WORCESTER, Mass. – The strong 2022 campaign for the Navy lightweight crew continued on Sunday at the Eastern Sprints. With five crews entered in the day-long competition, the Mids received standout performances from throughout its lineup as two of their boats won individual event titles and two more finished runner-up. As a result of those efforts, Navy finished in a three-way tie for team title in the Jope Cup standings.
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The Mids' top three boats all were in action twice at Lake Quinsigamond, while their fourth and fifth varsity crews raced in straight-to-final contests. Navy's 4V and 5V won their respective finals, while the V8 and 2V both challenged for wins as the second crew was edged by just 0.235 seconds and the first crew was 1.735 seconds shy of victory.
"This was absolutely what we coaches thought it would be this Sunday in Worcester: fast teams across the board, with tight finishes and awesome racing," remarked head coach
Shawn Bagnall. "We are so proud of this team and the season that they have put together, and it's been an honor to be a part of it. Each day this team has shown up to work hard, create tremendous boat speed, and do it in a way that was a joy to be a part of. The 4V and 5V boats winning their races with poise was a testament to Assistant Coach
James Sands' vision and dedication to those athletes. Clearly just missing wins in the 1V and 2V by a total of two seconds is a tough outcome in the moment, but it will undoubtedly help fuel our training for the next three weeks toward the IRA National Championship. We again look forward to the opportunity to represent the Naval Academy at the Men's National Championships, as well as celebrating our First Class Midshipmen in their Commissioning to the US Fleet."
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Coming into Sunday's competition ranked second in the nation, the Mids' first varsity eight showcased its speed in both its qualifying heat and grand final races. In the morning, Navy held off a game Princeton crew by just over a second with a final result of 5:58.590 to 5:59.600. In the grand final, the Mids found itself in another close contest. Nearly in an even heat with No. 1 Yale at the 1,500-meter mark, the Bulldogs moved ahead over the last quarter of the race and clocked in 1.735 seconds ahead of Navy, 5:58.641 to 6:00.376. The second-place result was the best by a Navy lightweight V8 crew at the Eastern Sprints since 2006, when that crew also placed second.
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A similar storyline occurred in the second varsity competition as the Mids won their initial heat race and finished runner-up in the grand final. Racing in the first heat, Navy posted a time of 6:07.252 that bested Cornell by nearly two seconds as the Big Red finished at 6:09.139. In the grand final, the fans in Worcester were treated to an epic 2,000 meters of action. Extremely close throughout the race, Columbia secured a photo finish victory of 0.235 seconds, 6:01.490 to 6:01.725 over Navy. Those two crews were the class of the field as the third-place Cornell team was over five seconds back at 6:06.790.
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Navy's third varsity eight extended the team's run of qualifying heat wins as the Mids cruised to a seven-plus second victory over the four-team field in its heat with a time of 6:19.920. In the grand final, Navy found itself in a fast four-boat breakaway. Columbia and Cornell paced the field late and went one-two, while Yale and Navy were in a tight race for third place. The Bulldogs withstood the Mids' effort and registered a 6:11.401 time, 1.375 seconds ahead of Navy's 6:12.776.
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The depth of Navy's lightweight program continued to shine with a sweep of the fourth and fifth varsity eight contests. In the grand final of the fourth varsity race, the Mids and Bulldogs were in a one-on-one matchup as Harvard and Princeton were well off the pace. Strong throughout, Navy earned a 3.06-second margin of victory over Yale, 6:24.404 to 6:27.464.
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The Mids and Bulldogs did battle again in the fifth varsity eight race. Breezing ahead of Harvard, who finished 30-plus seconds back, Navy turned in another win over Yale, this time by 3.19 seconds, 6:29.420 to 6:32.610.
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In the final team standings for the Jope Cup, Navy, Yale and Columbia all finished with 32.0 points. The tie was broken with the result of the first varsity eight race, so Yale took home the hardware to New Haven, Connecticut. The tie atop the standings marked the first time that Navy had finished higher than third since 2007 when they won the Jope Cup.
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Postseason action will continue for Navy in three weeks as the Mids will look to defend their title the IRA National Championship. The multi-day competition is scheduled for June 3-5 in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Results
First Varsity 8
First of 4 in Heat 2 – 5:58.590
Grand Final
Yale – 5:58.641
Navy – 6:00.376 (2nd Overall)
Georgetown – 6:01.516
Cornell – 6:02.736
Princeton – 6:03.008
Columbia – 6:07.553
Second Varsity 8
First of 5 in Heat 1 – 607.252
Grand Final
Columbia – 6:01.490
Navy – 6:01.725 (2nd Overall)
Cornell – 6:06.790
Princeton – 6:09.183
Yale – 6:10.298
Georgetown – 6:11.085
Third Varsity 8
First of 4 in Heat 1 – 6:19.920
Grand Final
Columbia – 6:07.021
Cornell – 6:09.123
Yale – 6:11.401
Navy – 6:12.776 (4th Overall)
Georgetown – 6:17.821
Harvard – 6:21.373
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Fourth Varsity 8
Grand Final
Navy – 6:24.404 (1st Overall)
Yale – 6:27.464
Harvard – 6:41.003
Princeton – 6:45.623
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Fifth Varsity 8
Grand Final
Navy – 6:29.420 (1st Overall)
Yale – 6:32.610
Harvard – 7:07.502
Jope Cup Standings
T-1. Yale - 32.0 points *tie-breaker was V8 finish
T-1. Navy - 32.0
T-1. Columbia - 32.0
4. Cornell - 30.0
5. Georgetown - 25.0
6. Princeton - 23.0
7. Harvard - 16.0
8. Dartmouth - 11.0
9. Penn - 10.0
Boat Lineups
