4/7/2005 - Women's Crew
Crew Teams Back on the Water Saturday
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- After completing a very successful weekend of racing last week, each of the three Navy crew teams will be back on the water for races Saturday. The heavyweight team will compete in the George Washington Invite in Washington, D.C., the lightweight team will face Columbia and Rutgers in New York, and the women's team will take part in the Carolina Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.
The heavyweight team placed fourth in the Copley Cup division of the San Diego Crew Classic last weekend. The Mids won their heat Saturday to advance to the event's grand final where Navy placed fourth behind California, Stanford and Northeastern.
Navy was very successful at last year's George Washington Invitational, winning the varsity, second varsity, varsity four and second freshman races. It was the second-straight title won by the varsity entry.
Preliminary racing begins at 9 a.m. with the finals slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. The 2,000-meter course begins near the Spout Run area of the Potomac River and ends at Washington Harbour in Georgetown. In addition to Navy and regatta-host George Washington, other schools competing in the 18th annual event are Georgetown, Virginia, North Carolina, St. Joseph's, Temple and Marietta.
"We have not always been as successful in the event as we have been in recent years," said Navy heavyweight head coach Rick Clothier. "Georgetown and Temple have both won the varsity race within the last five years. All of the crews we will face in the varsity races are very solid, athletic, well coached and fine rowers. We need to be ready!"
The lightweight team won each of its four races last weekend against Yale, with the varsity boat posting a three-second victory over the Bulldogs. Saturday's races against the Lions and the Scarlet Knights will begin at 12 noon at the Orchard Beach Lagoon in Pelham, N.Y.
Last season saw Navy win the varsity and both freshman races against the two schools, with Rutgers narrowly edging the Mids by less than three seconds in the second varsity race.
After placing second to Boston University in the varsity race of the Playfair Cup last weekend, the Navy's women's team will be one of seven schools taking part in this week's Carolina Invitational on Raleigh's Lake Wheeler. Joining the Mids and the host Tar Heels will be Cincinnati, Delaware, Eastern Michigan, St. Joseph's and Southern Methodist. Racing begins at 9:30 a.m. with Navy's last race of the day slated for 1:30 p.m.
"We are facing a very talented field this week," said Navy head coach Mike Hughes. "Most of these teams are either new to us or it is the first time in several years we have raced against them, so it is hard to gauge how the races will go. If we are ready to race I feel we can have a successful weekend."
