ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Facing off in its first competitive head-to-head meet in 664 days, an energized Navy heavyweight rowing program swept a three-race slate versus Drexel on Saturday. Racing on a choppy, 2,000-meter course on the Severn River, the Mids (1-0) came away with dominant victories over the Dragons (0-1) in first varsity and second varsity eight competitions, as well as in the concluding third varsity four race.
"It was great to be out there racing again," remarked head coach
Rob Friedrich. "Our team has worked had and I'm so thankful that they were finally able to line up against another team.
"It was a solid first race, but we have a lot of young guys that will continue to improve with every racing experience. We have a huge group of walk-ons, who have never raced a 2k before; they have worked so hard just for a chance to compete. I am very proud of their effort and determination."
A matchup of the first varsity eights from both institutions led off the late Saturday morning action. In a wire-to-wire victory, the Mids jumped out early with a fast start and nearly cleared the Dragons by the 250-meter mark. As the race moved down the Severn River towards the Naval Academy, Navy broke away for a two-plus boat length advantage by the halfway mark and held that lead of two-to-three lengths for most of the second half action. At the finish line, the Mids were victorious by 14.0 seconds, 6:26.3 to 6:40.3.
In the ensuing second varsity eight race, Navy followed a similar script with a fast start and an extension of their lead over the 2,000 meters; the Mids were clear of the Dragons by 500 meters. Down the stretch, Drexel fell off the pace a bit as Navy cruised to a 20.3-second victory, 6:48.4 to 7:08.7.
With the water growing excessively more trying, the final race of the morning moved up as Navy and Drexel were faced with challenging conditions in the third varsity four contest. The Mids in the '71' shell led from start to finish as they broke well early and slowly crept away from their brethren in the 'Montesano' shell. The Dragons' entry was well off the pace by the halfway mark and it was a two-boat sprint to the finish line. With seawall in focus, Navy's '71' boat was able to break away and clear 'Montesano' with 500 meters left. In the final standings, Navy's '71' won with a time of 7:51.4 ahead of its second crew at 8:04.5. Drexel completed the race 26.2 seconds back at 8:30.7.
"We would not have been able to pull this day off without the tireless efforts of our sports medicine team and our staff at the boathouse. It's great to see this all come together," closed Friedrich.
Navy will be back in action in just over a week with a home meet on Monday, April 5 against Saint Joseph's.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Navy - 6:26.3
Drexel - 6:40.3
Second Varsity Eight
Navy - 6:48.4
Drexel - 7:08.7
Third Varsity Fours
Navy 3V "71" - 7:51.4
Navy 3V "Montesano" - 8:04.5
Drexel 3V - 8:30.7
Boat Lineups
