SARASOTA, Fla. – The Navy women's rowing program concluded its three days of competition at the 2021 NCAA Championship by placing 18th in the team standings. With all three of its boats racing in C Finals on Sunday at Nathan Benderson Park, the Mids' effort was spearheaded by their varsity four crew that placed second in its event, thereby finishing 14th overall in the nation. Both Navy's varsity eight and second varsity eight crews completed their finals action with sixth-place finishes to rank 18th overall at the championship.
 
"There's so much to say, not only about the weekend, but the last 14.5 months," remarked head coach Joe Schlosberg. "As I've said before, every team has their unique challenges this year. We got hit with things that we just couldn't control. With that, getting back here to the NCAAs and performing as we did was fantastic. Each boat fought this weekend and raced with passion. Our four matched the highest finish ever by a Navy boat taking 14th.
 
"I'm incredibly proud of this team. They fought really hard to get us back here and set us up for the future. I just can't wait to see what we can do!"
 
The Mids' V4 was the first boat on the water on Sunday morning in Sarasota. Fast out of the starting blocks, Navy found itself in a three-boat breakaway that saw SMU, Princeton and Navy all clock in within 0.782 seconds of each other at the 500-meter marker. Those three teams continued to pace the action over the next 500 meters with SMU leading the trio at the halfway point with a time of 3:43.625. Princeton and Navy were right behind at 3:44.135 and 3:44.505. The teams started jockeying for position as the Tigers moved to the front with the Mustangs and Mids checking in right behind at the 1,500-meter buoy. Down the stretch in the final 500 meters, Navy's crew of Sofia Ferguson, Sky Schork, Brienna Voss, Phoebe Haller and coxswain Elle Perozzi overtook SMU in a battle to the finish line. The Mids turned in a final result of 7:31.681, 0.506 seconds ahead of the Mustangs' 7:32.187. The Alabama Crimson Tide joined the tight finish as they charged into fourth place at 7:32.765. Princeton placed first with a time of 7:27.365. With this result, Navy's V4 places 14th overall in the nation in that classification.
 
Navy's 2V8 was the next crew in action in C Final competition. Racing with a fast field of Duke, Princeton, Washington State, Tennessee and Alabama, Navy had a difficult start to the contest and was down 3.89 seconds to fifth-place Washington State at the quarter mark. Unfortunately for the Mids' in the 2V8, the field found that next gear and pulled ahead by over eight seconds at the 1,000-meter point of the race. Navy would finish the 2,000-meter contest in sixth with a time of 7:08.572; overall that result ranks the Mids 18th in the second varsity eight division. Navy's 2V8 crew at the NCAA Championship this year consisted of team captain Elizabeth Downing, Caroline Coleman, Maura Dawson, Claire Schnorr, Brigid Welch, Cathy Meehan, Skylar Lodice, Katie Roland and coxswain Natalie Graham.
 
The Mids' first varsity eight boat rounded out the competition in its respective C Final. Similar to its second varsity crew, Navy's V8 was faced with a fast field and wasn't able to mount a sustained push up the standings during the race. The Mids opened the first 500 meters with a solid 1:39.623 time that was within three seconds of the first-place SMU Mustangs, but wasn't able to match the top of the field's speed over the middle seconds of the 2,000-meter piece. Keeping contact with fifth-place Tennessee, Navy clocked in 2.62 seconds behind the Volunteers at the 1,000-meter mark and 4.71 seconds back at 1,500 meters. Down the stretch, the Volunteers held onto fifth place with a final time of 6:38.956 versus a 6:44.316 for the Mids. Ellie Dabney, Brooke Campbell, Lauren Day, Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson, Hanna Prince, Millie Oldham, Margaret Lane, Sarah Zanzuri and coxswain Polly Finch made up Navy's V8 crew that placed 18th overall this weekend. Seven of those nine student-athletes are set to return for Navy in 2022 as the Mids look to once again fight for Patriot League supremacy, while making their name on the national scene.
 
At the conclusion of Sunday's racing, Texas was crowned as the 2021 NCAA Championship with 126 team points. The Longhorns tied with Stanford and Washington with 126 points, but won the tiebreaker as champions of the first varsity eight race. With 34 overall points, Navy finished the three-day competition in 18th place. This weekend was the seventh all-time NCAA Championship appearance and sixth straight in program history. The Mids finished just two points shy of the Tennessee Volunteers, who placed 17th with 36 points. Northeastern placed 19th behind Navy with 20 points.
 
Results
 
First Varsity Eight
C Finals
SMU – 6:31.478
Wisconsin – 6:33.822
Washington State – 6:35.798
Duke – 6:37.250
Tennessee – 6:38.956
Navy – 6:44.316  *18th in the Nation
 
Second Varsity Eight
C Finals
Duke – 6:43.416
Princeton – 6:45.472
Washington State – 6:46.502
Tennessee – 6:48.972
Alabama – 6:51.030
Navy – 7:08.572  *18th in the Nation
 
First Varsity Four
C Finals
Princeton – 7:27.365
Navy – 7:31.681  *14th in the Nation
SMU – 7:32.187
Alabama – 7:32.765
Wisconsin – 7:38.123
Gonzaga – 7:46.105