WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Hobart College rowing team finished seventh of nine teams in the Oliver T. Carr Bowl at this weekend's George Washington Invitational. The varsity four led the way for the Statesmen, posting a pair of victories on the Potomac River.
 
Hobart finished the weekend with 26 points. Navy and the host Colonials finished tied atop the Carr Bowl standings with 78 points each. The Midshipman won the trophy by virtue of a faster varsity eight time. Drexel was third with 51 points.
 
"This team is growing and improving every week," Statesmen Head Coach Paul Bugenhagen said. "The racing is getting tighter and tighter as the standard for performance rises. We are all looking forward to the Stanford Invitational next weekend."
 
Hobart's varsity four opened the weekend with an eight second victory on Friday. In the eighth race of the day, the Statesmen were paired with Holy Cross and Georgetown. Stephen Ponticiello, Steven Bunce, Ishan Dirks, David Pratt and Tommy Hayes powered the boat down the 2,000-meter course to a winning time of 6:42.20. The Crusaders were second, eight seconds back, and the Hoyas crossed the line third.
 
This morning, Ponticiello, Bunce, Randall Hooper, Dilan Bower, and Hayes represented Hobart in the varsity four. The Statesmen came from behind to claim their second victory of the weekend. Hobart crossed the line at 6:30.60, eight-tenths of a second ahead of Georgetown.  Holy Cross rounded out the field. Hobart recovered from a late digger and sprinted through Georgetown to come away with the weekend sweep.
 
Hobart's second varsity eight picked up a pair of second place finishes on the weekend. On Friday, the Statesmen were defeated by Drexel in a head-to-head race. Bart Voto, Remington McGuire, Kemal Turksonmez, Anthony Giovenelli, Alberto Wray, Harrison Luce, Lukian Maratovic, Andrew Krimmel, and Hooper were edged by the Dragons. The Statesmen stopped the clock at 5:56.50.
 
This morning, the 2V drew Georgetown and Florida Institute of Technology for its race. Voto, McGuire Turksonmez, Giovenelli, Dirks, Luce, Maratovic, Krimmel, and Wray finished second in between Georgetown and FIT.  Hobart posted a time of 5:59.90.
 
Hobart's varsity eight of Greg Narzikul, Carter Weitekamp, Martin Roeck, Patrick Overton, Wyatt Hathaway, David Ranney, Sam Ash, Jackson Baney, and Henry Vachon finished second in Friday's race and third this afternoon. Yesterday the eight was pitted against Drexel and MIT, finishing two seconds behind the Dragons with a time of 5:36.60.
 
This afternoon, the Statesmen eight was in a tightly contested battle with Georgetown and FIT. Racing was back and forth throughout the 2,000-meters. FIT gained a slim three seat advantage in the closing stretch. The Panthers won the heat with a time of 5:36.40. Hobart and Georgetown were neck-and-neck with the Hoyas just getting their bow ball across the line ahead of the Statesmen. Hobart posted a time of 5:37.80.
 
"The varsity eight is a young and capable bunch," Bugenhagen said. "With five sophomores, three first-years, and one senior they are learning how to win and have a great chemistry developing.  They will take their lessons from this weekend and use them to build speed throughout the year."
 
Hobart will be back on the water next weekend, April 14-15, when it travels to Redwood Shores for the Stanford Invitational.