PHILADELPHIA – The Navy heavyweight rowing program had a strong showing on Saturday with six crews participating in the 2018 Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in Philadelphia. Led by a victory from its plebe crew in the Men's Freshmen Eights race, the Mids recorded a trio top-three results in the head competition on the Schuylkill River.
 
The first of three events for Navy on Saturday was the Men's Freshmen Eights race. With two entrants amongst the field of 22, the Mids' first boat on the water was fast throughout the 2.5-mile course. Up by four seconds at the first two markers, the Mids pulled away down the stretch as they clocked in 9.286 seconds ahead of Drexel with a final time of 12:39.153. Navy and Drexel were the only two crews to complete the race in less than 13 minutes. Navy's second crew of plebes tallied a sixth-place finish with a 13:45.111 time.
 
"The plebes had a great row today to win the Freshmen event," remarked head coach Rob Friedrich. "We were also very excited to see our second plebe boat finish sixth against a strong freshmen field."
 
Next up on the docket for Navy on Saturday was the Men's Club Championship Eights event. The Mids entered three of the 44 crews in the contest. When the head racing was complete for the club and junior varsity teams, Navy was represented with three of the top-six crews. Navy's 2V boat came in second place at 12:16.599, while its 3V was 5.73 seconds back in third place at 12:22.329. After the top crews from Drexel and the Potomac Boat Club came in fourth and fifth, respectively, the Mids' 4V clocked in at 12:38.119 to place sixth overall.
 
"We showed our depth in the Club Championships event with our 2V and 3V finishing in second and third place, respectively," said Friedrich. "We were a little disappointed not to take the top spot, but we know Penn is a formidable opponent. I was also proud of our 4V crew for finishing sixth and placing ahead of most college's 2V boats."
 
The Men's Championship Eights race rounded out the action at the regatta for Navy. One of 15 first varsity and international boats racing in the event, Navy was in contention at the top of the leaderboard throughout. Sitting in second place at halfway point, the Mids kept pace with a fast pack of five boats. Unfortunately, Navy was overtaken in the second half of the race by the Chinese National Team and the Penn Athletic Club. The University of Penn varsity crew came in first in the competitive race with a time of 11:56.143. The Chinese National Team and Penn Athletic Club crews finished second and third at 11:58.815 and 12:00.099, respectively. The Mids placed fourth at 12:04.675. 
 
"Our varsity had a solid row, but came up a little short of our goals," said Friedrich. "They were in second place to Penn at the halfway mark, but then lost ground to the Chinese National Team and the a crew of U.S. National Team hopefuls rowing for the Penn Athletic Club.
 
"Unlike most colleges, we have not yet mixed our top plebes into our varsity boats, so we are excited to see how our depth improves for the spring racing season."
 
Navy will close out its fall slate of racing next Saturday at the Rutgers Fall Classic in New Brunswick, N.J.
 
Results
Men's Freshmen Eights (22 in field)
1-Navy – 12:39.153
2-Drexel - 12:48.439
3-Virginia - 13:27.139
6-Navy 'B' – 13:45.111
 
Men's Club Championship Eights (44 in field)
1-Penn – 12:07.507
2-Navy '2V' – 12:16.599
3-Navy '3V' – 12:22.329
6-Navy '4V' – 12:38.119
 
Men's Championship Eights (15 in field)
1-Penn – 11:56.143
2-Chinese Rowing Association – 11:58.815
3-Penn Athletic Club – 12:00.099
4-Navy – 12:04.675
5-Drexel – 12:05.597