ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After seeing its first scheduled meet of the 2021 season get cancelled due to the Naval Academy's ROM mandate in March, the Navy women's rowing team will get on the water for its first official collegiate competition since the 2019 NCAA Championships, 671 days ago in Indianapolis, Indiana. The five-time defending Patriot League Champions and current 20th-ranked team in the nation, the Mids will travel to Overpeck Park in Leonia, New Jersey on Saturday, April 3 for a neutral site meet with Northeastern University, winners of the past six Colonial Athletic Association women's rowing championships. The three-race slate of contests is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.

The first race of Saturday will see the first varsity eights from Navy and Northeastern go head-to-head at noon. Twenty minutes later, the second varsity eight from each respective school will take to the waters of Overpeck Park before the varsity fours close out the competition at 12:40 p.m. with each squad entering two boats.

Last Time on the Water (Spring Racing): 2019 NCAA Championship
Navy matched its program record with a 17th overall finish at the 2019 NCAA Championship on June 2, 2019. With three boats in C-Final action at the Indianapolis Rowing Center, the Mids' first varsity eight crew led a strong day of competition with a 15th-place result. Navy's second varsity eight and first varsity four also earned top-18 standings in the season-ending national regatta. Navy's V8 raced in the thick of the pack in the C-Final and crossed the finish line ahead of Wisconsin, Duke and UCF and was just over three seconds behind Indiana. That result was the highest finish by a Navy V8 crew in program history. The Mids' V4 came in 16th overall beating Northeastern and Rhode Island to the finish line in their respective final, while the 2V8 was edged late by Northeastern to rank 18th in the nation.

Who's Back
Senior Elizabeth Downing will be serving as the Mids' team captain during this campaign. Eight fellow seniors will help Downing lead the way for Navy's effort in 2021: Cara Bradley, Patty Krisan, Margaret Lane, Kate Long, Katie Miller, Julianna Pereira, Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson and Bray Zimmerman. After the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the team and delayed the collegiate debut of the Mids' Class of 2023 last spring, Navy's other collegiate rowing experience will come from its 15-person junior class. Returning juniors from Navy's 2019 NCAA boats include Brooke Campbell, Polly Finch, Dana Hirschhorn, Hanna Prince, Stephanie Read and Sky Schork.

Who's New
The Midshipmen have 16 sophomores and 21 freshmen, who are looking to compete in their first meets this spring. Navy is currently scheduled to race in three regular season contests in preparation for the Patriot League Championship on May 14. The winner of that league competition will earn an automatic berth in the 2021 NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 28-30 in Sarasota, Florida.

Race Schedule
12:00 PM - First Varsity Eight
12:20 PM - Second Varsity Eight
12:40 PM - Varsity Fours (2-Navy, 2-Northeastern)