PHILADELPHIA – Lehigh took part in the Navy Day Regatta this past weekend on the Schuylkill River as the Mountain Hawks competed in 11 events, including seven on the women’s side and four men’s races. “I think our showing at this years Navy Day was quite impressive considering the success of the crew overall,” Lehigh Director of Rowing Liz Meltzer said afterwards. “The lightweight crews are starting to come together nicely and a new line-up and rig in the college 8 also worked out well. We have a lot of work to do this week in preparation for the Head of the Charles and we will see many of today’s crews again which is a good way to chart our progress. I was incredibly impressed by all four of the freshman men and women’s eights that raced with poise and confidence in their first intercollegiate regatta.”
In the Women’s College 4 race, Lehigh finished seventh out of 15 boats. Less than a tenth of a second separated the fifth, sixth and seventh place crews and less than 13 seconds separated the third through seventh place finishers. In the women’s Lightweight College 4, the Mountain Hawks took second out of five boats, which included victories over a pair of Lafayette boats.
The Women’s Frosh/Novice 8 finished fourth and eighth out of 13 crews in their race. Penn, Saint Josephs and Navy were the only boats to finish ahead of the Brown and White. The first frosh/novice 8 was less than two seconds behind Navy. The women’s Club Double won its race with a time of 18:46.5, beating three Saint Joseph doubles in addition to Army and Washington College. In the Women’s JV College 8 race, Lehigh had a strong showing in a very tough field of competitive crews. The Mountain Hawks took ninth out of 13 crews.
In the Women’s Lightweight College 8, Lehigh kept tight on the heels of a Georgetown lightweight crew, which ended last season ranked fourth nationally, for a second place finish. Only 7.6 seconds separated the two crews. The Women’s College 8 moved through Rutgers nicely to end in fourth place out of 11 crews. Lehigh was only 9.5 seconds off of third place University of Pennsylvania and less than 25 seconds off of Navy’s winning time of 15:01.5 with its 15:25.5 finish. The Mountain Hawks also made up almost 35 seconds on Georgetown from their last meeting at the Head of the Potomac where the Mountain hawks finished 47 seconds off the Hoyas winning time as opposed to this meeting where they were only 12.5 seconds off.
In the men’s races, Lehigh’s Men’s College 4 took ninth and 12th out of 17 crews. The Mountain Hawks showed strong ability to adapt quickly to their fresh lineup. Former Dad Vail silver medalist Kyle Miller said, “We rowed a solid, controlled piece. I’m looking forward to building on today’s success through the next few months.”
The Men’s College Frosh/ Nov.8 boat took ninth and 12th out of 17 crews, as the First frosh/novice 8 was able to best all of five University of Delaware’s 8’s. The Men’s Dad Vail 8, full of experienced collegiate rowers, had a noteworhty finish, which included a defeat of rival Drexel's boat. Senior Jim Quigley commented “We felt really connected through the stiff headwind. This showing definitely sets the right tone for the rest of the fall.”
In the Men’s College 8, the Brown and White took tenth out of 13 crews. The young but powerful college 8 started strong but quickly began to lose ground on the other crews. Despite their tenth place finish, Head Men’s Coach Jason Moorehead is optimistic, stressing a new approach in the program where long terms acquisition of boat speed is more important than a single strong showing in October.
Out of five events where Lehigh saw Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks bested the Leopards in every event, but one.
Lehigh returns to action next weekend when the Mountain Hawks head north to Boston to compete in the prestigious Head of the Charles.
