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RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — The Northeastern men's rowing team enjoyed a successful opening day at the 2013 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships in sunny Rancho Cordova, Calif., on Friday. The Huskies advanced all four boats to Saturday's semifinals, with three remaining in contention for a spot in the prestigious Grand Finals.

The NU varsity eight and open four won their heats comfortably while the second varsity finished second to secure spots in the top semifinal races. All three crews will compete for a spot in their respective Grand Final. The top three crews in each semifinal heat will advance to the Grand Final on Sunday, with the remaining crews earning entries in the Petite Final.

The varsity four finished third in its heat and second in the afternoon repechage. That crew will compete in semifinal D, with the top three crews advancing to the Third-Level Final.

(Race results, boatings, and schedules appear below.)

In the varsity eight heat, Northeastern turned in a dominating performance and never trailed. The No. 5 Huskies grabbed an early lead over No. 4 Stanford, with Pennsylvania in third. Northeastern led by two seats over the Cardinal, and by more than a length over the rest of the field, by the 500-meter mark. NU pushed its lead to three seats by the midway point and seized control of the race entering the third 500. The Red and Black pulled out to a five-seat lead entering the final 500 to win by a length over Stanford. NU finished the Lake Natoma course in 5:47.51, followed by Stanford (5:51.02), Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Holy Cross, and George Washington. The varsity will row in the semifinal on Saturday at 11:45 a.m.

The second varsity eight heat proved to be a two-crew battle, with California and Northeastern moving out to an early lead over the rest of the field. Cal grabbed the early advantage, leading NU by a half-length at the 500-meter mark, with NU up eight seats on third-place Syracuse. The Huskies made a move entering the third 500 to cut slightly into the Cal advantage, but the Bears responded. Cal, with a time of 5:52.58, and Northeastern, with a time of 5:58.43, finished first and second, respectively, to advance to Saturday's semifinal. The Huskies had open water on third-place Syracuse (6:01.92), which was followed by Navy and Gonzaga. The NU second varsity will row at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The Northeastern open four turned in a dominating performance, winning its heat by two lengths of open water. NU moved out to an early lead over Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and led by four seats at 500 meters. The Huskies drew away from the field in the second 500 and established open water by the midway point. The Red and Black crossed the line in 6:50.37, followed by Wisconsin (6:57.71), Syracuse, and Pennsylvania, to advance to the semifinal on Saturday at 9 a.m.

In the varsity four heat, Cornell and Yale moved out over the field quickly. The Huskies, who fell behind early, engineered a strong final 500 to finish comfortably in third and nearly overtook Yale for second. Cornell finished in 6:39.76 to win the heat, followed by Yale, Northeastern (6:47.26), Drexel, and Jacksonville, to move the Huskies to the afternoon repechage.

In the repechage, Penn and Northeastern established a two-crew race, moving out quickly over Georgetown. Penn slowly increased its advantage over NU over the body of the race and fought off the Huskies in the sprint to secure the win. Northeastern, with a time of 6:55.01, finished two lengths of open water ahead of Georgetown. The varsity four will compete in semifinal 4 at 10:00 on Saturday morning.


RESULTS

Varsity Eight (Heat 4)	Second Varsity Eight (Heat 4)	Open Four+ (Heat 2)	Varsity Four+ (Heat 2)	Varsity Four+ (Repechage)
Northeastern - 5:47.51 Stanford - 5:51.02 Wisconsin - 5:52.03 Pennsylvania - 5:56.54 Holy Cross - 6:05.39 George Washington - 6:16.64	California - 5:52.58 Northeastern - 5:58.43 Syracuse - 6:01.92 Navy - 6:02.65 Gonzaga - 6:23.41	Northeastern - 6:50.37 Wisconsin - 6:57.71 Syracuse - 7:03.96 Pennsylvania - 7:10.20	Cornell - 6:39.76 Yale - 6:44.69 Northeastern - 6:47.26 Drexel - 6:51.38 Jacksonville - 6:51.94	Pennsylvania - 6:51.35 Northeastern - 6:55.01 Georgetown - 7:05.92

BOATINGS

Varsity Eight	Second Varsity Eight	Varsity Four+	Open Four+
C. Connor Wortley S. Justin Jones 7. Trevor Weaser 6. Cameron Buchan 5. Max Montpetit 4. Kyle Erlandson 3. Sean Crowley 2. Riordan Morrell B. Tyler Underhill	C. Zachary Williamson S. Francisco Mendes 7. Svetislav Pejcic 6. Gregory Burke 5. Eric Jackson 4. Alexander Greene 3. Jack Stein 2. Steve Komadoski B. Matej Herega	S. Erik Wessel 3. Eric Winkert 2. Colin Schaap B. Daniel Corso C. Les Kernan	S. Bill Tomlinson 3. Dale Jordan 2. Olivier McNicoll B. Matthew Kuczmarski C. Raphaela Putz

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)

SATURDAY, JUNE 1	LANE ASSIGNMENT AND TEAM
9:00 a.m. - Open Four Semifinal 2	1. Pennsylvania 2. California 3. Northeastern 4. Oregon State 5. Syracuse 6. Holy Cross
10:00 a.m. - Varsity Four Semifinal 4	1. Gonzaga 2. Drexel 3. Jacksonville 4. Northeastern 5. Harvard
11:00 a.m. - Second Varsity Eight Semifinal 1	1. Syracuse 2. Wisconsin 3. Washington 4. Princeton 5. Northeastern 6. Pennsylvania
11:45 a.m. - Varsity Eight Semifinal 2	1. Cornell 2. Yale 3. Harvard 4. Northeastern 5. Brown 6. Boston University