Western Pennsylvania All Service Academies' Ball

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) was established October 10, 1845 as an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is located in Annapolis, Maryland. The Academy is often referred to simply as "Annapolis" although naval officers normally refer to it in conversation as "the Academy," "the Yard," or "the Boat School." Sports media refers to the Academy as Navy, and this usage is officially endorsed. ROTC graduates, Officer Candidate School graduates as well as cadets from the Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), USNA's traditional rivals, often refer to the Naval Academy as "Canoe U" and "Shipwreck Tech."

The Academy's motto is ex scientia tridens, which is Latin for "from knowledge, seapower". The Academy also supports the Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment, in addition the general idea of "excellence without arrogance."