This post was written by Hatchet reporter Josh Solomon.

It was a matter of seconds, not just points, that made the Colonials victorious in their sweep of George’s Cup and the Class of 1998 Cup for the second straight year

The women’s rowing team won their four races on the Occoquan River in Fairfax, Va. by a combined total of 20.9 seconds, with a 2.6-second win over local foe George Mason in the Varsity 4 providing a fast start to the day.

The Colonials’ first place finish in that race earned them 4.5 points towards the George’s Cup title.  Georgetown rounded out the trio in that race coming in about a minute after.

By far, the closest race of the day was the Varsity 8, in which GW finished at 6:28.10, just eight seconds ahead of Georgetown and George Mason, who finished a staggering half-second apart.  The win gave GW a crucial nine points that help them break away from both the Hoyas and Patriots.

It was again a matter of seconds in the JV8 and 3V8 races, with GW again emerging victorious in both, coming ahead of second-place Georgetown by six and four seconds, respectively.  The wins gave the Colonials a combined 10.5 points in the battle for George’s Cup and the 1998 Cup and helped GW sweep the four races throughout the afternoon.

The Colonials won George’s Cup with a score of 19.5, while Georgetown came in second with 11.5 and GMU with 8. GW also won the 1998 Cup against the Hoyas by a final score of 24-16.

GW will head now to Cooper River in Camden, N.J. next week for the Atlantic 10 Championship. They finished second place last season, their highest in the tournament since 2003.

“I am proud of our crews from top to bottom. They put together some of their peak performances of the year. I am excited moving forward into next weekend’s Atlantic 10 Championships,” head coach Eric Carcich said in a release.