WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Navy heavyweight rowing team concluded three days of competition at the 2024 IRA National Championship with its top-three varsity eight crews racing down the 2,000-meter course at Mercer Lake one more time. All three Midshipmen crews took part in C Final action on Sunday and each boat finished in the top-three of their respective heats to rank top-15 nationally.
Fighting for positions 13 through 18 in the C Final, Navy's V8 found itself in an extremely competitive contest in which second through fifth place were never more than four seconds apart for the first 1,500 meters. A quick opening sprint by Cornell helped the Big Red go wire-to-wire at the front of the field for a 5:42.699 victory. Columbia, Navy, Drexel and La Salle were in a constant tussle for positioning as the Mids overtook the Dragons and Explorers during the second quarter of action with a 1:28.007 sector time to move from fifth to third. With their eyes locked on the second-place Lions, the Mids shaved 1.273 seconds off its deficit over the next 500 meters to pull within 1.852 seconds by the 1,500-meter pole. Down the stretch, Columbia kept pace with Navy and held off the hard-charging Mids for second place, 5:45.476 to 5:47.556. Drexel (5:49.049), La Salle (5:50.049) and Georgetown (5:51.026) closed out the field. Overall, the crew of
Connor Feeley (Sr., Crofton, Md.), team captain
Sam Beach (Sr., Hillsdale, Mich.),
Matt Lexa (So., Wynnewood, Pa.),
Nick Bostock (Sr., Fishers, Ind.),
Benjamin Vogel (So., Arlington, Va.),
Nathan Pawlowicz (So., Augusta, Mich.),
John McNicholas (Jr., Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.),
Nathaniel Duffy (Fr., Fairfield, Conn.) and coxswain
Ava Izenour (Sr., Poland, Ohio) finished the season ranked 15th in the nation.
Navy's best result came courtesy of its second varsity eight crew on Sunday. In a divided C Final that saw the top-three teams almost immediately break away as Columbia (1:25.780), Stanford (1:26.010) and Navy (1:26.330) were all 1.5-to-three seconds ahead of the back of the pack at the opening 500-meter check point. The Lions' fast start went for naught as they lost over three seconds of pace in the next 500 meters as the Cardinal and Mids cruised by to go one-two by the halfway mark. Stanford extended its lead by nearly three seconds over Navy over the ensuing quarter of the race before the Mids fought back with the finish line in view to pull within 2.397 seconds of the Cardinal at the checkered flag, 5:49.189 to 5:51.586. Columbia turned its second half of the race around to hold onto third place at 5:52.203. Oregon State (5:58.359), Georgetown (6:00.289) and Drexel (6:03.693) finished in positions fourth through sixth as part of the C Final. Navy's 2V8 crew this weekend consisted of
George Wright (Jr., Chippewa Bay, N.Y.),
Will Holsinger (Jr., Columbus, Ohio),
Jackson Fagg (Fr., Carson City, Nev.),
Alex Vogel (Sr., Arlington, Va.),
Matthew Wainwright (Fr., Bordentown, N.J.),
Nick Duncan (So., Farmington, Conn.),
Duncan Ayles (Jr., Westwood, Mass.),
Adrien Richez (Sr., Atlanta, Ga.) and coxswain
Brad Glass (Jr., Festus, Mo.). In terms of national standing, the Mids' C Final result translates to 14th overall.
Navy's third varsity eight crew was the final boat in action as part of Championship Sunday at the IRAs. Competing in its respective C Final, the Mids had a solid start that left them in third place, though they were less than a second behind the second-place Drexel Dragon crew. Navy had to deal with a mid-race lull that saw Oregon State overtake them in before the halfway point. Sitting in fourth place at 3:01.035, the Mids bolted back in front of the Beavers with a 1:30.055 third sector, two seconds faster than their opponents' time. Navy had more than enough in its tank down the stretch and cruised to a third-place finish of 6:02.737 that ranked it 15th overall in the nation. Wisconsin (5:56.347) and Drexel (5:59.613) placed one and two in the C Final, while Oregon State (6:05.727), Georgetown (6:06.663) and Santa Clara (6:13.620) crossed in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Josiah Glynn (Jr., Folsom, Calif.),
Drew Russell (Sr., Stillwater, Okla.),
Tripp Richardson (Sr., Sundown, Texas),
Eli Webre (Fr., Bountiful, Utah),
Harrison Kaplan (Jr., Charlotte, N.C.),
Colin Lang (So., Trappe, Md.),
Ryan Hollenbach (Jr., Davidsonville, Md.),
Ethan Barton (Sr., McBain, Mich.) and
Ursula Wise (Jr., Greenwich, Conn.) made up the Mids' 3V8 entry this weekend at the IRAs.
"There were some missed opportunities throughout the weekend, but I know our athletes left everything on the course," remarked head coach
Rob Friedrich, the Tom & Candy Knudson Director of Navy Rowing. "The 1V had their best day in the semis, sprinting through a very good Cornell crew and the 2V had their best race today beating a Columbia crew that had the best of them all season. Our 3V and coxed four had some young guys that we are very excited about and they gained some great rowing experience throughout the last weeks of the season.
"We are proud of the Class of 2024's effort and leadership. They are leaving the team on the right trajectory and we are confident the next class will step up to take the reins."
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
3rd of 6 in C Final
Cornell – 5:42.669
Columbia – 5:45.476
Navy – 5:47.556 *15th in Nation
Drexel – 5:49.049
La Salle – 5:50.049
Georgetown – 5:51.026
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Second Varsity Eight
2nd of 6 in C Final
Stanford – 5:49.189
Navy – 5:51.586 *14th in Nation
Columbia – 5:52.203
Oregon State – 5:58.359
Georgetown – 6:00.289
Drexel – 6:03.693
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Third Varsity Eight
3rd of 7 in C Final
Wisconsin – 5:56.347
Drexel – 5:59.613
Navy – 6:02.737 *15th in Nation
Oregon State – 6:05.727
Georgetown – 6:06.663
Santa Clara – 6:13.620
UC San Diego – 6:25.377
Boat Lineups
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