ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy heavyweight rowing team opened the home portion of its 2022 season with a hard-fought five-race meet against Princeton on Saturday morning. In a matchup of two teams ranked inside the top-15, the No. 8 Tigers took four of the five the contests versus the No. 12 Mids on the Severn River, including slim 0.8-second margin of victory in the first varsity eight competition for the Navy-Princeton Cup. Navy's fifth varsity eight crew earned the program's lone win on Saturday in the final race of the day.
The action on Saturday morning began with the first varsity eight crews from both teams setting off down a 2,000-meter stretch of the Severn River with the Navy-Princeton Cup on the line. The Tigers had a strong start and quickly broke out to a three-seat advantage over the first 750 meters and almost six seats by the halfway point. Racing along the seawall with the finish line in sight, the Mids made a late charge and drew within three seats before a final push at the line closed it to a 0.9-second margin. Princeton held on for the 5:49.0 to 5:49.9 victory.
The head-to-head racing continued in order as the second varsity crews competed next. The Tigers' 2V8 boat broke away from the Mids early on in the race as Princeton's shell was clear of Navy by the 750-meter mark. After that fast start, the visiting Tigers matched the Mids over the rest of the contest and turned in a 5.3-second margin of victory, 5:57.4 to 6:02.7.
A similar storyline occurred in the third and fourth varsity races as Princeton sprinted out early at a high pace to garner a boat-length advantage by the mid-way mark. Navy continued fighting down the stretch, but the early deficit would be too much to overcome. The Tigers won the 3V8 race, 5:55.0 to 6:04.3 and the 4V8 event, 5:51.1 to 5:56.7.
The Mids' depth shone in the final contest of the day. With three crews entered in the fifth varsity eight race, all three of the Navy boats crossed the finish line ahead of Princeton's 5V squad. Navy's 5V and 6V crews were the class of the field and battled stroke-for-stroke over most of the 2,000 meters. The Mids' 5V boat edged the 6V by just 0.9 seconds, 5:58.9 to 5:59.8. Navy's 7V crew also was strong as it out-paced Princeton's 5V, 6:15.4 to 6:25.1.
Navy will continue early season action at the Occoquan Invitational next Sunday, April 10 at Sandy Run Park in Fairfax, Virginia.
Results
First Varsity Eight
Princeton – 5:49.0
Navy – 5:49.9
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton – 5:57.4
Navy – 6:02.7
Third Varsity Eight
Princeton – 5:55.0
Navy – 6:04.3
Fourth Varsity Eight
Princeton – 5:51.1
Navy – 5:56.7
Fifth Varsity Eight
Navy 5V – 5:58.9
Navy 6V – 5:59.8
Navy 7V – 6:15.4
Princeton – 6:25.1
Boat Lineups
