Oct. 26, 2014 PRINCETON, N.J. - The two Navy men's rowing squads were in action on Sunday at Lake Carnegie for the annual Princeton Chase. Racing in five events, the heavyweight and lightweight crews from Navy secured three top-10 finishes versus large and talented fields. The first heavyweight varsity eight was the highest placing crew on the day as it finished fifth in its respective race.
The first event of the day with Navy entries was the Varsity Heavyweight Eights race. Taking on a field of 64 boats, the Mids' first varsity crew finished the three-mile course in a time of 13:12.629 to place fifth overall.
"It was a solid day for the first varsity today," said heavyweight coach Rob Friedrich. "They had a very good result finishing fifth. I thought they had good rhythm and handled the conditions well. They really raced their hearts out so I'm really happy for them."
Navy's three other entries in the Heavyweight Eights race finished 31st, 42nd and 50th.
"Our second varsity boat had a frustrating run, but later on in the day that got a chance to get back on the water in the fours," remarked Friedrich.
In the previously mentioned Varsity Heavyweight Fours event, Navy had four crews racing amongst a field of 55. The Mids' first and third entries showed strongly and missed finishing in the top-10 by less than three seconds. Navy 'A' completed the race with an 11th-place result of 15:08.012, while Navy 'C' posted a 12th-place time of 15:09.531. George Washington 'A' finished in tenth at 15:06.760. Navy 'B' and Navy 'D' rounded out the Midshipmen's effort in the event with respective finishes of 21st and 32nd.
"Our fours raced well and performed much better," said Friedrich. "Our guys powered through clashing oars with opposing boats on a few occasions."
An event that saw both heavyweight and lightweight boats racing was the Freshmen Eights. Navy had four crews competing between the two programs. The heavyweight 'A' boat was the highest finisher amongst the quartet as it placed seventh with a time of 14:04.814. The top lightweight offering finished four spots behind their Hubbard Hall brethren in 11th at 14:26.747. The heavyweight 'B' boat placed 14th, while the lightweight 'B' boat finished 21st in the field of 34.
"Our plebes are still developing and know that can be faster, but they had a solid performance," recognized Friedrich. "This is one of the deepest and most talented plebe contingents that we have had in a long time so they will continue getting better."
In lightweight rowing action, Navy first raced in the Varsity Lightweight Eights event. Competing against a field of 32 the Mids' top two entries finished in 10th and 12th place with times of 13:51.817 and 13:54.363, respectively. Navy's third crew in the competition ended up in 21st place.
Similar to the heavyweights, the lightweight eight crews got a second chance later in the day to show their skills in fours racing. In the Varsity Lightweight Fours event, Navy saw its 'B' entry lead the way with an 11th-place finish of 16:03.711. The 'D' boat was the next highest finisher with a 22nd place effort of 16:48.870. Navy 'A' and Navy 'C' placed in 27th and 29th, respectively amongst the field of 38.
"The guys fought hard today, battling the best teams in the conference," said lightweight head coach Shawn Bagnall. "Unfortunately, in the freshmen eights and varsity fours, they also duked it out with debris on their steering rudders. That being said, we all agreed that there were some solid takeaways from today's racing, with some of their best stretches of rowing yet this fall."
"I know the varsity is anxious to get back to work this week, while the plebes are looking forward to another shot down the course at Rutgers in two weeks," remarked Bagnall.
Sunday marked the end of fall competition for the varsity ranks of both teams. On Saturday, November 8, the heavy- and lightweight squads will send their plebe rowers to New Brunswick, N.J. for the Rutgers Classic.
Results
Varsity Heavyweight Eights (field of 64)
1. Princeton 'A' - 12:48.916
4. Cornell 'A' - 13:07.276
5. Navy 'A' - 13:12.629
31. Navy 'B' - 13:54.772
42. Navy 'C' - 14:12.814
50. Navy 'D' - 14:23.058
Varsity Lightweight Eights (field of 32)
1. Cornell 'A' - 13:18.928
9. Cornell 'B' - 13:51.520
10. Navy 'A' - 13:51.817
12. Navy 'B' - 13:54.363
21. Navy 'C' - 14:29.248
Varsity Heavyweight Fours (field of 55)
1. Boston U. 'A' - 14:24.522
10. George Washington 'A' - 15:06.760
11. Navy 'A' - 15:08.012
12. Navy 'C' - 15:09.531
21. Navy 'B' - 15:23.112
32. Navy 'D' - 15:42.615
Freshmen Eights (field of 34)
1. Princeton LWT 'A' - 13:30.136
6. Wisconsin - 14:02.831
7. Navy 'A' - 14:04.814
10. Columbia - 14:18.897
11. Navy LWT 'A' - 14:26.747
14. Navy 'B' - 14:40.086
21. Navy LWT 'B' - 15:50.870
Varsity Lightweight Fours (field of 38)
1. Harvard 'A' - 14:51.669
10. Princeton 'A' - 15:51.788
11. Navy 'B' - 16:03.711
22. Navy 'D' - 16:48.870
27. Navy 'A' - 17:33.367 (17:03.367 (25th) + 0:30 penalty)
29. Navy 'C' - 17:40.931 (17:10.931 (26th) + 0:30 penalty)
