PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – The George Mason University women's rowing Novice 4+ boat swept all three of its races on the weekend, punctuated by Saturday's grand final victory at the historic Dad Vail Regatta.
 
After claiming wins in Friday's time trial and semifinal races, the Novice 4+ saved its best for last, rocketing off a weekend-best time by 33 seconds. The Patriots excelled on the water and finished nearly eight seconds ahead of second-place Jacksonville and almost 14 seconds ahead of third-place Georgetown.
 
"Our Freshman 4+ put together a very impressive performance," head coach Joseph Richards said. "They won the time trial, their semi and the final all in pretty convincing fashion. I couldn't be happier with the way they raced."
 
In addition, the Patriots' women's pair duo also claimed some hardware while winning its petite final victory with a weekend-best time on the water Saturday. The Green & Gold improved upon their Friday best time by nearly two minutes while defeating Lafayette by 22 seconds for the victory.
 
The Patriots' Varsity 4+ boat was a scratch on Saturday's petite final but still put together some solid racing on Friday.
 
In all, this weekend's racing not only provided great preparation for next weekend's A-10 Championship, it also showed the promising young talent George Mason will be able to grow with in the coming seasons.
 
"The racing that our freshman class did this weekend, in the pair and in the four, as well as the strength of the freshman on our team that didn't make the trip, shows that there are great things in store for our team in the future," Richards said.
 
Results
Novice 4+ Grand Final
1) George Mason – 8:07.55
2) Jacksonville – 8:15.65
3) Georgetown – 8:21.74
4) Rhode Island – 8:31.80
5) Lafayette – 8:36.49
6) Union – 8:39.75
 
Women's Pair Petite Final
1) George Mason – 9:22.80
2) Lafayette – 9:44.91