March 26, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - The Navy women's rowing team opened its spring season on Saturday at the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., where the first varsity boat placed third.

"We had a great opening day," said Navy head coach Mike Hughes. "When you can finish ahead of eight other colleges, it's a good thing. Obviously, our goal is to win, but we had a great day today."

Navy posted a time of 6:43.87 in the collegiate varsity eight final - just five seconds behind first-place Rutgers. Navy finished ahead of Patriot League-foe Bucknell, which placed fifth with a time of 6:49.03.

The Mids earned a spot in the final by winning their heat earlier in the day with a time of 6:37.93.

The varsity four boat also placed third in the final with a time of 7:51.70. Villanova placed first with a 7:37.45, while Colgate placed second with a 7:49.30.

The four boat picked up a spot in the final after posting a first-place time of 7:19.6 in the morning heat.

Navy's novice eight crew placed sixth in the final as it clocked a 7:27.55.

The Midshipmen will get back on the water next Saturday when they meet Princeton and Rutgers in New Brunswick, N.J.

Collegiate Varsity 8+ Final
1 - Rutgers 6:38.30, 2 - St. Josephs 6:41.44, 3-Navy 6:43.87, 4 - Drexel 6:47.12, 5 - Bucknell 6:49.03, 6 - Fordham 6:54.96

Collegiate Varsity 4+ Final
1 - Villanova 7:37.45, 2 - Colgate 7:49.30, 3 - Navy -7:51.70, 4 - Drexel - 7:55.86, 5 - Delaware 8:00.17, 6 - Philadelphia University 8:06.64

Collegiate Novice 8+ Final
1 - St. Josephs 7:01.68, 2 - Drexel 7:05.21, 3 -Villanova 7:06.52, 4 - Delaware 7:07.54, 5 - George Mason 7:18.42, 6 - Navy 7:25.55