WORCESTER, Mass. – The Navy heavyweight rowing program had its depth showcased on Sunday with the first of two postseason competitions, the 2024 Eastern Sprints. Taking on conference foes over the course of 2,000 meters of competition on Lake Quinsigamond, the Mids fielded boats in six varsity eight classifications and saw all six crews race in either grand or petite final action. Navy's sixth varsity eight led the way with a victory in its respective grand final.
"Today was a day full of great efforts, but mixed results," remarked
Rob Friedrich, the Tom & Candy Knudson Director of Navy Rowing. "Half of our boats placed higher than their seeding going into the day, so we are making up some ground on the competition. The sixth varsity had a solid race and we were excited to come away with the win. They represent the deep fleet, who doesn't always get to race, but they come to practice to work hard every day. Many of those guys are walk-on freshmen and we are excited to see what they can do over the next few years."
The Mids' top-four varsity eight crews raced twice on Sunday, first in a qualifying heat and later in a championship final. The top-two boats from each heat moved onto the grand final, while the third and fourth crews advanced to the petite final and fifth-place entries raced again in a third final. Navy's fifth and sixth varsity eight crews raced once, in grand final action.
Taking on a three-team field of Dartmouth and Brown for the title of top sixth varsity eight crew in the conference, Navy was strong from start-to-finish and rolled to the victory with a time of 6:13.253. The Mids' result was 4.38 seconds ahead of the Big Green's 6:17.633 and 5.396 seconds faster than the Bears' 6:18.649.
Navy's second-best outcome came via its fifth varsity eight crew, who participated in another grand final. One of six boats racing down Lake Quinsigamond, Navy found itself in the middle of the pack as Dartmouth and Yale were in a close battle for the gold medal. The Mids tried to keep contact with the Brown University Bears down the stretch, but came up 4.394 seconds shy of claiming bronze with a final result of 5:59.866 to 6:04.260. Navy's fourth-place finish was over five seconds ahead of Princeton, who clocked in fifth-best at 6:09.578.
The first crew to race twice on Sunday was Navy's fourth varsity eight. The Mids were fast in the morning heat as they posted a 5:56.978 in heat two, though missed clinching a grand final berth as they placed fourth in their group. In the afternoon petite final, Navy was in consideration late for a third-place result as part of a three-team race over the second half of the 2,000-meter piece. After Princeton and Harvard went one-two in the petite final, positions three through five were separated by just 2.144 seconds. Unfortunately for Navy it came up short behind Northeastern (5:57.133) and Cornell (5:57.609) with a 5:59.277 time. Overall, that result ranked 11th in the field.
The third varsity crew of Midshipmen had the best result of upper boats with a tenth-place outcome. Following a qualifying time of 5:55.443, Navy picked up its pace in the afternoon and shaved 0.597 seconds off that original effort with a 5:54.846 time. Going stroke-for-stroke with Cornell in a tussle for third place in the petite final, the Big Red held off the Mids by 0.762 seconds as they crossed the finish line at 5:54.084.
Navy's second varsity eight turned in a time of 5:48.414 in the morning in a 5:51.491 in the petite final. Navy had its eyes locked on passing Columbia late for fifth place, but the Lions had just enough at the end with a time of 5:50.097. Overall, the Mids' 2V8 finished 12th in the standings.
The first varsity eight concluded the racing on Sunday with a strong effort in its respective petite final. Following a 5:43.057 qualifying time, the Mids were in the thick of the action in the petite final. The trio of Cornell, Navy and Columbia were in a tight clash over 2,000 meters for positions three through five and ended up finishing within 3.042 seconds of each other. At the end of the race, the Big Red clocked in at 5:41.904, a second-and-a-half ahead of the Mids' 5:43.516. The Lions were a second-plus back in fifth at 5:44.946. Navy's V8 result was 11th-best for the championship.
At the conclusion of racing, the Rowe Cup was awarded to Princeton for finishing first in the team-point standings. As a program, Navy placed 11th overall with 7.0 points.
"Today was the last race for many of our seniors and we are proud of their leadership and setting the team on a strong trajectory for the future," said Friedrich in closing. "They will graduate this coming Friday and commission as officers in our military; 17 seniors in total: five Navy Pilots, five Marine Corps Ground, three Submariners, two Marine Corps Pilots and two Special Warfare officers. We are proud of every single senior for what they have done for our team and what they will do for our Country."
Navy will continue postseason rowing in two weeks at the IRA National Championship. Hosted in West Windsor, N.J., the competition runs from May 31 through June 2.
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Race Results
First Varsity 8
4th of 5 in Heat 3 – 5:43.057
Petite Final
Dartmouth – 5:35.298
Boston Univ. – 5:37.148
Cornell – 5:41.904
Navy – 5:43.516 *11th at Sprints
Columbia – 5:44.946
Second Varsity 8
4th of 5 in Heat 1 – 5:48.414
Petite Final
Brown – 5:39.072
Penn – 5:40.268
Boston Univ. – 5:41.348
Cornell – 5:47.965
Columbia – 5:50.097
Navy – 5:51.491 *12th at Sprints
Third Varsity 8
4th of 5 in Heat 2 – 5:55.443
Petite Final
Syracuse – 5:47.140
Northeastern – 5:49.628
Cornell – 5:54.084
Navy – 5:54.846 *10th at Sprints
Penn – 5:57.532
Wisconsin – 5:58.256
Fourth Varsity 8
4th of 5 in Heat 2 – 5:56.978
Petite Final
Princeton – 5:52.627
Harvard – 5:54.691
Northeastern – 5:57.133
Cornell – 5:57.609
Navy – 5:59.277 *11th at Sprints
Georgetown – 6:19.104
Fifth Varsity 8
Grand Final
Dartmouth – 5:50.205
Yale – 5:51.345
Brown – 5:59.866
Navy – 6:04.260 *4th at Sprints
Princeton – 6:09.578
Penn – 6:14.570
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Sixth Varsity 8
Grand Final
Navy – 6:13.253 *1st at Sprints
Dartmouth – 6:17.633
Brown – 6:18.649
Boat Lineups
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