WORCESTER, Mass. – Looking to get back onto of the top of proverbial Patriot League Women's Rowing mountain, Navy knew that it would need to vanquish a Boston University team that put an end to its run of six straight league titles last May in Cherry Hill, N.J. Seeded one and two in all three of their respective races on Friday, the Mids and Terriers were the favorites going into the day and gave the fans at Lake Quinsigamond a fight to the finish that many will not soon forget. Coming in second to Boston University in each of the varsity four and second varsity eight grand final events and trailing at the midway point of the first varsity eight contest, Navy battled back and overtook the Terriers down the stretch to win that final race and secure the 2023 Patriot League Women's Rowing Championship and automatic bid into the upcoming NCAA Championship.
Attaining the league title for the ninth time in program history, Navy and Boston University finished tied atop the standings with 51 points on Friday, but the Mids garnered the overall championship via tie-breaker as the highest finisher in the first varsity eight race. Bucknell held off Georgetown for the final spot on the medal podium as the Bison outscored the Hoyas, 38 to 34. A third-place result by MIT in the first varsity eight race vaulted the Engineers up the leaderboard and into fifth with 32 points. The hosts, Holy Cross placed sixth with 24 points ahead of Colgate, who posted 20 points to finish in seventh. Lehigh and Loyola rounded out the standings with totals of eight and six points, respectively.
"This was a heck of a championship today!" exclaimed head coach
Joe Schlosberg. "We knew coming in that Boston was going to be fast and we knew that every point would matter.
"It took a full team effort today to make this title happen. Each boat had some challenges during their respective races and every boat was fighting from behind. Both the V4 and 2V8 had to do some major work and hold off numerous charges to be able to secure second place and the valuable points associated with those results. The first varsity eight race was an absolute uphill battle. We were behind BU for most of the race. Where that boat went to find that next gear and sprint ahead of BU at the end was something to see. Wow!"
The first varsity four crew of
Charlotte Blish,
Lauren Dorfman,
Phoebe Haller,
Natalie Kramer and coxswain
Mariella Vergara were the first boat to net Navy points in the afternoon session of championship racing. The top seed in the six-team final after posting a time of 7:32.400 in the morning, the Mids found themselves down early as the Terriers and Bison bolted out to an early advantage. Navy slowly made its way towards the front as it passed Bucknell by the 1,000-meter mark of the 2,000-meter race. Keeping in touch with Boston, Navy started inching closer over the next 500 meters. Strong from start-to-finish, the Terriers withstood a final push by the Mids and clocked in 2.664 seconds ahead, 7:36.176 to 7:38.840. Georgetown moved ahead of Bucknell down the stretch to secure third place at 7:41.356.
With eight points in its account after one race, Navy added another 16 points for its effort in the grand final of the second varsity eight. Similar to the V4 opening sprint, Boston and Bucknell broke off the line well and immediately darted to the front of the field. With the Terriers pulling away from the Bison, the Mids set their sights on second place. Close at the halfway point, Navy out-paced Bucknell over the next 500-meter segment and was securely in second place. Boston University continued its brisk rate and cruised across the finish line with a time of 6:50.194. With a single point potentially being the margin between first and second place in the team standings, Navy finished out its 2,000-meter piece convincingly and held off Bucknell for second place, 6:57.582 to 6:59.206. The Mids' 2V8 crew on Friday consisted of
Lizzie Jendrysik,
Grace Rimmer,
Claire Schnorr,
Jillian Oncay,
Jenevieva Mulhall,
Katie Hammonds,
Amelia Snyder,
Destinee Byrd and coxswain
Nicole Dado.
Trailing Boston on the leaderboard, 27 to 24 through two contests, the first varsity eight race was setting up for a winner-take-all final. Navy's top crew got off to the program's best start of the afternoon as after the opening sprint, the Mids were in second place, two seats back of the Terriers. The two fastest boats in the conference, both BU and Navy flexed their muscles over the next 1,000 meters and sped away from the field. Still trailing the Terriers with less than a quarter of the race to go, the Mids found that next gear and nearly pulled even with under 400 meters remaining. Navy's momentum was un-matched by Boston over the final minute of action and the exhilarating comeback was clinched with a dominant final sprint. At the finish line, the Mids clocked in 3.548 seconds ahead of the Terriers, 6:36.892 to 6:40.440. MIT was over six seconds back in third place at 6:46.828.
For their valiant efforts in the first varsity eight race the crew of team captain
Sofia Ferguson,
Tenlea Radack,
Anna Freihofer,
Irene Norman,
Dani Baldwin,
Noelle de Vente,
Lauren Day,
Brienna Voss and coxswain
Maeve Swick were presented with the 2023 Patriot League Boat of the Year award.
Additionally, head coach
Joe Schlosberg was recognized by the conference as the 2023 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
The league championship is the ninth in program history as Navy has now taken the crown in 2005, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
As champions of the Patriot League, the Mids will represent the conference at the 2023 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships on May 26 through 28. The action will be contested in Cherry Hill, N.J.
"I'm so excited for this team and look forward to this honor of representing the Naval Academy and Patriot League at the NCAA Championship in two weeks," remarked Schlosberg in closing.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
First of 4 in Heat 2 – 6:52.890 (-5.11 seconds behind BU)
Grand Final
Navy – 6:36.892
Boston Univ. – 6:40.440
MIT – 6:46.828
Bucknell – 6:49.968
Georgetown – 6:58.442
Colgate – 7:09.922
Second Varsity Eight
First of 4 in Heat 2 – 6:58.600 (-8.89 seconds behind BU)
Grand Final
Boston Univ. – 6:50.194
Navy – 6:57.582
Bucknell – 6:59.206
Georgetown – 7:03.050
Holy Cross – 7:06.298
MIT – 7:07.048
First Varsity Four
First of 5 in Heat 1 – 7:32.400 (+6.2 over BU)
Grand Final
Boston Univ. – 7:36.176
Navy – 7:38.840
Georgetown – 7:41.356
Bucknell – 7:45.267
Holy Cross – 7:57.016
Colgate – 8:09.628
2023 Patriot League Women's Rowing Major Awards
Boat of the Year: Navy Varsity Eight
Coach of the Year: Joe Schlosberg, Navy
2023 Patriot League Rowing Championship Results
1. Navy - 51
2. Boston U - 51
3. Bucknell - 38
4. Georgetown - 34
5. MIT - 32
6. Holy Cross - 24
7. Colgate - 20
8. Lehigh - 8
9. Loyola – 6
Boat Lineups
