Good enough to compile a 20-8 record, the first 20-win season for Navy in 23 years.

Good enough to win the Patriot League championship for the second consecutive season and sixth time overall.

And good enough to be one of 64 teams that begin play in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

"I'm very happy for this team," said veteran Navy coach John Officer. "This team has worked hard all year long. ...We didn't have a bad practice all season.

"They put a lot of time and effort into it, and always understood that there's a line between hard work and having fun," Officer said. "They were able to keep things fun, but they also knew when work had to be done."

The Mids will have their work cut out on Saturday when they square off against the nationally ranked Florida Gators in Gaineseville, Fla. The Navy-Florida match is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday. The winner will meet the winner of the 1 p.m. match between South Florida and the University of Miami (Fla.) on Sunday.

Florida boasts a tradition-rich program that reached the tournament final of the powerful Southeastern Conference. The Gators are 15-7, and are the No. 9 team in the country according to this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Ranking.

Florida is seeded 10th in the NCAA Tournament. Navy, which lost in the first round to Texas last year, is unseeded.

Homecourt advantage could work in the Gators' favor this weekend, as high temperatures are expected to be in low 90s.

"The weather could be something that would help them," Officer acknowledged. "We're try to hydrate our players before going down there to make sure they're ready for the heat."

Another hurdle for the Mids will be the absence of John Waters, the team's No. 2 singles player. Waters, a junior, will miss the tournament because of a blood clot in his right arm.

In Patriot League play, Waters was 5-1 in singles and 4-1 at No. 1 doubles with Nate Nelms. Waters was named First-Team All-Patriot League.

Nelms, meanwhile, will be ready to go after compiling a 17-8 overall record at No. 1 singles and 17-5 doubles mark.

"Nate's a great competitor, he loves to compete no matter what the situation is," said Officer. "He always gives his best effort and has very high expectations for himself."

Nelms was the 2006 rookie of the year in the Patriot League, and was player of the year last year.

Nelms and Waters weren't the only two Navy players to receive Patriot League accolades.

Jason Hill, a junior, was named second-team all-league after posting a 15-8 singles record and 20-8 doubles mark. He teamed with freshman Nick Birger to go 7-0 in doubles against Patriot League opponents.

Owen Bullard went 19-5 in singles this spring, including 5-1 in the Patriot League, and was named the league's rookie of the year.

Officer, meanwhile, earned his second straight Patriot League Coach of the Year award and fourth overall. In his 23rd season at Navy. Officer's led the school to five of its six Patriot League tennis championships.

Officer, a longtime Millersville resident who recently moved to Annapolis, is proud of his program's success, especially considering the amount of talented foreign players that dot the rosters of many top tennis schools.

"We don't look at it like it's any sort of disadvantage," said Officer, in his 23rd season said. "There's no question tennis is the most egregious at tapping into foreign talent. But we get good U.S. players to come to the Naval Academy, and we enjoy lining up and playing teams that have a majority of foreign players."