Mike Chanenchuk
Mike Chanenchuk Sr. proudly wears U.S. Naval Academy attire. Thirty-seven years removed from graduation, the former three-time All-American midfielder has hardly forgotten the school that helped shape his values.
Still, when he returns to Annapolis tonight, Chanenchuk won’t let his Midshipmen blue show. He’ll trek five hours from his Poquott, N.Y., home to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium sporting a Terrapins men’s lacrosse team T-shirt.
Sure, Chanenchuk’s experiences at Navy meant a lot to him. But his son — Terps midfielder Mike Chanenchuk Jr. — means more.
“Blood is thicker than water,” Chanenchuk Sr. said. “I’ll always pull for Michael 100 percent. I love Navy, and as an alum, I love to support them and be around the program, but you always would rather see your kids succeed.”
Chanenchuk Sr. has seen his son succeed plenty this season. Chanenchuk Jr. battled back from an injury-marred stint at Princeton with a solid campaign in College Park last season and is now a key cog on the nation’s top-ranked team.
Through eight games this season, Chanenchuk ranks third on the Terps with 18 points on 11 goals and seven assists. His father, though, prefers discussing the little things Chanenchuk does for the team. He gushes over the junior’s 10 ground balls and lauds his unselfish role on the country’s No. 3 scoring offense.
And Chanenchuk Sr. knows all about those qualities. After all, he ranks ninth in Navy history with 69 career assists.
“I learned almost everything from my dad growing up,” Chanenchuk Jr. said. “Knowing that my dad was able to do those things [at Navy], it’s really helped me play here.”
Teaching is hardly new for Chanenchuk Sr. The former Midshipman coaches his son’s old team at Saint Anthony’s High School and helps run one of the country’s top club lacrosse programs, the Long Island Express.
And he made sure his oldest son grew up around the Navy lacrosse program. After Chanenchuk Sr. completed five years of service as a Marine Corps logistics officer, he often helped coach at summer camps in Annapolis. In the early 2000s, he regularly brought Chanenchuk Jr. and his younger brother, Matt, along to participate.
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Chanenchuk Jr. said, is where both Mike Chanenchuks learned the game.
“It was a really cool experience going down there with [my dad], being at his school and playing lacrosse there,” Chanenchuk said. “It was definitely one of the highlights of my childhood.”
At their first Midshipmen summer camp, the Chanenchuks met current Terps coach John Tillman and associate head coach Ryan Moran, both of whom were on Navy’s staff at the time.
As an involved alumnus, Chanenchuk Sr. developed a relationship with the two coaches while his son played for both Tillman and Moran at camp.
Moran, whose father coaches against Chanenchuk Sr. on Long Island, even gave Chanenchuk Jr. a tour of the Annapolis campus in 2008 when Navy recruited him out of high school. But Moran could tell the fit wasn’t quite right for the highly touted prospect.
“He had a genuine interest to explore the option of the Naval Academy because it was so meaningful to his father,” Moran said. “But you can get a read on a kid’s gut feeling, and he was more along the lines of being polite, rather than being extremely interested.”
But Tillman and Moran’s connection with the Chanenchuks eventually paid dividends.
Chanenchuk Jr. elected to transfer from Princeton in 2011 after enduring two serious injuries at the Ivy League school, and Tillman’s Terps quickly became his top choice.
Chanenchuk wanted to play somewhere he would feel comfortable, and because of the connections he and his father established at Navy, he knew he would have support in College Park.
“It was definitely a pretty difficult time for me, leaving Princeton,” Chanenchuk Jr. said. “Knowing coach Tillman from the time at Navy … made it a lot easier.”
After injuries sidelined Chanenchuk Jr. for one of his two seasons at Princeton, the former Ivy League Rookie of the Year has finally settled into a rhythm. He has remained healthy since arriving on the campus in fall 2011 and has started 24 of his 25 games in College Park.
And even though his son decided to spurn his alma mater for a second time, Chanenchuk Sr. has stayed supportive. He has only missed one game since his son joined the Terps, and that was to watch his other son play.
Such support won’t change when Chanenchuk Jr.’s Terps (7-1) travel to play Navy (3-7) tonight. But that doesn’t mean Chanenchuk Sr. will completely abandon his roots.
“I think I’ll wear my Navy [plebe] summer T-shirt [under my Terps shirt] that I’m very proud of. I still have it from 35 years ago. It still fits,” Chanenchuk Sr. said. “Of course I’ll wear Maryland stuff over it. That’s my son, I got to support my son.”
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