WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Navy heavyweight crew program finished three days of racing at the IRA National Championship on Sunday with its top-three boats in action. The Mids' third varsity eight led the way with a third-place result in the petite final of its respective class. Navy's first varsity eight also competed in a petite final, while the Mids' second varsity eight raced in the third final on Mercer Lake.
"All of our boats raced well today and almost all finished above their pre-regatta ranking," remarked
Rob Friedrich, the Tom & Candy Knudson Director of Navy Rowing. "I'm proud of our effort and all of the hard work that they put in this year to finish among the top teams in the country."
The Mids' third varsity eight had a fight on its hand throughout the 2,000 meters of action on Sunday. Breaking out in fourth place after the initial 500 meters, Navy found itself jockeying for position with Cornell and Syracuse over the next 1,000 meters. Dropping to fifth at the midway point of the race behind both the Big Red and Orange, the Mids accelerated past both crews by the 1,500-meter checkpoint. Navy's time of 4:41.390 after 1,500 meters drew the team within 1.11 seconds of second-place Princeton. Down the stretch, the teams stayed in order as Boston University came in first at 6:12.005 followed by Princeton at 6:14.419 and Navy at 6:15.959. That result ranked the Mids' 3V8 ninth overall in the nation.
"The third varsity had a great showing, stroked by our team captain
Luke Phelan, and upsetting many crews that were ranked ahead of them coming into this weekend," said Friedrich. "They raced with a lot of heart to finish ninth overall."
Navy's first varsity eight earned the program's second-best final result of the weekend as the Mids placed fifth in the petite final to rank 13th in the nation. Racing in a six-team final versus Dartmouth, Northeastern, Princeton, Cornell and Wisconsin, the Big Green opened out a lead early and held on over the 2,000 meters of action. The Mids' initial opening sprint left them in sixth, just 0.08 seconds behind the Badgers at the 500-meter mark. Falling behind by 1.14 seconds to Wisconsin at the half-way point, Navy turned a quick and efficient next 500-meter segment and overtook the Badgers by over four seconds. The fast-closing Midshipmen crew set its sights on the fourth-place Big Red of Cornell down the stretch and ended within 1.55 seconds of them at the finish line. Navy's final time of 6:04.095 was fifth-best in the contest, 6.246 seconds ahead of Wisconsin.
"The varsity had a solid race beating Wisconsin and finishing three spots above their ranking," remarked Friedrich. "We have seven seniors in that boat and it was an honor to watch them complete their race for the Blue and Gold."
The Mids' third crew in action on Sunday on Mercer Lake was its second varsity eight in the third level final of its class. In a highly competitive heat with movement throughout the race, Navy initially broke out in second-place after the opening 500-meter sprint. Columbia passed Navy heading into the midway point with a slight 0.8-second edge for second place. The back-and-forth continued over the next 500 meters as the Mids pulled into a competitive scrap with the Northeastern Huskies, just 1.4 seconds back, 4:31.610 to 4:33.010 at the 1,500-meter point. Down the stretch, the movement at the front of the field continued as Northeastern bolted back ahead for the eventual win at 6:03.422, while Columbia settled for second place at 6:05.836 and Navy placed third at 6:07.840. Overall, Navy's 2V8 finished the year ranked 15th in the nation.
"The second varsity had a lineup change after the semifinal and I thought they handled the change well and raced aggressively today," said Friedrich. "It wasn't quite what we were hoping on the result, but there are a lot of young guys in that boat, who will have a major impact on the team in the future.
"The four finished racing on Saturday with their best race of the weekend, gaining great experience for next year."
In the Ten Eyck team point standings, Navy finished with 158 points to rank 12th overall. Yale won the overall team championship.
"Overall, I'm most proud of our 17 graduates and newly commissioned officers in the Navy and Marine Corps," said Friedrich in closing. "Two of them will go straight to the Marine Corps Basic School tomorrow. It's a special group of dedicated athletes, who will now transition to serving our Country."
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Fifth of 6 in Petite Final
Dartmouth – 5:49.361
Northeastern – 5:52.257
Princeton – 5:59.435
Cornell – 6:02.545
Navy – 6:04.095 ** 11th overall in the nation
Wisconsin – 6:10.341
Second Varsity Eight
Third of 6 in Third Final
Northeastern – 6:03.442
Columbia – 6:05.836
Navy – 6:07.840 **15th overall in the nation
Penn – 6:10.726
Stanford – 6:11.490
Temple – 6:15.880
Third Varsity Eight
Third of 6 in Petite Final
Boston Univ. – 6:12.005
Princeton – 6:14.419
Navy – 6:15.959 **Ninth overall in the nation
Syracuse – 6:17.445
Cornell – 6:17.449
Penn – 6:21.055
Boat Lineups
