PHILADELPHIA – The Navy rowing program was well-represented on Sunday with action at the 2023 Navy Day Regatta. Racing on a 4,000-meter stretch of the Schuylkill River, the three Navy crew teams competed in five different events with 15 total entries. When the final boat had completed its head-style time trial Midshipmen crews had recorded 10 top-five results, including wins by the heavyweights in the Men's Collegiate Freshmen/Novice Eights and lightweights in the Men's Collegiate Lightweight Eights events.

The first contest of the day showcased the plebes from the heavy- and lightweight teams. Taking on a field of nine boats in the Men's Collegiate Freshmen/Novice Eights, the heavyweight plebes cruised to the event title with a time of 13:14.57 that cleared their Navy lightweight brethren by 7.18 seconds as they clocked in at 13:21.75. The second lightweight crew of freshmen Mids placed fifth overall with a 14:25.49 result.

"It was a solid row for our plebes in the freshmen eight race, since that is our second plebe crew," remarked Rob Friedrich, the Tom & Candy Knudson Director of Navy Rowing. "Our top plebes were racing in the open college eight. We believe we have a strong group of freshmen and they are working hard to make an immediate impact on our squad."

The women's program debuted at the regatta with two crews in the Women's Collegiate Freshmen/Novice Eights event. Racing amongst seven teams, the Navy women finished back-to-back in fourth and fifth place with respective times of 15:24.19 and 15:49.09.

The Men's Collegiate Eights race had the deepest field on the day with 30 boats heading out down the Schuylkill. The Navy heavyweights demonstrated their depth and strength as they earned a pair of top-four results and three of the top-eight times. While Penn's top crew earned the title at 12:00.48, Navy's first varsity clocked in right behind at 12:07.05. A little over seven seconds later, Navy's 'B' boat came in fourth at 12:14.930. Navy's 'C' crew continued the strong run of performances as it posted the eighth fastest time of the heat at 12:23.330. Both the 'B' and 'C' boats were first amongst their fellow second and third varsity opponents. The final two Navy entries finished 13th at 12:47.020 (D) and 19th at 13:03.750 (E).

"Our varsity boats raced hard today," commented Friedrich. "Placing two boats in the top-four is a step in the right direction. They have a long way to go, but we are excited about our trajectory and know we have a lot of speed to gain."

Navy's lightweight program earned its first win of the day as the first varsity crew rolled to a 5.32-second margin of victory in the Men's Collegiate Lightweight Eight event. Going head-to-head with Penn's top varsity crew, Navy clocked in at 12:03.970, ahead of the Quakers' 12:09.290. Penn's second and third crews took third and fourth place before Navy's 'B' boat posted the fifth-best time in the classification with a 12:52.080 result. Navy's 'C' crew was just over two seconds back in sixth place at 12:54.340.

The women of Hubbard Hall concluded the day of racing for Navy with two entries amongst 26 in the Women's Collegiate Eight contest. The Mids' first varsity netted Navy's tenth and final top-five outcome as a program at the regatta as it placed third overall with a time of 13:51.380 to hold of Drexel, who came in fourth at 13:52.900. Navy's second varsity finished in the middle of the deep field in 16th with a 14:38.670 effort.

Sunday's racing served as preparation for action at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta that is scheduled for next weekend in Boston. The heavyweight and lightweight programs will have crews entered in racing on Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22. Participating in a lighter fall schedule, the Navy women will not be racing in Boston and will next be in action with a series of scrimmages at Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 
Race Results
Men's Collegiate Freshmen/Novice 8+ (9 boats in field)
1-Navy HWT – 13:14.57
2-Navy LWT A – 13:21.75
3-U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – 13:40.85
4-Fairfield – 14:09.58
5-Navy LWT B – 14:25.49

Women's Collegiate Freshmen/Novice 8+ (7 boats in field)
1-Temple – 14:51.91
2-Monmouth – 14:56.07
3-Navy A – 15:24.19
4-Navy B – 15:49.09
5-St. Joseph's – 17:00.45

Men's Collegiate 8+ (30 boats in field)
1-Penn A – 12:00.48
2-Navy HWT A – 12:07.05
3-La Salle A – 12:08.53
4-Navy HWT B – 12:14.93
5-Drexel A – 12:20.61
8-Navy HWT C – 12:23.33
13-Navy HWT D – 12:47.02
19-Navy HWT E – 13:03.75

Men's Collegiate LWT 8+ (7 boats in field)
1-Navy LWT A – 12:03.97
2-Penn LWT A – 12:09.29
3-Penn LWT B – 12:19.88
4-Penn LWT C – 12:48.34
5-Navy LWT B – 12:52.08
6-Navy LWT C – 12:54.34
7-Penn LWT D – 13:57.62

Women's Collegiate 8+ (26 boats in the field)
1-Penn A – 13:10.52
2-Penn B – 13:39.61
3-Navy A – 13:51.38
4-Drexel A – 13:52.90
15-Drexel B – 14:34.70
16-Navy B – 14:38.67