Updated: April 18, 2025, at 3:34 p.m.

Rowing earned the most wins in the annual GW Invite on Saturday and Sunday, beating out St. Mary’s College, Georgetown, Old Dominion and West Virginia universities and University of California San Diego.

During last year’s GW Invitational, the Revs won most of their races — with their first and second varsity eight boats going completely undefeated — as gusts of 50 miles per hour swept through the race course, forcing officials to cancel or consolidate several events. This weekend, the first varsity eight boat found success, while the first and second varsity four boats struggled to best their competition.

The race took place in a dual racing format, with two to three heats per event and two boats racing against each other in each heat.

Saturday events:

GW’s first varsity eight boat secured the fastest time that day, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:25.10 and West Virginia coming in at 6:42.84 during the first heat. During the third heat, Saint Mary’s followed closely behind with the second fastest time in the event at 6:29.88, facing off against Old Dominion who clocked 6:39.48. 

GW’s second varsity eight boat finished in third place our of the six boats, trailing behind Saint Mary’s who won with a time of 6:33.99 during the first heat, and the Hoyas who slotted for silver with 6:34.73 in the second heat. The Revs followed closely behind with a time of 6:36.22 in the third heat.

The first varsity four boat competed in the first heat against West Virginia and ended its race in last place with a time of 7:48.04, trailing nearly 20 seconds behind fifth-place Old Dominion, which wrapped up with 7:29.71 in a heat against Saint Mary’s.

The second varsity four boat ended in third out of four teams. During the second heat, the Revs crossed the finish line with 7:41.93 against West Virginia, which finished last with 7:49.16.

The third varsity eight boat also found success on the Potomac, finishing with the fastest time that day, with 7:11.36. The Revs faced off against West Virginia in the first heat who earned second-place and wrapped up several seconds behind the Revs with 7:14.01.

Sunday events:

Sunday brought a new racing slate, with the first varsity eight once again finishing with the fastest time, clocking a 6:25.95, out of six boats. While competing in the third heat against Saint Mary’s, the Revs finished just four seconds faster than the Gaels who crossed the finish line with 6:26.34.

The second varsity eight boat earned second — compared to Saturday’s third-fastest finish — with a time of 6:38.44, several seconds behind the Hoyas, who finished first with 6:35.97 during the first heat.

The first varsity four also markedly improved from the day before, earning second place with a time of 7:33.86, just a second behind West Virginia. During the third heat, the Revs faced off against the Gaels who ended with 7:43.93. The second varsity four boat came in last of four boats with a time of 8:01.79, trailing behind third place West Virginia who finished with 7:47.89.

During the third batch of varsity eight races of the tournament, the Revs once again secured first, with their fastest time of the weekend at 6:22.38. In the second varsity eight race, the Revs’ second and third boats competed in the third heat, with the second varsity eight finishing with 6:38.83, and third with 7:33.85. Saint Mary’s sandwiched between the two ending with 6:50.35.

The Revs’ first varsity four boat struggled on the water, earning the slowest time of the event with 7:43.94, but finishing several seconds faster than their first race of the weekend. The Revs competed in the third heat, finishing after the Gaels who crossed the finish line with 7:24.86.

Comparatively, the second varsity four boat also struggled on the Potomac, finishing after its competitors with 7:45.21. In the two heat event, the Revs faced off against Old Dominion in the second heat, who finished with 7:41.00. 

The Revs will travel to Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 4 for the Eastern Sprints tournament.

This post has been updated to correct the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly compared the results of teams across different races to determine their standings. In a dual racing format, a team can only be compared to whoever they faced in their heat. We regret this error.