PRINCETON, N.J. - The Navy heavyweight crew team opened the 2017 portion of its schedule on Saturday with a five-race slate of road action versus Princeton. The third-ranked team at the conclusion of the 2016 season, the host Tigers defeated the Mids in four races at Lake Carnegie. Navy came out on top in the fifth varsity event with a strong effort.

"Today was a tough day for our top two boats," remarked head coach Rob Friedrich. "We have a lot of work to do, but I know our guys have room to get a lot faster. Our third and fourth varsity boats hung tough against some very good Princeton boats and our fifth varsity put on an impressive display of speed in their event."

The Mids' fifth varsity turned in the top result of the day as they laid down a time of 6:28.1 that surpassed the Tigers' boat by 22.0 seconds.

In the competition for the Navy-Princeton Cup, the first varsity teams battled for 2,000 meters with Princeton coming out on top, 6:09.7 to 6:27.7.

The Tigers had a similar advantage in the second varsity race as they bested the Mids, 6:10.0 to 6:26.4.

In the third and fourth varsity races, Navy closed the gap and kept within striking distance as the third varsity race went to Princeton by 3.8 seconds at 6:18.1 to 6:21.9, while the fourth varsity races saw Princeton earn a 6.8-second victory at 6:25.0 to 6:31.8.

"We have a deep, young team that is ready to put in the hard work to get faster each week," said Friedrich in closing.

Navy will move on with more early season action next weekend with two days of competition at the George Washington Invitational beginning on Friday afternoon and concluding on Saturday.

Boat Lineups

1^st Varsity 8

Cox: Nick Street, Stroke: Scott Gibson, 7: Kevin Leyland, 6: Alec Gould, 5: Brandon Sagawinia, 4: John Lamb, 3: Andrew Knoll, 2: Gage Butler, Bow: Sawyer Rogers

2^nd Varsity 8

Cox: Eli Wood, Stroke: Michael Pentaleri, 7: Caleb Robertson, 6: Jack Gainer, 5: Klaus Payne, 4: Evan Camp, 3: Ryan Adair, 2: Michael Palaski, Bow: Michael Murphy

3^rd Varsity 8

Cox: Julia Foust, Stroke: Jonathan Wabeke, 7: Charlie Linder, 6: Jared Taintor, 5: Terry Renfro-Pihut, 4: Zach Scholz, 3: Thor Gignac, 2: Nathaniel Auzenbergs, Bow: David Russell

4^th Varsity 8

Cox: Elise Odom, Stroke: Owen Shenk, 7: George Gilliam, 6: Ben Dunphy, 5: Aaron Bullis, 4: Owen Firebaugh, 3: Aaron Hanko, 2: Joseph Merkel, Bow: Parker Novakovic

5^th Varsity 8

Cox: Kathryn Fung, Stroke: Channing Martin, 7: Dwayne Williams, 6: John Heropolous, 5: Noah Stewart, 4: Jacob Klosowski, 3: Matthew Bute, 2: Matthew Gregory, Bow: Samuel Sasser

Results

1^st Varsity 8
Princeton - 6:09.7
Navy - 6:27.7

2^nd Varsity 8
Princeton - 6:10.0
Navy - 6:26.4

3^rd Varsity 8
Princeton - 6:18.1
Navy - 6:21.9

4^th Varsity 8
Princeton - 6:25.0
Navy - 6:31.8

5^th Varsity 8
Navy - 6:28.1
Princeton - 6:50.1