LEONIA, N.J. - Getting back on the water for collegiate racing for the first time three weeks, the Navy women's rowing team competed in a three-team meet against Columbia and Northeastern on Saturday at Overpeck Park in Northern New Jersey. Taking part in four races against the Lions and Huskies, the Mids were led by their first varsity four crew that won its respective contest by over five seconds.
Competing on a 2,000-meter stretch of Overpeck Creek, Navy's first varsity four crew took an early lead in its race over Northeastern and Columbia and kept increasing its advantage over the second half before clocking in with a final time of 7:50.60, 5.44 seconds better than the Huskies (7:56.04) and 10.69 seconds ahead of the Lions (8:01.29).
The first varsity eight competition was the closest overall in the series as first through third place were separated by only 5.84 seconds. Racing on its home course, Columbia crossed the finish line first on Saturday with a winning time of 6:51.40. Northeastern and Navy battled to the end with the Huskies edging the Mids, 6:54.41 to 6:57.24.
Similar finishes of Columbia-Northeastern-Navy played out over the second varsity and third varsity eight races. In a competitive second varsity tilt, the Lions won with a 7:01.25 result ahead of the Huskies and Mids, who posted 7:04.54 and 7:11.52 results, respectively. In the third varsity eight contest, Columbia cleared the field by over nine seconds (7:24.80), while Northeastern and Navy were separated by less than two seconds in a fight for second place. The Huskies' final time was 7:34.49 versus a 7:36.47 mark for the Mids.
An equipment issue forced Navy to scratch its entry in the second varsity four competition. While approaching the start line for its race, the Mids' 2V4 boat suffered damage to its skeg and rudder.
Navy will next be in action at the 2023 Lake Wheeler Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. over the weekend, April 21-22.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Columbia - 6:51.40
Northeastern - 6:54.41
Navy - 6:57.24
Second Varsity Eight
Columbia - 7:01.25
Northeastern - 7:04.54
Navy - 7:11.52
Third Varsity Eight
Columbia - 7:24.80
Northeastern 3V - 7:34.49
Navy - 7:36.47
Northeastern 4V - 7:38.49
First Varsity Four
Navy - 7:50.60
Northeastern - 7:56.04
Columbia - 8:01.29
Second Varsity Four
Columbia - 8:08.80
Northeastern - 8:26.13
Columbia 3V4+ - 8:34.09
Navy - Scratched
Boat Lineups
