RALEIGH, N.C. – The Navy women's rowing team kicked off the first of two days of action at the 2023 Lake Wheeler Invitational with solid results from across its ranks on Friday. Entering five boats in competition against high-level national opponents over two sessions at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, the Mids posted four top-three results.
Navy's first, second and third varsity eight, as well as its first and second varsity four crews competed in multi-team heats against No. 8 Penn, No. 14 Duke, No. 19 Iowa, Georgetown, Kansas, Miami, Oklahoma and UCF over the two sessions.
The Mids' first varsity eight crew turned in fourth- and third-place results, respectively in their two races on Friday. In the morning session versus Penn, Iowa, Miami, UCF and Kansas, Navy settled into the middle of the pack as the field separated over the course of the 2,000-meter piece. At the finish line, the Quakers were victorious with a time of 6:16.853 ahead of the Hawkeyes and Hurricanes, who posted 6:25.083 and 6:27.971 times, respectively. The Mids were slightly over four seconds back in fourth place at 6:32.157. They were over 10 seconds faster than the Knights (6:42.831) and Jayhawks (6:44.603).
In the afternoon V8 contest, Navy moved one spot up the leaderboard and challenged Miami for second place to the end. At the conclusion of the race, Duke came in first at 6:49.395 to outpace Miami's 6:53.587. Navy was 3.54 seconds back with a 6:57.127 mark. The Mids bettered the Oklahoma Sooners (7:00.257), UCF Knights (7:06.237) and the Georgetown Hoyas (7:09.065).
Similar to its first varsity eight, the second varsity eight crew increased its standing over both sessions. In the morning, Navy was edged by UCF by just 0.426 for fourth place, 6:45.076 to 6:45.502. Later on in the day, the Mids paid back the Knights and usurped them by 1.184 seconds to grab fourth place, 7:22.711 to 7:23.895. Navy's time challenged Oklahoma third place as the Sooners were less than a second ahead at 7:21.797.
Navy's third NCAA boat, the first varsity four crew, had an up-and-down day on Friday as they opened with a sixth-place result in the morning before coming back and having a fourth-place performance. In their first race, the Mids came up short as a part of a four-pack of crews battling for third place. The trio of UCF (7:25.495), Miami (7:26.479) and Kansas (7:27.367) clocked in slightly ahead of Navy's 7:29.627. The afternoon heat saw the four-pack of UCF, Oklahoma, Navy and Miami battling for second place. Tightly grouped throughout the 2,000 meters, second through fifth were separated on the leaderboard by just 5.852 seconds. The Knights and Sooners finished second and third at 7:47.682 and 7:49.954, respectively. Down the stretch, the Mids held off the Hurricanes and crossed the finish line with a time of 7:52.102 versus 7:53.534.
Navy's lower boat action was highlighted by three combined runner-up results from its third varsity eight and second varsity four crews. In the Mids' initial 3V8 race, they found themselves in a competitive battle for the win versus the Hawkeyes of Iowa. In touch with Iowa's boat to the end, Navy was edged out of the victory by 2.130 seconds, 6:55.285 to 6:57.415. Penn was over four seconds back in third place at 7:01.607. In the afternoon, a spaced-out heat saw Duke collect the win at 7:27.080, while Navy was unchallenged for second with a time of 7:49.930. Oklahoma was 15 seconds back of Navy's pace in third at 8:04.240.
The Mids' second varsity four improved over its two pieces on Friday. As part of the morning races, they crossed in fourth place after dropping a tight one-on-one clash with UCF, 7:35.407 to 7:36.725. Returning to Lake Wheeler five hours later, Navy held off Oklahoma and secured second place with a time 8:16.487 versus the Sooners' 8:19.921.
Navy will be back in action on Saturday morning with the third and final session of racing at the Lake Wheeler Invitational. The Mids will first hit the waters of Lake Wheeler beginning at 7:30 a.m. with their first varsity eight crew. Note, this is a revised earlier time as the potential for inclement weather in the area has moved up the schedule of racing.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Session 1
Penn – 6:16.853
Iowa – 6:25.083
Miami – 6:27.971
Navy – 6:32.157
UCF – 6:42.831
Kansas – 6:44.603
Session 2
Duke – 6:49.395
Miami – 6:53.587
Navy – 6:57.127
Oklahoma – 7:00.257
UCF – 7:06.237
Georgetown – 7:09.065
Second Varsity Eight
Session 1
Penn – 6:25.000
Iowa – 6:33.470
Miami – 6:36.440
UCF – 6:45.076
Navy – 6:45.502
Kansas – 6:50.782
Session 2
Duke – 7:01.545
Miami – 7:12.169
Oklahoma – 7:21.797
Navy – 7:22.711
UCF – 7:23.895
Georgetown – 7:26.799
Third Varsity Eight
Session 1
Iowa – 6:55.285
Navy – 6:57.415
Penn – 7:01.607
Kansas – 7:06.301
UCF – 7:15.437
Miami – 7:26.775
Session 2
Duke – 7:27.080
Navy – 7:49.930
Oklahoma – 8:04.240
Georgetown – 8:07.194
UCF – 8:12.440
Miami – 8:28.358
First Varsity Four
Session 1
Penn – 7:13.261
Iowa – 7:15.487
UCF – 7:25.495
Miami – 7:26.479
Kansas – 7:27.367
Navy – 7:29.627
Session 2
Duke – 7:33.136
UCF – 7:47.682
Oklahoma – 7:49.954
Navy – 7:52.102
Miami – 7:53.534
Georgetown – 8:01.388
Second Varsity Four
Session 1
Penn – 7:25.683
Iowa – 7:28.479
UCF – 7:35.407
Navy – 7:36.725
Kansas – 7:43.253
Miami – 7:49.991
Session 2
Duke – 7:54.013
Navy – 8:16.487
Oklahoma – 8:19.921
UCF – 8:23.799
Miami – 8:26.873
Boat Lineups
