BOSTON – Faced with difficult water conditions and an earlier start time that saw action begin at 6 a.m., the Navy heavyweight rowing team turned in a solid effort at the three-team Adams Cup competition. Racing five times versus Harvard and Penn early Saturday morning on the Charles River, the Mids' fifth varsity eight crew won its respective event, while the squad's top four crews all placed second ahead of the Quakers, but behind the host Crimson.
 
The fifth varsity eight got the slate of racing going strong for the Mids on Saturday as they dominated the Crimson in a head-to-head duel. Navy clocked in with a time of 6:43.1, while Harvard was 20.5 seconds back at 7:03.6.
 
"Our 5V started the day off well with a large margin of victory against Harvard; those guys are pulling hard for all of their teammates left at home," remarked head coach Rob Friedrich.
 
After that initial contest, the first varsity crews took to the 2,000-meter course with the Adams Cup up for grabs to the victor. Harvard continued its undefeated start to 2019 with a winning time of 6:11.0. Navy found itself in a tight battle with Penn down the stretch and held off the Quakers for second place at 6:25.3 to 6:26.6.
 
The same alignment occurred in the second varsity eight race as Harvard came in first at 6:20.7 ahead of Navy at 6:36.2 and Penn at 6:42.8. 
 
"It was good to see our top two boats finish ahead of Penn, who has had our number these past few years," said Friedrich. "We have a lot more speed left to find and these guys are motivated to get back to work."
 
The third varsity showdown between Navy and Harvard was a stroke-for-stroke clash that came down to the line and was decided by less than a second as the Crimson checked in at 6:25.1 versus 6:26.0 for the Mids.
 
The Saturday morning affair closed out with the fourth varsity crews from Navy and Harvard. Hindered significantly by unruly water conditions both teams clocked in north of seven minutes with the Crimson winning over the Mids, 7:06.3 to 7:13.7.
 
"We are still making steady progress in all of our boats," remarked head coach Rob Friedrich. "Our 3V had a really great race and was up on Harvard until about 300 meters to go. I'm proud of how well they rowed in rough conditions."
 
Navy will round out its regular season next Sunday, May 5 with a four-team regatta in West Windsor, N.J. versus Columbia, George Washington and Hobart College.
 
Race Results
 
First Varsity 
Harvard – 6:11.0
Navy – 6:25.3
Penn – 6:26.6
 
Second Varsity
Harvard – 6:20.7
Navy – 6:36.2
Penn – 6:42.8
 
Third Varsity
Harvard – 6:25.1
Navy – 6:26.0
 
Fourth Varsity
Harvard – 7:06.3
Navy – 7:13.7
 
Fifth Varsity
Navy – 6:43.1
Harvard – 7:03.6

Boat Lineups

	First Varsity Eight	Second Varsity Eight	Third Varsity Eight	Fourth Varsity Eight	Fifth Varsity Eight
1	M.J. Duffy	Peter Faber	Aaron Hanko	Luke Sullivan	Michael Murphy
2	Alec Gould	Joey Merkel	David Russell	John Heropoulos	Cedric Bevis
3	Griffin Dunne	Dwayne Williams	Harrison Bleckley	Dan Anthony	George Williams
4	Jacob Klosowski	Evan Camp	William Geib	Owen Shenk	Josh Lee
5	Andrew Knoll	Brandon Sagawinia	Matt Bute	Jared Cox	George Gilliam
6	John Lamb	Owen Firebaugh	Stephen Huber	Griffin Hamilton	Ian Dennis
7	James Sills	Jared Taintor	Josey Troyer	Aaron Bullis	Collin Snyder
8	James Pushner	Michael Palaski	Franklin Shew	Matt Gregory	Benjamin Johnson
Cox.	Matthew Catanoso	Tiffany Johnstone	Elise Odom	Francesca Browne	Lakayla Deshields