ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's rowing program will be on the grandest national stage this weekend with three days of competition at the 2021 NCAA Championship. Racing at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, the Midshipmen will have its first and second varsity eight crews in action, as well as its first varsity four crew. Navy, the six-time defending champions of the Patriot League, will kick off its competition with three qualifying heats on Friday morning with the potential for repechage action in the afternoon. On Saturday, teams will race in semifinal competition before the championship finals go off on Sunday morning.

Navy is one of 10 teams that earned an automatic bid by virtue of winning its conference title. In total, there will be 22 schools competing in each of the three boat classes - varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four.

The three-day event will have both free live video and results available via the NCAA. 

Friday's action will consist of qualifying heat competitions for the Mids' first and second varsity eight boats, as well as their first varsity four crew. The first varsity eight will take to the water first starting at 9:24 a.m. Just over a half hour later, the 2V8 boat will race in heat number two at 10:00 a.m. before the Mids' V4 crew races in heat four at 11:12 a.m. The top two boats in each of the morning heats automatically advance to Saturday's semifinals, while the rest will race again in repechage action. Repechages are scheduled in the afternoon on Friday between 4:12 and 5:12 p.m.

Navy's first varsity eight crew, seeded 19th overall will be matched up versus No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Rutgers, No. 11 Alabama, No. 14 Syracuse and No. 22 Marist, while its second varsity crew, slotted as No. 18 will race against No. 2 Texas, No. 7 Rutgers, No. California and No. 15 Washington State in their respective qualifying heats. The fourth heat for the varsity four consists of No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Washington, No. 12 Washington State, No. 13 Alabama and No. 21 Northeastern. The Mids are seeded 20th in the V4 field.

On Saturday, the Mids' three boats will race in either A/B or C/D Semifinals between 8:12 and 10:24 a.m. The top three crews from the A/B semifinals will advance to the Grand Final with the remaining teams heading to the Petite Final. The top three crews from the C/D semifinals will compete in the C final, while the remaining competitions will race in the D final. On Championship Sunday, the A, B, C and D Finals will be held starting at 8:12 a.m. and going through 11:12 a.m.

Navy at the NCAA Championship
2013 (Indianapolis) - 20th in team standings ... top boat result: 19th in V4
2015 (Sacramento) - team: 21st ... top boat: 17th in V4
2016 (Sacramento) - team: 19th ... top boat: 16th in V4
2017 (West Windsor, N.J.) - team: 20th ... top boat: 19th in V4
2018 (Sarasota, Fla.) - team: 17th ... top boat: 14th in V4 (all boats finished top-20)
2019 (Indianapolis) - team: 17th ... top boat: 15th in V8 (all boats made C-Final)

Most Recent NCAA Championship: 2019 in Indianapolis (May 31 - June 2)
Navy matched its program record with a 17th overall finish at the 2019 NCAA Championship. 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.

With 40 overall points, Navy finished the three-day competition in 17th place, tying the 2018 team for the best result in program history. In the fifth straight NCAA Championship appearance for the Mids and sixth all-time, 40 points are the most for any single Navy team at the championship. Navy was nine points clear of 18th place, Central Florida, who finished with 31 points.

Six members from that 2019 NCAA Championship squad will be back in action this weekend with Brooke Campbell, Polly Finch, Hanna Prince and Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson slated to race with Navy's V8, while Elizabeth Downing and Sky Schork are members of Navy's 2V8 and V4 crews, respectively.

Looking Back at 2021 Patriot League Championship
Navy qualified for competition at the NCAA Championship by earning the automatic bid from the Patriot League. On Friday, May 14, the Mids won their sixth straight league title as they turned in a trio of dominant performances in the morning heats before turning around in the afternoon and sweeping the first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four races on their way to a perfect score of 54 points and the league crown. Navy was followed in the standings by the Bucknell Bison, who placed second with a total of 47 team points.

Check out the Patriot League's video recap of the 2019 Championship Regatta with highlights and interviews with Head Coach Joe Schlosberg and team captain Elizabeth Downing. PL VIDEO RECAP

This is the seventh time in program history that Navy has competed at the national championship meet. Prior to this weekend, the team has gone in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Race Schedule
Friday (Heats)
9:24 AM - First Varsity Eight, Heat #3 (Navy, Alabama, Stanford, Rutgers, Syracuse, Marist)
10:00 AM - Second Varsity Eight, Heat #2 (Navy, California, Texas, Rutgers, Washington State)
11:12 AM - First Varsity Four, Heat #4 (Navy, Washington State, Virginia, Washington, Alabama, Northeastern)

Friday (Repechages)
4:12-4:24 PM - First Varsity Eight Repechage Heats #1/2
4:36-4:48 PM - Second Varsity Eight Repechage Heats #1/2
5:00-5:12 PM - First Varsity Four Repechage Heats #1/2

Saturday (Semifinals)
8:12-8:48 AM - First Varsity Eight, 4 races
9:00-9:36 AM - Second Varsity Eight, 4 races
9:48-10:24 AM - First Varsity Four, 4 races

Sunday (Finals)
8:12-11:12 AM, 4 finals per class ... A, B, C, D