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Navy Sweeps Harvard for Second Straight Year
Navy pulled off two huge upsets this past Saturday on the Charles River in Boston. Both the first varsity and second varsity boats from Navy came from behind to sprint through Harvard and beat the number-one ranked crews in the nation.
The Varsity race was the most exciting of the day with both Navy and Harvard getting out to fast starts. At the 500-meter mark, the crews were virtually even but then Harvard started to edge out on the Midshipmen. With 500 meters to go, Harvard had a six-seat lead and looked comfortable to hold it. Navy shifted their rating and began a huge push. Navy began to eat into Harvard's lead and with 150 meters left in the race, the Midshipmen surged to pull even and then take a one seat lead into the finish line. Official Results.
The Haines Cup victory marked the second year in a row, but only the fifth time Navy has brought the Trophy home in its 45-year history.
The Navy second varsity also had to mount a huge second half surge to come from behind and beat a very fast Harvard crew. The third varsity's event was an exact replica of the first two varsity boats, pulling off a great victory in the second half of the race.
The two freshmen boats won in a more convincing fashion, besting their Harvard counterparts by 14 seconds. Both Navy boats were quick off the line and continued to open the margin on the settle.
It was a fantastic weekend for all the Navy boats as they enter the second half of their season. Next week, they will be racing in Annapolis against Penn and Georgetown.
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