April 16, 2007

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University Men's Lightweight Crew took part in two dual races on Saturday, April 14. The Hoyas went up against crews from the U.S. Naval Academy on the Potomac at home in Washington, D.C., and then traveled to Philadelphia, Pa. to race crews from Yale on the Schuylkill River.

In the morning, Georgetown's varsity shell crossed the finish line first with a time of 5:36.2 to Navy's 5:37.6, winning the varsity race for the first time since 2003. Versus a deep Navy squad, the Hoyas had remained competitive in their three other races, the Second Varsity 8, the Freshman 8 and the Freshman 4. "The Navy varsity is a tough, composed crew and the race was close the whole way. We were pleased that it worked out for us on Saturday morning," said men's lightweight crew coach Evans Liolin.

After the races against Navy, the Hoyas loaded their equipment for the three-hour trip to Philadelphia to race Yale who had faced Columbia and Penn that same morning on the Schuylkill. Georgetown was unable to come away with a win but came close in the Varsity, finishing with a time of 5:57.04 to Yale's 5:54.64. "The Yale varsity looked sharp and took an early lead, but we were able to close the gap significantly during the body of the race. All credit goes to Coach Card's crew for rowing a very savvy race."

"We wanted to face two very good teams on the same day. Our men raced well and we learned from the process," said Liolin. "I am pleased with their effort and their growing ability to evaluate their own performances. The entire squad improved from morning to afternoon and I am proud of their maturity and focus."