April 6, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Navy jumped out to an early lead and maintained its advantage over Penn throughout the remainder of the course to win the varsity race between the two lightweight crew programs Sunday morning on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

"We had a good start and were able to open up a lead by 1,000 meters and kept that advantage until the end of the finish line," said Navy head coach Rob Friedrich. "It was a good race."

Navy's victorious clocking of 5:47.9 allowed the Mids to edge the Penn boat by nearly three seconds (5:50.7).

Navy retains the Callow Cup with the victory, which has been awarded since 1955 to the winner of the varsity race between the Mids and the Quakers. It is the eighth-straight victory recorded by Navy over Penn, the longest winning streak in the series, and allows the Mids to take a 27-26 lead in the all-time cup series.

Navy also placed both first and second in the varsity four race, while Penn posted a victory in the freshman eight race. Navy's top freshman boat held a one-boat length advantage in the latter race when an oar hit a buoy causing the boat to come to a complete stop. By the time the boat was moving again, the Mids trailed by nearly three boat lengths with just over half of the 2,000-meter course remaining. Despite the setback, the Mids finished just five seconds in back of the victorious Penn boat.

The Mids will next be in action Saturday when Navy faces Columbia and Rutgers on Orchard Beach Lagoon in Pelham, N.Y.

Varsity Eight (Callow Cup race)
Navy, 5:47.9; Penn, 5:50.7

Varsity Four
Navy B, 6:30.2; Navy A, 6:32.5; Penn, 6:49.5

Freshman Eight
Penn, 5:58.0; Navy B, 6:00.6; Navy A, 6:03.8