PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – The 2023 NCAA Women's Rowing Championship continued on Saturday with Navy racing in a trio of C/D Semifinals on the Cooper River. Aiming to advance into the C Finals on Sunday, the Mids knew that they needed to grab one of the top-three positions in each of the first varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four competitions. After spirited action throughout the morning, Navy was unable to obtain qualification into the C Finals as all three crews placed either fourth or fifth in their respective contests.
Navy's first varsity eight crew was the first on the water on Saturday morning as the Mids were competing in the first C/D Semifinal for its classification. Matched up against No. 13 Indiana, No. 15 Duke, No. 16 Southern Cal and No. 19 Gonzaga, the 20th seeded Navy squad was in the thick of the action early on as the entire field was separated by slightly over three seconds at the initial 500-meter checkpoint. The Blue Devils built off their early advantage and checked in first at the final three markers, including at the finish line; the Hoosiers were right behind in all instances and finished second. With two advancement spots claimed, the Mids took aim at the Trojans. USC added to its lead over the second 500-meter segment of the race before Navy charged back in the third quarter. Trailing the Trojans by 3.411 seconds through the 1,500-meter mark, the Mids valiantly pushed down the stretch, but USC withstood the pressure and clinched third place with a time of 6:36.495 versus a 6:40.969 result for Navy. The Mids outpaced the Bulldogs by 3.582 seconds as Gonzaga finished at 6:44.551. Navy will now move onto Sunday's D Final that is scheduled for 9 a.m.
The Mids' second varsity eight was the next crew up with a C Final berth on their minds. Similar to the V8 contest, the field for the 2V8 was tightly packed at the 500-meter marker as first-place Duke clocked in at 1:37.345 with fifth-place Navy passing through at 1:41.097. Duke and Indiana held the top-two spots over the ensuing 1,500 meters so the battle for the final qualifying spot came down to George Washington, Northeastern and Navy. The Colonials and Huskies got locked in a two-boat clash for third place as the Mids were unable to match their respective speed over the second half of the race. GW earned third place with a final time of 6:51.371 to edge Northeastern's 6:51.697. Navy finished fifth with a 7:05.837 time. The Mids will turn their attention to Sunday's D Final where overall positions of 19 through 22 will be raced for starting at 8:36 a.m.
Navy's day wrapped up with its varsity four crew in action as part of a five-team C/D Semifinal. Syracuse was the class of the field and led wire-to-wire to obtain one of the three C Final qualifying spots. Navy tried to keep contact with Penn for the final advancing position, checking in four seconds back at the quarter mark, but a tough second 500-meter stretch saw the Mids drop five more seconds off its pace. Trailing Jacksonville for fourth place by 7.13 seconds at the midway point, Navy shaved over two seconds off its deficit in the third quarter of the race and another two down the stretch in the final 500 meters. At the finish line, Penn and Indiana joined Syracuse in advancing to Sunday's C Final, while Jacksonville held off Navy, 7:46.250 to 7:49.090. The Mids' V4 will conclude their run at the NCAAs with action in the D Final on Sunday morning starting at 8:12 a.m.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
C/D Semifinal #1
Duke – 6:28.965
Indiana – 6:31.771
Southern Cal – 6:36.495
Navy – 6:40.969
Gonzaga – 6:44.551
Next Up: D Final – Sunday, 9:00 AM
Second Varsity Eight
C/D Semifinal #1
Duke – 6:38.449
Indiana – 6:41.727
George Washington – 6:51.371
Northeastern – 6:51.697
Navy – 7:05.837
Next Up: D Final – Sunday, 8:36 AM
First Varsity Four
C/D Semifinal #1
Syracuse – 7:16.364
Penn – 7:19.520
Indiana – 7:20.232
Jacksonville – 7:46.250
Navy – 7:49.090
Next Up: D Final – Sunday, 8:12 AM
Boat Lineups