WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy heavyweight crew team had a fast start to its action at the two-day George Washington Invitational with a perfect four-for-four showing on the Potomac River on Friday afternoon. Taking on crews from No. 23 Georgetown, No. 17 George Washington and No. 21 Drexel, the 15th-ranked Mids cruised in the first, second, third and fourth varsity races to a quartet of substantial victories of seven seconds or more.
The Mids' top boats got the day going strong with a dominant 15.08-second win over Georgetown in the first varsity competition, 5:40.10 to 5:55.18. Navy's second varsity was nearly as proficient with a 12.9-second victory over the Hoyas by a time of 5:56.0 to 6:08.9.
The matchups changed in the final two races on Friday as Drexel and George Washington joined the mix for the third varsity eight event. The Mids once again held control throughout the 2,000 meters and clocked in at 6:01.70. The Dragons placed second at 6:09.12, while the host Colonials were another three seconds back at 6:12.19.
Navy's depth was showcased in the fourth varsity eight contest as the Mids went one-two with its fourth varsity winning with a time of 6:11.5. Racing alongside their 4V brethren, the Mids' fifth varsity crew was also entered in this race and posted a time of 6:17.3. George Washington's fourth varsity was well off the pace with final time of 6:28.0.
"All of our boats raced well today," remarked head coach
Rob Friedrich. "The guys were focused this week on making some major changes and its has paid off. We are excited to get out and race again tomorrow!"
Navy will conclude the two-day invitational on Saturday with two more sessions of racing at 8:00 a.m. (Session 1) and 11:24 a.m. (Session 2).
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Navy - 5:40.10
Georgetown - 5:55.18
Second Varsity Eight
Navy - 5:56.0
Georgetown - 6:08.9
Third Varsity Eight
Navy - 6:01.70
Drexel - 6:09.12
George Washington - 6:12.19
Fourth Varsity Eight
Navy 4V - 6:11.5
Navy 5V - 6:17.3
George Washington 4V - 6:28.0
Boat Lineups