SAN DIEGO - Taking on a talented nationally-based field this weekend, the No. 16 Navy heavyweight rowing program challenged its first and second varsity eight crews over five combined races at the 45th Annual San Diego Classic. In its first competition of the 2018 spring season, the first varsity crew raced in head-to-head events versus No. 2 California and No. 14 Stanford on Saturday before coming back on Sunday in the grand final. The second varsity boat raced in both heat and grand final events.

On Saturday, the Mids' V8 squad took to the 2,000-meter course on Crown Point Shores in Mission Bay in one-on-one races with California and Stanford. Competing in their home state, the Bears and Cardinal knocked off the Mids in each of their respective events. In the Navy-California duel, the Bears won by over 28 seconds at 5:47.668 to 6:16.461. Navy greatly improved its performance in its matchup with Stanford as the team dropped its time to 5:57.195. Stanford claimed the victory at 5:52.752.

As one of six varsity eight boats at the event, Navy competed on Sunday in the Copley Cup Grand Final. California was the class of the field with a time of 5:50.492. Navy battled with east coast rival Penn for fifth and sixth place, but saw the Quakers hold them off 6:19.229 to 6:25.228.

The second varsity eight was up for the challenge on Saturday and placed second in its respective qualifying heat with a time of 6:23.011. With the top-two boats advancing to the grand final, Navy edged out UC San Diego (6:25.930) for the final qualifying spot.

Sunday's grand final for the Sharp Memorial Cup saw California's 2V8 crew take the title at 6:02.139. Similar to the first varsity grand final, Navy found itself in direct competition with Penn. The Quakers ended up finishing fifth with a time of 6:31.789, while the Mids clocked in at 6:36.880.

"It was a tough weekend for both of our crews but I think we learned a lot and I know these guys have a lot more speed to show throughout the season," remarked head coach Rob Friedrich. "In each race our boats improved on a different part of the race plan and found new speed. This race experience is huge and will only help our crews make the necessary changes to compete with these crews at the end of the season.

"The trip itself was great. With the weather conditions on the East Coast, we treated this as a mini training camp. We were able to get six rows in and made improvements every trip down the course."

Navy kicks off the home portion of its spring slate with a league showdown with Princeton this coming Saturday morning. Racing on the Severn River between the Mids and Tigers is scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m.

RESULTS

Varsity 8

Saturday (Duals with California & Stanford)
California - 5:47.668
Navy - 6:16.461

Stanford - 5:52.752
Navy - 5:57.195

Sunday, Copley Cup Grand Final
California - 5:50.492
Yale - 5:52.724
Northeastern - 5:54.867
Stanford - 6:12.872
Penn - 6:19.229
Navy - 6:25.228

Second Varsity 8

Saturday, Heat 2 (top-2 to Grand Final)
Yale - 6:06.061
Navy - 6:23.011
UC San Diego - 6:25.930
UC Santa Barbara - 6:29.669
San Diego State - 7:05.837

Sunday, Sharp Memorial Cup Grand Final
California - 6:02.139
Northeastern - 6:05.373
Yale - 6:10.910
Stanford - 6:26.283
Penn - 6:31.789
Navy - 6:36.880

BOATINGS

Varsity 8
Coxswain: Nick Street, Stroke: Joseph Merkel, Caleb Robertson, Owen Firebaugh, Jared Taintor, Harrison Bleckley, Brandon Sagawinia, David Russell, Martin Duffy

Second Varsity 8
Coxswain: Kathryn Fung, Stroke: Gage Butler, George Gilliam, Michael Palaski, Zach Scholz, Jacob Klosowski, Parker Novakovic, Charlie Linder, Dwayne Williams