May 29, 2016 GOLD RIVER, Calif. - The Navy women's rowing team finished up action at the 2016 NCAA Championships on Sunday with a final ranking of 19th overall in the country. A 16th place result by the Mids' varsity four crew and a 19th place finish by its second varsity eight boat led the way for the Patriot League champions on the waters of Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.
Finishing 19th overall in the team standings is a new program record for the team, who was competing in its third NCAA Championship event.
"Today was a really good day," remarked head coach Joe Schlosberg. "We ending up finishing 19th as a team which is a program best!"
The C Final of the varsity four was first on the docket for Navy on Sunday in Gold River. Racing amongst a six-team field the Mids turned in a 1:51.693 opening 500 meters to be in a tight three-team pack of Washington State and Southern Cal for positions three through five. The second quickest next 500 moved Navy into third place through the 1,500 mark before Washington State closed the gap and held off the Mids by just 0.617 seconds at 7:28.254 to 7:28.871 to finish in third. Navy's time bested Southern Cal (7:38.169) and Northeastern (7:39.963). Overall, the varsity four ended up ranked 16th at the championship.
"The varsity four started our day and put themselves right in the pack despite being in an outside lane," said Schlosberg. "They did a great job fighting and finishing strong in fourth. The boat showed a lot of guts going toe-to-toe with these teams and not backing down an inch."
D Final action for the second varsity eight was next up for the Mids on Sunday and the team was at or near the front throughout the 2,000-meter competition on Lake Natoma. After trailing Central Florida by 0.39 seconds after 500 meters, Navy turned on the jets and took a 1.1-second lead at 1,000 meters and 3.38-second advantage through 1,500. At the end of the race, the Mids were victorious with a time of 6:49.852, 3.525 seconds clear of the Golden Knights. Rhode Island and Jacksonville finished third and fourth respectively in the D Final. With its victory, the second varsity eight crew wrapped up the 2016 championships in 19th place overall.
"Our second varsity eight crew was equally gutsy," remarked Schlosberg. "They decided to race at a high pace. They came down the course at a 39; relying on their fitness. I was a little nervous, but they led from start to finish and never settled. They did a great job to win their final."
The D Final for the varsity eight concluded Navy's three days of racing at the NCAAs. A fast pace by Central Florida (1:37.483) and Rhode Island (1:38.943) over the first 500 immediately put Navy at a disadvantage as the Mids turned in just a 1:44.443 over the same span. Over 2.5 seconds behind third-place Jacksonville at the 500-meter mark, Navy fought back over the next 500 meters and inched ahead into third by the 1,000-meter designation. After overtaking the Dolphins, the Mids set their sights on the Rams of URI down the stretch. Navy would run out of time in that quest and finished in third place with a time of 6:49.790. Overall, the Mids' first varsity crew ended up ranked 21st at the championship.
"The first eight did what they needed to do," said Schlosberg. "They got taken off the line behind the field, but managed to pull through Jacksonville and push into Rhode Island. We've battled URI all season and have just been a little off from catching them."
In the final team standings, California won the 2016 NCAA Championship title with 129 points to edge out the three-time defending champs in Ohio State by three points. Navy recorded 21 team points to rank 19th overall and one point ahead of Central Florida. Rhode Island (16 points) and Jacksonville (6) finished 21st and 22nd overall, respectively.
"I want to give a ton of credit and thanks to Coach Douglas and Coach Root for their leadership and help through this transition," exclaimed Schlosberg, who finished his first season at Navy on Sunday after joining the program from Notre Dame. "It hasn't been easy, but without them we wouldn't have had the success that we did.
"This was a condensed year that really didn't start until the first week of classes this past fall. We started to lay the foundation and I'm excited to see our growth and development over the next year."
Results
Varsity 8
D Final (Places 19-22)
Central Florida - 6:35.805
Rhode Island - 6:43.777
Navy - 6:49.790
Jacksonville - 6:55.305
Second Varsity 8
D Final (Places 19-22)
Navy - 6:49.852
Central Florida - 6:53.377
Rhode Island - 6:54.628
Jacksonville - 7:19.005
Varsity 4
C Final (Places 13-18)
Duke - 7:22.311
Syracuse - 7:25.635
Washington State - 7:28.254
Navy - 7:28.871
Southern Cal - 7:38.169
Northeastern - 7:39.963
Boat Lineups
First Varsity 8
Cox: Alexandria Switzer, Stroke: Miranda Kosmides, 7: Julia Arthur, 6: Julia Bailey, 5: Maeve Broeg, 4: Megan Farabaugh 3: Sophie Schmidt, 2: Isabelle Babb, Bow: McKenna Niemer
Second Varsity 8
Cox: Molly McAleer, Stroke: Heidi Zisselman, 7: Victoria Meyer, 6: Megan Hanson, 5: Taylor Hart, 4: Madison Vachris, 3: Adrienne Vallancey-Martinson, 2: Aria Dang, Bow: Annie Laurie Gibson
Varsity 4
Cox: Krysta Przestrzelski, Stroke: Olivia Czerewko, 3: Kelsey Hastings, 2: Emily Cecchini, Bow: Mady Malczynski
