AVY CREW NEWSLETTER Spring/Summer www.navysports.com July 2014 In this Issue... • Spring Racing Recaps Heavies Earn 2 Medals at Sprints The heavyweight season was highlight- in the event since 1992, when Navy also • Inaugural Reunion Dinner ed by strong finishes from the 2nd Varsity earned the bronze. • National Team Athletes boat at the Eastern Sprints and the IRA. At the IRA, in one of the tightest semifi- • Shell Christening Ranked 6th in the final EARC regular nals of the regatta, Navy’s 2V placed third • Reunion Weekends season poll, the Navy 2V shocked the field to join California, Princeton, Washington, by blasting off the start and getting out Northeastern and Brown in the grand final • Fall Racing Schedules to an early lead with Northeastern in the of the event. Finishing 6th overall, Navy’s grand final of the Eastern Sprints. Navy 2V ended one of the more successful sea- was in contention for first place through sons for any Navy boat in recent history. the halfway mark, when Princeton came With only three seniors in the boat, the NWC Season up to challenge the leaders. younger athletes gained great experience Strong senior leadership from Navy After Brown came up to challenge as for their future years on the varsity. Women’s Crew Captain Cate Oakley, well, the four crews were within two sec- “The bronze for the 2V was a great ac- Katherine Ashton, Becca Friehofer, Allyn onds at the finish line, with Navy winning complishment,” said Head Coach Rob Bennett, Ana Ioane, and Caitlin Bryant the bronze medal behind Northeastern Friedrich. “I couldn’t be more proud of the led the way for one of the most successful and Princeton. It was Navy’s first medal ...Story cont’d on Page 4 seasons in Navy Women’s Crew’s history, noted Head Coach Mike Hughes. Hughes went on to say that, “Even though Captain Cate Oakley fell during Inaugural Alumni Dinner a PRT training run, breaking both her el- bows, she came back to take charge of the First Spring Kickoff Banquet Sets New Tradition team with two huge heavy casts on her arms as soon as she was out of the hospital Navy Crew held its first Alumni Reunion and had some physical therapy. She wasn’t and Spring Kickoff Banquet this spring, really able to row again until January but sponsored and arranged by Kit Vallhonrat still was able to earn a seat in the Patriot ‘93, Mike Pero ‘63, the coaching staff and League Champion 2nd Varsity 8. Quite the NAAA. The evening offered a chance amazing!” for former teammates, friends and family January and February saw the team to gather, regroup, celebrate the past, and working extremely hard on the ergs and toast the class of 2014 rowers as they ap- in the tank, resulting in the best erg scores proach graduation and a bright future in ever. Katherine Ashton led the way with the Fleet. The event was a resounding suc- a 6:45.4 2k erg score (the fastest erg score cess with nearly 240 attendees. Director of ever for Navy). Rowing, Rob Friedrich exclaimed, “We’re Navy Women’s Crew trained in Nor- very excited to start a new and meaning- folk over spring break out of the Hamp- ful tradition to celebrate the great past and ton Roads Rowing Club on the Lafayette present of Navy Crew.” River. Not quite as warm as Miami Beach, The dinner program, which was moder- It starts in Hubbard Hall, and extends to where they used to spring break, but great ated by Vallhonrat, featured a welcome by our current fleet time and back again, after water and plenty of it. After a week of solid Athletic Director Chet Gladchuck and was your rowing and active duty Navy days are training NWC prepared for their opening highlighted by guest speaker ADM John over.” race, the Murphy Cup on the Cooper Riv- Richardson ’82, Director of the Navy’s Later in the evening, Rusty Yeiser ’74 er in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Nuclear Propulsion Program and a former gave an update on the status of the Navy At the Murphy Cup, Navy entered three lightweight oarsman. Admiral Richard- Crew Excellence Fund managed by the Varsity Fours coached by Sidney Thorsten son remarked that three members of his Foundation. Finally wrapping up the cer- in her first year at Navy. In three separate ’81 Varsity 8 had made Flag rank! He re- emony, the graduating Midshipmen were heats, each 4+ won and then moved on to minded us, “It’s our shared commitment – introduced by their respective coaches and ...Story cont’d on Page 3 the sum of our work that binds us together. ...Story cont’d on Page 5 Lightweights Qualify for the IRA Regatta The character and drive of the Navy 8+ was honored for Lightweight squad was tested early this their season and set- year, as the winter of 2014 would extend ting the standard of all the way into our Spring Break Train- excellence for the ing Trip to Oak Ridge. Without a single Lightweight Midship- stroke on the water between Thanksgiving men. and Spring Break, the Navy Lights knew With another that the focus and pressure would be on to tough test, the Navy maximize their indoor winter training, and 150’s battled the de- establish a foundation for the program to fending national move forward on. champion Harvard The season kicked off at Lake Carn- at home the follow- egie against Yale, and in driving wind and ing weekend and ul- rain, the team showed off its depth by be- timately fell just 2.7 ing within one length of the 2013 National seconds short of the Champion runner-up, and winning the 3V upset. Watching the and 4V races. exciting 1V battle 2nd Plebe Lightweight Crew with Coach Ryan Archer on the medals dock. Battling “biblical” winds at Overpeck from the launch was Lake against Princeton and Columbia, the former N150 oarsmen VADM Terry Bene- Led by an outstanding victory by an all Mids were not as prepared for the condi- dict ‘82 and ADM John Richardson ’82. Al- novice 2nd Plebe 8+ gold medal, the team tions but returned to Annapolis deter- though the team poured out their souls to achieved nearly all of their year-end goals, mined to get their first victory of the year. try and reclaim the Haines Cup that Satur- and most importantly, qualified the team The following weekend, in ideal condi- day, their confidence was bolstered by that for the 2014 IRA. The IRA would prove tions, the Navy Lights overpowered and effort, and it led to a great wire-to-wire vic- to be a strong stepping stone to the future, under-stroked the Hoyas of Georgetown tory over Penn to reclaim the Callow Cup as the 1st Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ both to sweep the Forster Cup at home. It was and 1918 Points Trophy in Philadelphia to won their Petite Finals by open water. The a fantastic morning for the program, as round out the regular season. coaching staff continues to be excited about the entire 2004 National Champion Light- In the championship segment of the the future, as many of our 2014 squad will weight 8+ was in attendance for their 10 spring season, the team would need to have be returning, and is complimented by a tal- year reunion. The 2004 Varsity Lightweight their best racing, and all boats delivered. ented incoming Plebe Class. Navy Crew Newsletter Page 2 Women’s Story cont’d... Rowing Colleges (Eastern Sprints) Navy ished 4th, giving the team title to BU. Navy the final to finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, well won five out of six gold medals and the finished 2nd overall in team points. ahead of the rest of the field. With help points trophy to take home the Sprints “Even though it wasn’t as perfect a sea- from their volunteer coaches, Steve Root title. The Sprints have separate races for all son as we had hoped for, it was still a fan- and Erin Moffitt, the Novice 8+ won their three Varsity Fours categories (Varsity 4A, tastic season winning 30 of 33 total events. heat and went on to win the final easily. Varsity 4B, and Varsity 4C). The 4’s went A 90% winning record,” mentioned Coach The 2nd Varsity 8+ also won their heat but on to win all three events in their category. Hughes. went on to finish 3rd in the grand final. The The Novice 8+ went on to win gold in their 23 athletes were named to the Patriot Varsity 8+ won their heat and went on to event and the 2nd Varsity 8+ finished a League Honor Roll, while four midship- win the final by 10 seconds over Bucknell disappointing 5th in the final. The Varsity men were selected as College Rowing and the rest of the field. 8+ made the grand final and raced to vic- Coaches Association Scholar Athletes: At the Occoquan Sprints in Virginia, tory by open water over Columbia, North- Katherine Ashton, Catherine Oakley, Re- Navy entered a Novice 4+, three Varsity eastern, Georgetown, Boston University, becca Greenberg, and Kathleen Heinbach. 4’s, a Novice 8+, a 2nd Varsity 8+, and a and Boston College . (SOMETHING TO Ashton was also named a NCAA 2nd Varsity 8+. NWC swept the event, winning WRITE HOME ABOUT!) team All-American. every heat and every final in every event. A Since the Patriot League Championship GREAT NAVY DAY!!! is an automatic qualifier The George Washington Invitational in for the NCAA Champion- Washington DC is a series of three dual ship the only boats to race races over Friday afternoon, Saturday in it are the three boats that morning, and Saturday afternoon.