Oct. 3, 2009

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Navy men's lightweight crew team posted a commanding 26.46-second victory in front of more than 2,000 fans at the Quadricentennial Poughkeepsie Regatta on Saturday morning.

"Marist hosted a wonderful reenactment of the original IRA regatta," stated Navy head coach Steve Perry. "Our midshipmen were honored to be part of a great celebration. Experiencing the tradition, pomp and excitement of the original Poughkeepsie IRA was special for the athletes. I hope this opportunity will continue annually and would love to return."

Racing on the four-mile course between Roger's Point in Hyde Park, N.Y., and the Mid-Hudson Bridge, the Midshipmen won the race with a time of 23:25.11. Navy finished ahead of Cornell's second-place time of 23:51.57, Penn's third-place clocking of 24:10.43 and host Marist's fourth-place time of 25:33.91.

The Midshipmen will return to action tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., as they will race in the Occoquan Challenge at the Sandy Run State Park in Fairfax, Va.