OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Navy women's rowing program opened its 2022 campaign with six of its crews in action at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite on Saturday. Coming off a week of spring break training, the Mids had a strong debut to its season and got the opportunity to race twice versus a talented field of opponents at Melton Lake in Eastern Tennessee. Of the 12 contests on Saturday, Navy crews won six races and finished runner-up on five other occasions.
No. 16 Alabama, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 20 Tennessee, R/V Indiana and R/V Notre Dame were opponents that the Mids raced against on the first day of the two-day national event. They also competed alongside Louisville and Tulsa on Saturday. The first session of the day ran from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. before Navy returned for an afternoon session from 3:58 p.m. to 4:38 p.m.
The Mids' first varsity eight showed marked improvement throughout the day as they opened with a time of 6:39.017 that placed them fourth behind Tennessee, Tulsa and Notre Dame before coming back and shaving over 21 seconds off its initial time and placing second in its afternoon heat with a 6:17.896 result. Navy was slightly over a second behind Indiana (6:16.778), but nearly a second clear of third-place Notre Dame (6:18.857) and a full second ahead of Louisville (6:18.979).
The second varsity eight crew from Navy started its day off with a 2.788-second margin of victory over Tennessee with a 6:42.475 to 6:45.263 result. In the afternoon session, the Mids' 2V8 boat cut nearly 14 seconds off its overall time and crossed the finish line in second place at 6:28.552. Indiana won the heat at 6:25.034.
Navy's third varsity eight also collected one win and one runner-up finish on Saturday. The Mids' 3V8 crew challenged Alabama in its first race as the two crews outclassed the field and both finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of Notre Dame and Tennessee. At the conclusion of the 2,000-meter piece, the Crimson Tide held off the Mids, 7:01.102 to 7:04.774. In its afternoon heat, the Navy 3V8 boat cruised to a 6.198-second victory over Indiana (6:47.140) as it clocked in with a 6:40.942 result.
The Mids' fourth varsity eight was victorious in both of its two races on Saturday. Taking on a field of Indiana, Wisconsin and Tennessee in both sessions, Navy's 4V8 won its initial race by 7.299 seconds over Indiana, 7:04.938 to 7:12.237, and dominated the opposition in the afternoon with an 18.159-second margin of victory, 6:40.894 to 6:59.053 over Wisconsin.
In four-person action, Navy's first varsity four crew had a strong all-around day as the Mids went two-for-two with a 10-plus second win in its first heat before trimming 22 seconds off of its time and claiming another substantial five-plus second victory in its second contest. In the morning, Navy clocked in at 7:23.455 to hold off second-place Notre Dame (7:33.897), while the Mids posted a 7:01.267 time in the afternoon to defeat the second-place Fighting Irish (7:06.620) once again.
The final boat that raced on Saturday was Navy's second varsity four. The Mids' 2V4 found itself in competitive battles with Notre Dame in both sessions as the Fighting Irish registered a 7:29.696 to 7:33.708 victory over the Mids in the morning before Navy tightened the second race to a 1.837-second margin, a 7:16.976 to 7:18.813 decision in favor of Notre Dame.
Navy will conclude its racing at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite on Sunday with all six of its crews taking to Melton Lake one more time. The Mids' 4V8 will be first on the water beginning at 9:54 a.m.
Results
First Varsity Eight
AM
Tennessee – 6:33.221
Tulsa – 6:34.286
Notre Dame – 6:36.541
Navy – 6:39.017
PM
Indiana – 6:16.778
Navy – 6:17.896
Notre Dame – 6:18.857
Louisville – 6:18.979
Second Varsity Eight
AM
Navy – 6:42.475
Tennessee – 6:45.263
Notre Dame – 6:52.286
Tulsa – 6:58.719
PM
Indiana – 6:25.034
Navy – 6:28.552
Louisville – 6:33.002
Notre Dame – 6:37.519
Third Varsity Eight
AM
Alabama – 7:01.102
Navy – 7:04.774
Notre Dame – 7:24.552
Tennessee – 7:25.415
PM
Navy – 6:40.942
Indiana – 6:47.140
Notre Dame – 7:03.120
Fourth Varsity Eight
AM
Navy – 7:04.938
Indiana – 7:12.237
Wisconsin – 7:16.082
Tennessee – 7:24.366
PM
Navy – 6:40.894
Wisconsin – 6:59.053
Tennessee – 7:02.895
Indiana – 7:03.505
First Varsity Four
AM
Navy – 7:23.455
Notre Dame – 7:33.897
Tennessee – 7:44.483
Tulsa – 7:54.097
PM
Navy – 7:01.267
Notre Dame – 7:06.620
Indiana – 7:14.902
Louisville – 7:16.853
Second Varsity Four
AM
Notre Dame – 7:29.696
Navy – 7:33.708
Tennessee – 7:53.775
Tulsa – 7:58.866
PM
Notre Dame – 7:16.976
Navy – 7:18.813
Indiana – 7:27.132
Louisville – 7:40.692
Boat Lineups
