The Army West Point Crew had the best showing in team history at the Knecht Cup on Mercer Lake in West Windsor Township, NJ. The Knecht Cup is a two-day event against more than 50 other collegiate programs from across the country, including NCAA powerhouse Women’s teams, and much larger DIV-1 Varsity Men’s programs. Despite some rough weather and limited practice time in the preceding weeks, the team entered the competition with confidence as they faced some of the top teams in the country and began the spring campaign towards the National Championships in early May. The team did not disappoint, sending a record 8 of 12 boats to the finals on Sunday and picking up a gold in the Men’s Novice Four event. The small boats, pairs and fours, started the cold day with solid efforts in the heats, with four boats advancing to the semi-final round. As the day progressed, an icy rain and a steady head-wind on the course made for challenging conditions for all athletes. Despite the deteriorating conditions, Army Crew saw all four eight-man entries advance to the semis scheduled for later in the day. As the field narrowed in the afternoon semifinals, the Army fours rose to the challenge, sending two Varsity Women’s fours and one Novice Men’s four to the finals on Sunday morning. In past seasons, this would have been a tremendous accomplishment for Army Crew, but the team still had twice as many boats to qualify for the finals. By mid-afternoon, the athletes began to suffer from the long exposure to the weather, so officials suspended racing until Sunday morning.
Racing began on a Sunday with the premier events, the semis for the Varsity Men’s Eight. Facing several strong programs, including last year's winner, the cadets cruised to a second place finish, placing them in the middle lane for the grand final event. Soon after, the Novice Men’s and Women’s eights raced their way into the grand finals as well, defeating several boats that they will face again in the National Championships in May. With the Men’s Second Varsity Eight securing a berth in the Grand Finals, Army Crew had four eights and two fours in the grans, with two more fours in the second level finals. The first Army boat to race in the finals won Gold, a feat last accomplished in 2005. In their race, the Men’s Novice Four bested their counterparts from Villanova, Bowdoin, Loyola, Bucknell, Lafayette, and 10 other collegiate teams, completing the 2000 meter race in 7:16.40. The Men’s Second Varsity Four started next, racing in a finals-only event, finishing in 4th place out of six entries, ahead of the Rhode Island and NY Maritime boats. The two Varsity Women’s qualifiers were the next to race in the Petite Finals. The Women’s Second Varsity Four crossed the line in 5th place, making them the 9th fastest in a field of 24. The Varsity Women’s Four finished strong, winning their race by a boat-length over last year's winner, Bucknell; their efforts ranked them 7th out of 34 entries. The Army eight’s racing began with the Men’s Novice Eight, where the cadet boat crossed the line in 4th place, ahead of quality teams from Colgate and Rutgers, and ten other boats who started on Saturday. The Novice Women’s eight finished in 5th in their finals, in a fast race with some of the top programs in the country, while defeating the Temple Crew and 15 other collegiate entries. In the final event of the day, the Men’s Varsity Eight tied the previous Army record, set in 2005, with a 4th place finish in the grands, just seconds behind St. Joseph’s University, Delaware and Hobart.