sports, Sports News Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Grit, Wind, and the Madeleine Cup: Mary Brigden Makes Navy Sailing History
Episode 81
Friday, 20 February, 2026
Send a textIn this installment of 50 Years of Excellence in Women's Athletics at the Naval Academy, we bring you Mary Brigden from the Class of 1981. Mary was an accomplished sailor by the time she was in high school, winning several junior national championships while growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she got to Annapolis, where Mary traded in her X-Scow for a 420 and rebuilt her game under coaches who sharpen her skills to get her ready for collegiate racing. She makes strategic choices to collect coed regatta starts, chases All‑American points, and engages is a daily strength training program that sharpens her edge. The result is a skipper ready for a defining test.The ICSA Championships in Charleston, SC deliver that test. With whitecaps and wind in the high gears, rivals expect Navy to fade. Instead, Mary and crew Karen Mulvaney stack top‑three finishes, conserve energy where it matters, and attack when it counts. The final race is a clinic in control: hiking through gusts, holding shape, and driving clean while the fleet eases to survive. The payoff is a big time trifecta—the Madeleine Cup for winning the Women's A‑division, the Gerald C. Miller trophy, given to the best women's team, and the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy, crowning Navy as the 1981 national champions. Finally, there was Mary's history making achievement of being named the first woman All American in any sport at the Naval Academy, the culmination of a long held dream. If you like these kinds of stories, check out the episode. Follow the show, share it with a friend who loves college sailing or Navy sports, and leave a review to tell us your favorite moment from Mary’s rise.Support the showIf you like what you hear, support the Mids and the show at the same time! Navy Sports Central is a proud affiliate partner of Fanatics.com, the Ultimate Fan Gear Store! Click on the link to start shopping now!
