ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The No. 16 Navy heavyweight and No. 7 lightweight crew programs will each be kicking off their postseason runs on Sunday at the 2023 Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints in Worcester, Mass. Racing on a 2,000-meter stretch of Lake Quinsigamond, the event annually hosts some of the top rowing squads from across the country in a day-long competition. The heat racing begins at 8 a.m. before the championship finals are showcased starting at 1:20 p.m. Eleven different crews will be racing under the Navy Crew banner with six boats from the heavyweights and five representing the lightweight program.
For fans unable to attend the races a live webstream and results will be provided. Follow here for the VIDEO and here for the RESULTS.
In heavyweight action, Navy's first varsity eight crew is seeded 13th in the field, while its second varsity is ranked tenth heading into Sunday's racing. Going through the rest of their entries, the Mids' 3V8 and 4V8 are both seeded seventh, while its 5V8 is projected sixth. The Mids' 6V8 isn't seeded due to the limited field.
On the lightweight side of the ledger, Navy's first and second varsity eight crews are both seeded seventh overall, while the Mids' third boat is seeded sixth. Navy's final two entries, the 4V8 and 5V8 are seeded third and first, respectively.
Scouting the Opposition
The heavyweight field at the 2023 EARC Sprints is 15 teams deep and consists of Boston U., Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Navy, Northeastern, Penn, Princeton, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Yale.
In the lightweight competition, nine programs will be racing in Worcester, with the following field: Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, Navy, Penn, Princeton and Yale.
Most Recent Eastern Sprints Competition: May 15, 2022 in Worcester, Mass.
Racing at the Eastern Sprints for the first time since 2019, the No. 14 Navy heavyweight rowing team had six boats in action at the all-day event. Competing on a 2,000-meter stretch of Lake Quinsigamond, the Mids saw three crews race in grand finals and another three closing their day in petite finals. At the end of the championship, Navy's sixth varsity eight finished atop standings of its classification, while the Mids' first varsity came in 11th overall.
In the afternoon petite final of the V8 classification, Navy challenged Cornell for the fourth position, though fell by less than a second as the Big Red crossed at 6:17.173 ahead of the Mids' 6:18.090. Overall, Navy finished 11th at the competition.
Last Five Eastern Sprints (HWT)
2022 - V8 (11th) // Team (8th)
2021 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2020 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2019 - V8 (10th) // Team (9th)
2018 - V8 (13th) // Team (12th)
The strong 2022 campaign for the Navy lightweight crew continued on Sunday at the Eastern Sprints. With five crews entered in the day-long competition, the Mids received standout performances from throughout its lineup as two of their boats won individual event titles and two more finished runner-up. As a result of those efforts, Navy finished in a three-way tie for team title in the Jope Cup standings.
In the V8 grand final, the Mids found itself in another close contest. Nearly in an even heat with No. 1 Yale at the 1,500-meter mark, the Bulldogs moved ahead over the last quarter of the race and clocked in 1.735 seconds ahead of Navy, 5:58.641 to 6:00.376. The second-place result was the best by a Navy lightweight V8 crew at the Eastern Sprints since 2006, when that crew also placed second.
In the final team standings for the Jope Cup, Navy, Yale and Columbia all finished with 32.0 points. The tie was broken with the result of the first varsity eight race, so Yale took home the hardware to New Haven, Connecticut. The tie atop the standings marked the first time that Navy had finished higher than third since 2007 when they won the Jope Cup.
Last Five Eastern Sprints (LWT)
2022 - V8 (2nd) // Team (t-1st)
2021 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2020 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2019 - V8 (3rd) // Team (3rd)
2018 - V8 (5th) // Team (3rd)
Race Schedule
8:09 AM - Fourth Varsity HW Eight (Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Navy, Syracuse, Wisconsin)
8:27 AM - Third Varsity HW Eight (Boston Univ., Brown, Harvard, Navy, Northeastern, Princeton)
8:36 AM - First Varsity HW Eight (Brown, Georgetown, Navy, Northeastern, Yale)
9:12 AM - First Varsity LW Eight (Columbia, Navy, Penn, Yale)
11:00 AM - Third Varsity LW Eight (Harvard, Navy, Penn, Yale)
11:27 AM - Second Varsity HW Eight (Boston Univ., Columbia, Dartmouth, Navy, Yale)
11:45 AM - Second Varsity LW Eight (Cornell, Harvard, Navy, Yale)
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1:20 PM – Grand Final: Fifth Varsity LW / Sixth Varsity HW Eight (Harvard HWT, Navy HWT, Navy LWT, Yale LWT)
1:30 PM - Grand Final: Fifth Varsity HW Eight (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Navy, Princeton, Yale)
1:40 PM - Grand Final: Fourth Varsity LW Eight (Cornell, Dartmouth, Navy, Princeton, Yale)
1:50/2:00 PM - Finals: Fourth Varsity HW Eight
3:00/3:10 PM - Finals: Third Varsity HW Eight
3:20/3:30 PM - Finals: Third Varsity LW Eight
3:40/3:50/4:00 PM - Finals: Second Varsity HW Eight
4:10/4:20 PM - Finals: Second Varsity LW Eight
5:30/5:40 PM - Finals: First Varsity LW Eight
5:50/6:00/6:10 PM - Finals: First Varsity HW Eight
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Broadcast Information (from IRA)
IRA AND AFFILIATE CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTAS ANNOUNCE LIVESTREAM FOR THE EASTERN SPRINTS ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS (EARC)
Follow all the action on-line if you can't be there in person this weekend at the EARC Sprints Sunday, live from Lake Quinsigamond, in Worcester, Mass.
EARC Sprints Championships Direct weblink: https://events.locallive.tv/events/108518
Sunday May 14, 2023
8:45 am – 11:45 am (Heats)
1:10 pm – 6:10 pm (Finals)
Regatta will be broadcast by our Production partner https://locallive.tv. Please follow the log in instructions below if you haven't before or get blocked out:
1. Open this link on your device: https://locallive.tv
2. Click on Watch Live in the upper right corner of the screen
3. In the upper right corner click on the little person logo to the right of the search button.
4. Log in if you have been on the site before or create an ID and password if you haven't. There is no fee for this broadcast.
5. Near the top of the screen in the middle even with the LocalLive logo click on MA (for Massachusetts)
6. In the drop down menu click on IRA Rowing
7. Click on the correct link for Sunday's webcast.
8. If you miss the live showing you can watch later by clicking "Recent Sports Events" after completing step #6
