NAVY WOMEN'S CREW
HISTORY

Its history is brief, but that hasn't deterred Women's Crew from building a winning
tradition at the United States Naval Academy.

The sport made its initial appearance at Navy in the spring of 1978 during the second
year that women were allowed to attend the Naval Academy. In that first spring, the
Midshipmen competed as a Junior Varsity, racing Washington College, Trinity of
Washington, DC, and the University of Virginia Junior Varsity boats. The
Midshipmen won all three regattas that season.

Women's crew was elevated to Varsity status the following year and the Midshipmen
won two varsity races that season. In 1980, in only its second year as a varsity team,
Navy competed in the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta, the largest crew regatta on the
East Coast. The Varsity Eight and Junior Varsity Eight were third in the Varsity and
Junior Varsity Grand Finals respectively.

The following year, the Midshipmen raced in the San Diego Crew Classic and
completed the season with a 6-2 record. The next three season found the women
showcasing and 18-3 record, including an unbeaten 9-0 mark in 1984.

In 1987, the Midshipmen won the first of six consecutive Seitz Trophies for
outstanding team performances by women's crews at the Dad Vail Regatta. It was,
however, in 1992 that Navy enjoyed one of its grandest moments when the Varsity
Eight captured a gold medal for the first time. The Midshipmen also earned the Seitz
Trophy that year with the gold medal performance of the Junior Varsity and the silver
medal captured by the Novice.

In 1994, the Midshipmen won the Anita DeFrantz Trophy for overall performance
by women's crews at the second annual Champion International Collegiate Regatta.
In this regatta, the Varsity Eight earned a gold medal and the National Championship
(Div II). The first and second Novice boats also earned first place in their finals.

The Midshipmen joined the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges
(EAWRC) and competed for the first time in the Eastern Sprints in 1996. The team
faced many of the fastest crews in the country. Through this heightened competition,
the Midshipmen are gaining speed each year as evidenced by their 13-6 record in 1998.

The 1998 Fall Season was very successful for the Navy Women.  Opening up the season
with the Head of the Potomac, the Varsity won the Championship Eight impressively
followed by a win over UPenn at the Navy Day Regatta.  The highlight of the season came
at the Head of the Charles in Boston where Navy placed 13th in the Championship Eight,
their highest finish to date.  The 1999 Spring racing season started slow, but ended with Navy's best 
finish at the EAWRC Sprints.  With a 13-7 record, Navy placed all crews in the Petite Finals 
and enjoyed its first Sprints medal with the Silver Medal performance of the Novice 4.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

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