From our friends at GW Athletics Communications...
Colonials' Win Two Races on Final Day; V8 and F8 Clinch Program's Best-Ever Performance at Event
The George Washington men's rowing team wrapped a historic season by registering the best finishes in program history by both the Varsity 8 and Freshmen 8 boats on the final day of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships on Sunday on Lake Mercer.
The Freshmen 8 and JV8 each won their respective finals while the Varsity 8 took second place in its Third-Level Final to wrap an impressive season that saw the Colonials capture titles at the GW Invitational, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships and at one point amass 21 consecutive victories.
The Varsity 8 boat concludes the season ranked 14th overall in the nation, the best mark in program history and a one-spot improvement from last season. The Colonials used a furious sprint over the final 500 meters to overtake two boats and move into second place at the finish line to clinch the historic achievement.
Stanford won the race in 5:49.65 with the Colonials taking second place in 5:51.05. FIT was right behind GW in 5:51.49, followed by Syracuse (5:54.69), Penn (5:55.03) and Oregon State (5:59.62).
The Freshmen 8 sprinted out to a half-length lead at the 500-meter mark in the Petite Final before extending the advantage six seats at the halfway mark. The Colonials eventually pulled ahead by open water to win the race in 6:05.58, six seconds ahead of second-place Navy (6:11.26). Columbia followed in third place in 6:14.26, followed by Drexel (6:15.68) and Penn (6:20.41).
With the win, the Colonials rookies finish the season ranked No. 7 in the nation among freshman boats, a three-spot improvement from last season's freshmen class.
The JV8 ended its season on a high note, winning the Fourth-Level Final by six seats at the finish line after pulling away from the field at the 500-meter mark. The Colonials registered a time of 5:55.17 to clinch a final ranking of No. 19 in the nation. Columbia finished in second place in 5:58.30, followed by Hobart (6:01.78), UC San Diego (6:04.29), FIT (6:06.62) and Holy Cross (6:10.63).
Also competing on Sunday for the Colonials was the Varsity 4 boat, which rowed in a very competitive Third-Level Final that saw all five boats separated by just seven seconds. Drexel won the race in 6:45.57, ahead of Penn (6:47.35), Loyola (6:48.84), Milwaukee School of Engineering (6:50.24) and GW (6:52.31).
Click here for yesterday's official results.
