Crew Teams to Race in EARC Championship - NAVY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Crew Teams to Race in EARC Championship

5/17/2002 - Men's Lightweight Crew
Crew Teams to Race in EARC Championship

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Navy's heavyweight and lightweight crew teams will each compete at the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Championship Regatta, Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.

Each team will enter eight-man boats in the first and second varsity and novice races, as well as in the four-man third varsity competition. Preliminary heats will be held in the morning, with the finals slated to begin at 1:40 p.m.

The heavyweights begin their day at 8:24 a.m. with the second novice team taking to the water. Navy is the top-seeded team in this race, which will also feature Princeton (seeded 4th), Cornell (5th), Rutgers (8th) and MIT (9th). "A lot of our future is riding in this boat and we are excited about their chances," said Navy heavyweight head coach Rick Clothier.

The third varsity race is next on the schedule, with Navy's heat slated to begin at 9 a.m. The Mids -- who are seeded seventh in the race -- will face Cornell (2nd), Wisconsin (3rd) and Syracuse (6th) in their heat. "We have a low seed, but we have had some good races and some success earlier in the season against a few of the teams ranked ahead of us," said Clothier.

Navy's first novice crew is the sixth seed in its race, with Navy's heat beginning at 9:36 a.m. and including Princeton (1st), Northeastern (7th), Columbia (12th) and Princeton (13th). "We have been high on our first novice crew all season and we enter Sunday with a lot of confidence in them," said Clothier.

The second varsity races get underway a short time later, with Navy slated to race at 10:36 a.m. The Mids are seeded seventh and they will compete in their heat against Harvard (1st), Brown (6th), Syracuse (12th) and Boston University (13th). "We are seeded third in our heat, but I feel we have an excellent chance to qualify for the grand final in this race," said Clothier.

Navy's first varsity boat will take to the water in the final preliminary race of the day, starting at 12 noon. Wisconsin (3rd), Princeton (4th), Yale (9th) and Navy (10th) comprise the heat.

"We are seeded 10th, but we feel we can do better," said Clothier. "We welcome the opportunity this race presents to us. We faced both Princeton and Yale not too long ago and we have made a number of changes since then. We have changed shells and switched the lineup around a bit, all of which have made us faster. We are going to hunt for speed Sunday and I feel we can find it."

On the lightweight side of the draw, both of Navy's novice boats are the No. 1 seed in their respective races. The second novice crew will be in the 8 a.m. heat, with the top-seeded Mids slated to face Dartmouth (4th) and Yale (6th), while Navy's first novice crew will race in the 9:12 a.m. heat against Princeton (4th), Cornell (5th), Dartmouth (8th) and Rutgers (9th).

"Our freshmen boats have been phenomenal all year long," said Navy lightweight head coach Rob Friedrich. "I have never coached a more poised freshmen crew than this one. Even though they are ranked number one, they will face very fast crews from Yale and Penn in the final. They seem to excel against tougher competition, so both freshmen races should be ones for the books."

Navy's second varsity crew is seeded third and will first take to the water in the 10:24 a.m. heat. The Mids are paired against Princeton (2nd), Dartmouth (6th), Rutgers (7th) and MIT (10th). "We are ranked third behind Yale and Princeton in this race," said Friedrich. "Our only loss in this boat all year was early in the season against Princeton. I think we have gained much speed since then and it should make the final very interesting."

The first varsity boat for Navy is seeded second, with the Mids facing Princeton (3rd), Georgetown (6th), Harvard (7th), Pennsylvania (10th) and MIT (11th) in the 11:24 a.m. heat. "The varsity race is the most anticipated lightweight race of the day," said Friedrich. "No one has been close to the top-seeded Yale crew all year long. However, our varsity is also undefeated and I think it will be a very close race. It will come down to a pure guts race and that's what we have been preparing for all season long."

With just four boats entered in the third varsity race, only a final will be held and is slated to begin at 2:09 p.m. The race will feature Navy (1st), Princeton (2nd), Yale (3rd) and Cornell (4th). "Our third varsity has also been looking very sharp as of late. We also expect them to do very well in a very tight race."

In addition to its racing, the lightweight crew team will also be christening a new shell this weekend. The DALE HURLEY '89, named after the Academy graduate and former Navy lightweight coach, will be added to Navy feel in ceremonies in Worcester. Hurley was a three-year letterwinner while a student at the Academy, then returned to coach the lightweights from 1996-2001. He currently is a teacher and coach at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.

"No one person has done more for lightweight rowing at the Naval Academy than Dale Hurley," said Friedrich.

EARC Championships

Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, Mass.

Morning Schedule -- Preliminaries (seed)

8:00 a.m. -- Lightweight Second Novice (#1 of 2) -- Navy (1), Dartmouth (4), Yale (6)

8:24 a.m. -- Heavyweight Second Novice (#1 of 2) -- Navy (1), Princeton (4), Cornell (5), Rutgers (8), MIT (9)

9:00 a.m. -- Heavyweight Third Varsity (#2 of 2) -- Navy (7), Cornell (2), Wisconsin (3), Syracuse (6)

9:12 a.m. -- Lightweight First Novice (#1 of 2) -- Navy (1), Princeton (4), Cornell (5), Dartmouth (8), Rutgers (9)

9:36 a.m. -- Heavyweight First Novice (#1 of 3) -- Navy (6), Princeton (1), Northeastern (7), Columbia (12), Pennsylvania (13)

10:24 a.m. -- Lightweight Second Varsity (#2 of 2) -- Navy (3), Princeton (2), Dartmouth (6), Rutgers (7), MIT (10)

10:36 a.m. -- Heavyweight Second Varsity (#1 of 3) -- Navy (7), Harvard (1), Brown (6), Syracuse (12), Boston Univ. (13)

11:24 a.m. -- Lightweight First Varsity (#2 of 2) -- Navy (2), Princeton (3), Georgetown (6), Harvard (7), Pennsylvania (10), MIT (11)

12:00 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Varsity (#3 of 3) -- Navy (10), Wisconsin (3), Princeton (4), Yale (9)

Afternoon Schedule -- Finals

1:40 p.m. -- Lightweight Second Novice Grand Final -- 1st and 2nd place finishers from each heat plus next two best times

1:54 p.m. -- Heavyweight Second Novice Grand Final -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each heat

2:09 p.m. -- Lightweight Third Varsity Grand Final -- Navy (1), Princeton (2), Yale (3), Cornell (4)

2:24 p.m. -- Heavyweight Third Varsity Grand Final -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each heat

2:39 p.m. -- Lightweight First Novice Petite Final -- 4th, 5th and 6th place finishers from each heat

2:54 p.m. -- Lightweight First Novice Grand Final -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers from each heat

3:06 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Novice Third-Level Final -- 5th and 6th place finishers in each heat

3:21 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Novice Petite Final -- 3rd and 4th place finishers in each heat

3:36 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Novice Grand Final -- 1st and 2nd place finishers in each heat

3:51 p.m. -- Lightweight Second Varsity Petite Final -- 4th, 5th and 6th place finishers from each heat

4:06 p.m. -- Lightweight Second Varsity Grand Final -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers from each heat

4:18 p.m. -- Heavyweight Second Varsity Third-Level Final -- 5th and 6th place finishers in each heat

4:33 p.m. -- Heavyweight Second Varsity Petite Final -- 3rd and 4th place finishers in each heat

4:48 p.m. -- Heavyweight Second Varsity Grand Final -- 1st and 2nd place finishers in each heat

5:03 p.m. -- Lightweight First Varsity Petite Final -- 4th, 5th and 6th place finishers from each heat

5:18 p.m. -- Lightweight First Varsity Grand Final -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers from each heat

5:30 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Varsity Third-Level Final -- 5th and 6th place finishers in each heat

5:54 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Varsity Petite Final -- 3rd and 4th place finishers in each heat

6:00 p.m. -- Heavyweight First Varsity Grand Final -- 1st and 2nd place finishers in each heat