Exceptional Cadet: Navy Basketball Star Maren Louridas Balances Success on and off the Court

Maren Louridas, a sophomore at the Naval Academy, was recognized this week for her success both on the basketball court and in the classroom. She was honored on the Sports Communicators College All-District Academic Team, adding to her previous selection to the Patriot League All-Academic Team in 2023-24. Louridas was one of six student-athletes from the conference to receive this national recognition.

Louridas’ success on the field is evident in her performance as a key player for Navy’s basketball team. Starting 60 of a possible 61 games and scoring 528 points for an average of 8.7 points per game, she played significant minutes in both her freshman and sophomore seasons, averaging 31.9 minutes per game, which is currently fifth all-time in the Navy record books. Her strong presence on the boards helped her earn recognition as well with 317 rebounds at a rate of 5.2 per game.

In addition to her success on the field, Louridas excelled in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in cyber operations during her first three semesters at the Naval Academy. She earned three Commander’s List honors and was named to the 2022-23 Patriot League Honor Roll. Her academic achievements are truly remarkable considering that she balances rigorous training with challenging coursework and extracurricular activities as part of being a cadet at The United States Naval Academy.

Navy’s basketball program also had a successful season under Coach Joe DeCaro’s leadership, with one of the largest single-season turnarounds in NCAA Division I history. The team increased its win total to