May 17, 2009

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Three Navy women's crew boats produced first-place times during its respective finals races to highlight its performance at the Eastern Sprints Championship on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Sunday.

"We had some tough rowing in the morning, going against many of the top-10 teams in the country, but the afternoon was great," stated Navy head coach Mike Hughes. "We raced really well during the finals and our women were really excited about how they finished."

Navy's first varsity eight crew bounced back from a fifth-place time in the morning heats to win the third-level final race by nearly five full seconds to place 13th overall. The Midshipmen crossed the finish line in 6:51.556 - more than four seconds faster than its morning time - to beat Rutgers's second-place time of 6:56.296.

"We were able to come off the line hard and take the lead," said Hughes. "We were able to work out a sizeable lead, but Rutgers came and gave us a challenge about halfway through the race. However, we were able to take that away and work the lead back out again."

Less than an hour before in the second varsity eight third-level final, the Midshipmen beat second-place MIT across the finish line by 2.546 seconds to win the event with a first-place time of 7:13.319 for 13th place overall. That clocking was more than three seconds faster than their performance during the morning heats.

Navy's first final-winning effort of the day came in the varsity four `B' petite final. The Midshipmen cruised to a first-place time of 7:54.218 for seventh place overall, a showing that was more than 21 seconds ahead of second-place Dartmouth.

Navy's highest finish came in the varsity four `A' race, as it placed sixth in the grand final with a time of 7:44.152. The Midshipmen qualified for the top final by virtue of their second-place time of 8:02.850 during the morning heats, which was 3.36 seconds behind first-place Brown.

"Our varsity four `A' crew had an excellent row in the morning to make it to the grand final for the first time," Hughes stated. "They gave it everything they had to get to that point and didn't have as much left for the final. Assistant coach Nicole Stimpson has done a great job coaching this crew this year."

The Midshipmen also competed in the petite final of the first novice eight and novice four events, as both placed fifth in the afternoon to finish 11th overall.

NAVY AT EASTERN SPRINTS CHAMPIONSHIP
• Heats •
First Varsity Eight - Brown 6:42.303, Northeastern 6:46.851, Boston Univ. 6:50.525, Rhode Island 6:52.127, Navy 6:55.949, George Washington 7:34.485
Second Varsity Eight - Yale 6:55.729, Boston Univ. 7:06.411, Columbia 7:07.717, Rhode Island 7:14.245, Navy 7:16.793
Varsity Four `A' - Brown 7:59.490, Navy 8:02.850, Boston Univ. 8:15.368, Cornell 8:22.292, Georgetown 8:38.756
Varsity Four `B' - Yale 7:35.138, Princeton 7:39.206, Boston Univ. 7:49.198, Navy 7:52.284, Penn 8:26.104
First Novice Eight - Cornell 7:12.354, Syracuse 7:22.822, Rutgers 7:33.246, Navy 7:36.864, Boston College 7:46.184
Novice Four - Princeton 8:05.734, Cornell 8:06.010, Penn 8:10.230, Columbia 8:12.270, George Washington 8:38.546, Navy 8:44.218
• Finals •
First Varsity Eight (3rd Level) - Navy 6:51.556, Rutgers 6:56.296, Georgetown 6:57.462, Boston College 7:00.794, MIT 7:09.342, George Washington 7:13.088
Second Varsity Eight (3rd Level) - Navy 7:13.319, MIT 7:15.865, Rutgers 7:17.255, Georgetown 7:34.527
Varsity Four `A' (Grand) - Yale 7:27.326, Brown 7:31.318, Radcliffe 7:31.658, Princeton 7:37.562, Dartmouth 7:40.718, Navy 7:44.152
Varsity Four `B' (Petite) - Navy 7:54.218, Dartmouth 8:16.040, Penn 8:32.704
First Novice Eight (Petite) - Radcliffe 7:06.890, Penn 7:10.196, Rutgers 7:10.422, Northeastern 7:17.946, Navy 7:26.040, Boston Univ. 7:29.464
Novice Four (Petite) - Columbia 8:13.942, Boston College 8:38.574, George Washington 8:41.344, Syracuse 8:45.674, Navy 8:45.870