PRINCETON, N.J. - The Georgetown varsity lightweights opened the regular season on Saturday, April 1, in dramatic fashion with a 0.85 second win over Columbia on Lake Carnegie. GU's time of 5:43.0 was the second fastest collegiate lightweight time ever recorded at Carnegie. Princeton set the old record of 5:38.42 in 1998 at the HYPs. A strong tailwind dominated the racing conditions but it did not produce much chop. The varsity's win marked the ninth Hoya victory in the last 12 dual races with Columbia.

The Hoyas gained a slight lead in the first 500, and opened it to about 6 or 7 seats after the 1000 mark. However, Columbia (5:43.85) had nearly drawn even later in the race, but Georgetown (5:43.00) again pulled away in the final 500 for the three-seat win.

The second varsity (2V8) and freshman (F8) crew teams both lost. The Hoya 2V8 finished with a time of 6:08.16, while the Lions crossed the line at 5:57.61. GU's F8 (6:13.72) squad finished four seconds behind Columbia (6:09.21) despite having only two experienced oarsmen compared to the Lions seven.

Georgetown's men's crew team will race again at Lake Carnegie, but this this time against defending national champion Princeton on Saturday, April 8. Races start at 12:30 p.m.

RESULTS Georgetown vs. Columbia @ Princeton
Saturday, April 1, 2000

VARSITY 8
Georgetown 5:43.00
Columbia 5:43.85

SECOND VARSITY 8
Columbia 5:57.61
Georgetown 6:08.16

FRESHMAN 8
Columbia 6:09.21
Georgetown 6:13.72