Oct. 2, 2010

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - The Navy men's heavyweight rowing team overtook Cornell in the final seconds to earn an exciting come-from-behind victory in its season opener at the four-mile Poughkeepsie Regatta on Saturday morning.

Navy and Cornell had a battle for the ages, as both teams went back-and-forth until Navy squeaked out the narrow winning margin of 1.7 seconds.

"We expected for Cornell to have a good crew," said head coach Rick Clothier. "We are really proud of our guys and they did a great job today to win the race."

The Mids' eight-man team jumped out to an early lead and held a half-length advantage over the Big Red in the first mile. However, Cornell drove back in the second mile to take a small lead.

The Mids then got right back in the race and Navy and Cornell were even for the third mile.

Cornell took a slight lead in the fourth and final mile, but Navy closed the gap right at the end to rush past Cornell and cross with a time of 17:46.0. Cornell was just 1.7 seconds behind, with a time of 17:48.7.

"It was so close," said Clothier. "It seemed like even less than 1.7 seconds."

Penn came in third at 18:40.3, nearly a minute behind Navy and Cornell. The host team Marist was fourth at 18:46.3 and Army was last at 18:56.5.

Navy's win over Cornell is a huge landmark for the program. In June's 2009-10 Intercollegiate Rowing Association's (IRA) National Championship in Camden, N.J., Cornell placed third, while Navy was 13th overall.

The Poughkeepsie Regatta, which is now in its second year, honors the original IRA National Championship, which was held in the same waters from 1895-1949.

The heavyweight crew will return to action next weekend at the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia.

Poughkeepsie Regatta Heavyweight Results

Pl. School  Time1   Navy    17:46.02   Cornell 17:48.73.  Penn    18:40.34.  Marist  18:46.35.  Army    18:56.5

The lightweight crew team also competed at the regatta, placing second in the two-team race. The lightweight crew will also compete tomorrow at the Occoquan Challenge in Occoquan, Va.

Poughkeepsie Regatta Lightweight Results

Pl  School  Time1   Cornell 18:59.72   Navy    19:17.4