May 15, 2011
WORCESTER, Mass. - The Navy lightweight rowing team had two crews win their grand final races and posted a total of four top-two finishes at the Eastern Sprints Championship on Sunday in Worcester, Mass. All but one of Navy's boats reached the grand final and Navy's varsity eight boat qualified for the IRA National Championship by placing sixth.
"Overall, it was a good day for the program and I'm proud of all of our Midshipmen," said Navy head coach Steve Perry. "Since this meet also serves as the Ivy League Championship, it's a great barometer for our program."
Navy's varsity eight earned a spot in the grand final by placing third, behind Harvard and Yale in its morning heat. In the grand final, Navy posted a time of 5:54.464 to take sixth place and earn an automatic bid to the IRA National Championship.
As a result of the varsity eight boat getting an automatic bid, Navy will also send its varsity four boat to the IRA Championship.
"We're anxious to get some good work in over the next few weeks in preparation for the IRA Championship," said Perry. "We'll do some competitive training to see who we put in those boats."
Navy's second freshman and fourth varsity crews both won their respective grand final races on Sunday.
The second freshman boat narrowly clipped Dartmouth for first place in the grand final as it posted a time of 6:17.058 - just 1.6 seconds ahead of the Big Green.
The fourth varsity eight cruised to a win in the grand final as its time of 6:23.191 was over six seconds ahead of second-place Yale.
In its only race of the day, the third varsity eight took second place, finishing second to Yale. Navy posted a time of 6:05.534, while the Bulldogs turned in a 6:02.536.
The second varsity eight crew earned a spot in the grand final by taking third in its heat with a time of 6:20.644. In the final, the Mids placed fifth behind Yale as they clocked a 6:11.174.
Navy's freshman eight boat slipped to fourth place in its morning heat, but responded in the afternoon as it took second place in the petite final. Harvard took first with a time of 6:13.531, while Navy placed second with a 6:20.284.
Fourth Varsity Eight - Grand Final
1. Navy 6:23.191, 2.Yale 6:29.802, 3. Princeton 6:38.262
Freshman Eight - Heat
1. Princeton 6:16.213, 2. Columbia 6:17.654, 3. Penn 6:20.025, 4. Navy 6:22.757, 5. MIT 6:33.805
Freshman Eight - Petite Final
1. Harvard, 6:13.531, 2. Navy 6:20.284, 3. Georgetown 6:27.050, 4.MIT 6:31.997
Second Freshman Eight - Grand Final
1. Navy 6:17.058, 2. Dartmouth 6:18.690, 3. Cornell 6:19.260, 4. Harvard 6:27.773, 5. Georgetown 6:31.781
Second Varsity Eight - Heat
1. Harvard 6:12.944, 2. Yale 6:15.366, 3. Navy 6:20.644, 4. Georgetown 6:34.797, 5. Columbia 6:35.857
Second Varsity Eight - Grand Final
1. Harvard 6:00.634, 2. Princeton 6:03.401, 3. Cornell 6:03.455, 4. Yale 6:06.879, 5.Navy 6:11.174, 6.Dartmouth 6:11.445
Third Varsity Eight - Grand Final
1. Yale 6:02.536, 2. Navy 6:05.534, 3. Harvard 6:12.631, 4. Cornell 6:12.659, 5. Princeton 6:15.729, 6. Penn 6:26.896, 7. Dartmouth 6:29.294
Varsity Eight - Heat
1. Harvard 5:50.223, 2. Yale 5:52.951, 3. Navy 5:54.055, 4. Columbia 5:55.893, 5. Penn 5:59.912
Varsity Eight - Grand Final
1. Harvard 5:45.358, 2. Dartmouth 5:46.848, 3. Yale 5:46.959, 4. Princeton 5:49.906, 5. Cornell 5:51.612, 6. Navy 5:54.464
