ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The No. 11 Navy heavyweight and No. 7 lightweight crew programs will each be kicking off their postseason runs on Sunday at the 2024 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 1:30 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 on Overnght and results will be provided. Overnght is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

In heavyweight action, Navy's first varsity eight crew is seeded ninth in the field, while its second varsity is ranked 12th heading into Sunday's racing. Going through the rest of their entries, the Mids' 3V8 and 4V8 are both seeded 11th, while its 5V8 is projected third. 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 ranked fourth. Navy's final two entries, the 4V8 is seeded second, while there are no rankings for the 5V8 field.

Scouting the Opposition
The heavyweight field at the 2024 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 14, 2023 in Worcester, Mass.
The Navy heavyweight rowing program opened its run of postseason racing on Sunday at the 2023 Eastern Sprints. Entering six boats in competition against its Eastern Sprints League rivals, the Mids saw two crews place top-four (5V8 and 6V8) and three more race in petite finals. Navy's sixth varsity eight took top billing for the squad as the crew placed first in its respective classification final.

Navy's first varsity eight found itself in a fast morning qualifying heat that relegated it to the Third Final. The Mids' time of 5:44.160 was 12th fastest overall, but only fifth-fastest in its heat that saw the top-four move on to grand and petite finals. Navy increased its pace in the afternoon finals and broke out to a lead over the first 1,500 meters. Over that initial three-quarters of the race, Columbia stayed in contact with Navy and eventually made its move in the final 300 meters. In a near photo finish, the Lions edged the Mids by 0.233 seconds, 5:38.199 to 5:38.432. That result ranked Navy 14th overall in the field at the league meet.

In the final team standings for the Rowe Cup, Yale held off Princeton for the title, 36 to 33. Navy netted five points for their efforts on Sunday and tied for 11th overall in the field.

Last Five Eastern Sprints (HWT)
2023 - V8 (14th) // Team (t-11th)
2022 - V8 (11th) // Team (8th)
2021 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2020 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2019 - V8 (10th) // Team (9th)

The Navy lightweight rowing team had a successful start to its slate of postseason action as the Mids' five-boat fleet came away with four podium results. Racing on a 2,000-meter stretch of Lake Quinsigamond on Sunday, the Mids' first, third, fourth and fifth varsity eight crew all garnered medals with their fifth boat winning gold and fourth squad earning a silver to lead the way.

Navy's first varsity eight crew was fast throughout the day as it initially laid down a time of 5:43.265 in its qualifying heat. The tight grand final race went down to the final 500 meters and as Princeton held on for the 0.806-second margin of victory over Harvard, 5:35.420 to 5:36.226. The Mids claimed the bronze with a time of 5:38.968, 1.06 seconds ahead of the Penn's 5:40.028.

In the final team standings for the Jope Cup, Princeton won the team points title with 28.0, followed close behind by Harvard and it's 24.0 points. Navy's boats combined to score 16.0 points and ranked sixth overall in the field.

Last Five Eastern Sprints (LWT)
2023 - V8 (3rd) // Team (6th)
2022 - V8 (2nd) // Team (t-1st)
2021 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2020 - Cancelled: COVID-19 Pandemic
2019 - V8 (3rd) // Team (3rd)

Race Schedule
8:10 AM - Fourth Varsity HW Eight-Heat 2 (Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Navy, Princeton, Syracuse)
8:40 AM - Third Varsity HW Eight-Heat 2 (Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross, Navy)
9:26 AM - First Varsity HW Eight-Heat 3 (Boston Univ., Brown, Holy Cross, Navy, Yale)
9:50 AM - First Varsity LW Eight-Heat 2 (Dartmouth, Navy, Penn, Princeton)
10:12 AM - Second Varsity HW Eight-Heat 1 (Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Navy, Princeton)
11:00 AM - Second Varsity LW Eight-Heat 2 (Columbia, Navy, Penn, Yale)
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1:30 PM - Grand Final: Sixth Varsity HW Eight (Brown, Dartmouth, Navy)
1:40 PM – Grand Final: Fifth Varsity HW Eight (Brown, Dartmouth, Navy, Penn, Princeton, Yale)
1:50 PM - Grand Final: Fourth Varsity LW Eight (Cornell, Navy 4V, Navy 5V, Penn, Yale)
2:00/2:12/2:24 PM - Finals: Fourth Varsity HW Eight
2:36 PM - Grand Final: Third Varsity LW Eight (Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Navy, Penn, Princeton, Yale)
2:48/3:00/3:12 PM - Finals: Third Varsity HW Eight
3:24/3:36 PM - Finals: Second Varsity LW Eight
3:51/4:03/4:15 PM - Finals: Second Varsity HW Eight
4:30/4:45 PM - Finals: First Varsity LW Eight
5:00/5:15/5:30 PM - Finals: First Varsity HW Eight