Oct. 22, 2006

BOSTON, Mass. - The Navy lightweight crew team saw its varsity eight boat place fifth overall and second among U.S. colleges at the Head of the Charles Regatta, Sunday in Boston.

Navy completed the head-racing course on the Charles River in a time of 14:53.386. Rowing Canada, the Canadian national team, won the race in a time of 14:28.639, with the New York Athletic Club crossing the finish line 10 seconds later to place second. The top American college crew was Princeton, which placed fourth overall with a time of 14:48.719.

"We had a decent race," said Navy head coach Rob Friedrich. "We had some steering issues which kept us from having our best race, but I am still real pleased with our performance."

There were 27 entries in the race, with 19 U.S. college teams represented.

The Navy lightweights also received a strong performance from its entered four-man crew which placed second among U.S. colleges (and eighth overall) with a time of 17:25.998. The Ottawa Rowing Club posted a winning time of 16:46.84. The lone American team to top the Mids was the fourth-place boat from Yale (17:07.56).