Oct. 11, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy's three rowing programs will each travel to Philadelphia to take part in Saturday's annual Navy Day Regatta on the Schuylkill River. The 2.5-mile course features the crews racing downstream in a head race format (boats racing individually as opposed to side-by-side).

Navy's heavyweight team won the college eight and college four divisions and placed second in the college junior varsity eight race at last year's Navy Day event. The Mids also won the college eight and college junior varsity eight titles at the 2005 regatta.

"We always look forward to this regatta," said Navy heavyweight head coach Rick Clothier. "We have won the varsity event the past few years, but the racing has been fairly close. Temple certainly has a very good record in this race with it being contested on their home water. The same holds true for Penn who I also expect will be very strong."

Navy's lightweight team, which won the open four and open eight races this past Sunday at the Occoquan Challenge, will join the heavyweight squad in defending their 2006 Navy Day Regatta title in the college eight race. The program also totaled a trio of titles at the 2005 event in the college eight, club eight and freshman eight flights.

After winning the college eight and college junior varsity races at the 2005 Navy Day Regatta, Navy's women's team saw its boats place second and third, respectively, at the '06 Navy Day event.

"With the strong field this race attracts, this is always a good opening test to see where we are at in our training," said Navy women's head coach Mike Hughes. "The entire fall season is a preparation for the spring season, so after this weekend we will have a better idea of what we need to do in order to become faster."