ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Taking to the waters of the Severn River for a regular season competition for the just the third time since 2012, the Navy women's rowing team went head-to-head with Patriot League and local rival Georgetown over a four-race series on Saturday morning. At the conclusion of the racing, the Mids came away with a victory in the first varsity eight contest, while posting solid 2,000-meter pieces in the remaining three events.
The fans, who packed themselves along the seawall of Hospital Point were treated to a competitive stroke-for-stroke first varsity eight race right out of the gate. Starting out down the Severn River, the Mids and Hoyas were fairly even following the opening sprint. After settling into its base rhythm, Navy made a small move and began taking a handful of seats between the 500 and 1,000-meter juncture of the race. By the midway point, the Mids had broken out to a half boat lead. Down the stretch at the Navy had answers for each of Georgetown's attempts at the lead and the hosts held on for a 2.18-second victory, 7:25.31 to 7:27.49.
The ensuing second varsity eight race had a similar pacing to it, though it was the Hoyas, who made the early move as they shot out into the lead with aggressive acceleration over the middle 1,000 meters. Fighting to keep contact with Georgetown when the crews hit the sea wall, Navy lost that battle as the Hoyas crossed for an open water victory, 7:33.19 to 7:38.76. Racing as a guest, Georgetown's 3V8 was well back in third place at 8:14.45.
Moving onto four-person crew action, the close racing continued as both teams exhibited nearly equal speed coming off the blocks. At the 500-meter mark, the Hoyas had a slight lead, though the Mids pulled back to within four seats over the next 250 meters. Heading towards the 1,000-meter intersection, Georgetown made a major move and started taking seats with authority and by the time the teams got to the sea wall the visitors had broke out to an open water advantage. That lead held through the finish line as the Hoyas won by 5.07 seconds, 8:15.88 to 8:20.95.
The final race of the meet was the second varsity four contest. With the winds picking up and a few interruptions by boaters in the lead-up to the start, the Severn River turned a bit unruly. The agitated water affected all three boats that were entered in the contest, though Georgetown's 2V4 made the best of a tough situation and led wire-to-wire to clock in with a victorious time of 8:31.81. Navy's 2V4 "A" came in second at 8:54.35, while it's 2V4 "B" entry posted a 9:02.66 result.
The Mids will conclude its regular season next week with two days of action at the Lake Wheeler Invite in Raleigh, N.C. The racing begins on Friday, April 25 and wraps up on Saturday, April 26.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Navy – 7:25.31
Georgetown – 7:27.49
Second Varsity Eight
Georgetown – 7:33.19
Navy – 7:38.76
Georgetown 3V8 – 8:14.45
First Varsity Four
Georgetown – 8:15.88
Navy – 8:20.95
Second Varsity Four
Georgetown – 8:31.81
Navy 2V "A" – 8:54.35
Navy 2V "B" – 9:02.66
Boat Lineups
