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Navy Ends Season in Henley Semi-Finals
LONDON, England -- A strong headwind slowed down the Navy lightweight crew team as the Mids' season came to an end with a loss in the semifinal round of the Henley Royal Regatta (picture seen below), Saturday morning on the Thames River in London, England. Holland's D.S.R. Proteus-Eretus crossed the finish line of the 2,112-meter course in a time of 6:57 and one boat length ahead of Navy.
Navy led the Dutch boat at each of the early time markers, but ran into a strong headwind towards the end of the course that slowed the Navy boat. With Navy outweighed by an average of 31 pounds per person, Proteus-Eretus rowed through the wind and the Mids for the victory.
"We knew we had to jump out to an early lead, which we did," said Navy head coach Rob Friedrich. "In the end their weight advantage going into such a strong headwind was too much for us to hold them off. It was a courageous race by our team."
Proteus-Eretus, which has consistently posted one of, if not the fastest time each day in the Temple Challenge Cup, will face fellow Dutch entry A.S.R. Nereus in Sunday's final.
The loss ended one of the best seasons in Navy lightweight crew history. The last of the five American entries racing in the 32-team field at the Henley, Navy finished its collegiate season undefeated and won both the Eastern Sprints Championship and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. "Despite the loss today, this week has been an amazing conclusion to a wonderful season," said Friedrich.
In the first days of the regatta, Navy won their first three rounds of competition against King's College (London), Manchester University, and National University of Ireland (picture seen at top) respectively. During first two rounds, Navy posted the fastest times to Barrier and Fawley markers, showing they were one of the top crews to contend with.
In the days preparing for the Henley, the Midshipmen raced in the Reading Town Regatta, the preferred warm-up race for many crews. In the Senior I Event, Navy won their heat against Georgetown University's Lightweights and the Queen's University, Belfast Ireland. In the final Navy had a close race, but prevailed over Abingdon School Boat Club and Boston University's Freshmen/2nd Varsity boat. For their efforts, they were each awarded a pewter mug.
The Henley Royal Regatta first began in 1839 and is one of the oldest and largest regattas in the world. Nearly 500 crews from 19 countries are entered into 19 different divisions at this year's regatta. Navy competed for the Temple Challenge Cup, which is open to crews representing schools, universities and colleges.
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