ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The 2024 season got underway for the Navy lightweight rowing team on Saturday morning and the Mids were in for a battle against Princeton, as well as Mother Nature. Tasked with navigating a tough 2,000-meter stretch of the Severn River, while dealing with heavy rains, the No. 7 Mids turned in extremely competitive pieces versus the No. 3 Tigers and came away with a victory in the third varsity eight race and two runner-up results with margins of 3.0 seconds in the first varsity eight and 1.1 in the second varsity eight contest.
 
"We were fortunate to have some decent race conditions today, taking into account the wind, cold, and heavy rain," remarked Navy head coach Shawn Bagnall. "All four of our lineups fought for 2000 meters, and it was great to get this racing experience for our very young team.
 
"Obviously, we have a tremendous amount of detail to work on, but it was good to identify those elements outside of a practice setting. The sledding gets no easier in the coming weeks, and we're looking forward to taking a step forward in our maturity as athletes."
 
The second varsity eight squads were first on the water on Saturday morning. Close throughout the 2,000-meter course, Princeton held off Navy by 1.1 seconds, 6:00.1 to 6:01.2.
 
The Murtaugh Cup was up for grabs on the ensuing race between the first varsity eight crews. The more experienced Tiger boat controlled the action down the stretch for the 5:46.3 to 5:49.3 victory. Navy's V8 consisted of one senior, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
 
The three-race slate concluded with three crews competing in the third varsity eight contest. Navy's depth shined in this race as the Mids' third and fourth varsity eight crews both posted faster times than Princeton's third varsity entry. Navy's 3V won with a time of 6:08.3, while the Mids' 4V bested the Tigers by 2.2 seconds, 6:12.1 to 6:14.3.
 
Saturday's season opener also served as the 20th year reunion for Navy's 2004 Eastern Sprint and IRA Championship Lightweight Varsity 8+ winning crew as all nine victorious members were in attendance with their families at Hubbard Hall.
 
"My sincere gratitude to all the volunteers, parents, alumni, and Hubbard Hall coaching staff that braved the elements in support of our racing today," said Bagnall in closing. "Finally, it was a special privilege for us as a program to welcome back the 2004 EARC and IRA National Champion Varsity 8+ for their 20th reunion. They have become leaders in both the US Fleet, as well as in their lives after the Navy and Marine Corps. We were honored to welcome them at Hubbard for today's racing."

Navy's early season action will continue next Saturday with a neutral site matchup against Eastern Sprint League foe Yale. The Mids and Bulldogs will go head-to-head for the right to take home the Johnson Cup at Mercer Lake in Central New Jersey.

Race Results

First Varsity Eight
Princeton – 5:46.3
Navy – 5:49.3

Second Varsity Eight
Princeton – 6:00.1
Navy – 6:01.2

Third Varsity Eight
Navy 3V – 6:08.3
Navy 4V – 6:12.1
Princeton – 6:14.3

Boat Lineups

	First Varsity Eight	Second Varsity Eight	Third Varsity Eight	Fourth Varsity Eight
1	Paddy McNamara	Frank Keusenkothen	Colin Dupon	Christopher Binney
2	Andy Fichtel	Robby Klanac	Karl Florida	Owen Maloney
3	Stephen Frost	Leo Wagner	Nathan Faust	Samuel Rembold
4	Nani Veluchamy	Owen O'Malley	Nihkolai Johnson-Newman	Gunner Williams
5	Brooks Kirchen	Noah Ferguson	Ramon Mendoza	Aaron Xing
6	Jonathan Sauer	Tanner Hamilton	Thomas Kelly	Alex Vester
7	Decker Moy-Jacobs	Luke McIntosh	Sam Sheridan	Andres Aleman
Str.	Luca Mezzanotte	Colson Poillucci	Pete Carino	William Register
Cox.	Mia Sachs	Charles Francesconi	Kelly Bye	Devin Ratte