BOSTON, Mass. – The No. 7 Harvard Crimson defended its home waters on Saturday as they knocked off No. 6 Navy during a three-race meet. The Mids came into the road Eastern Sprints League matchup with momentum and back-to-back wins, but fell victim to fast Crimson crew. While going against Harvard in the competition for the Haines and Paulovich Team Points Trophy, MIT and Delaware also raced as guests in the contest on the Charles River.
 
Racing in reverse order, the action started with the third varsity eight event. The Mids and Crimson found themselves in a tight battle throughout the 2,000-meter piece. At the finish line, Harvard held off Navy by 1.9 seconds, 5:55.9 to 5:57.8. Also competing in the third varsity event, Navy's 4V and MIT finished in third and fourth place with respective times of 6:08.4 and 6:15.4.
 
The second varsities were next up. The host Crimson navigated the waters of the Charles to the tune of a victorious 5:50.3 time. Navy was challenged for second place during this contest by MIT and had to fight the Engineers up until the end. In a near photo finish, Navy clocked in 0.2 seconds faster, 5:56.2 versus a 5:56.4 mark for MIT.
 
In the spotlight race of the morning with the Haines Trophy on the line, the first varsity crews from Harvard and Navy set the pace for the field. Pulling away from MIT and Delaware over the 2,000 meters, Harvard captured the Haines Trophy with a time of 5:38.6 that bested Navy by 3.2 seconds. The Mids' 5:41.8 time was well ahead of the Engineers' 5:57.1 and the Blue Hens' 6:16.6.
 
"This was obviously not the result we trained for this week," remarked head coach Shawn Bagnall. "For our team, it's only a true zero-sum loss if we don't identify and improve on the lack of execution today, and see the racing for what it was. No room for mistakes in our league with the teams as tightly bunched as we are. There's a lot to improve on. I know this team well enough to know they are motivated to identify those areas and apply proper work to the final few weeks of our season."
 
Navy will conclude its regular season next Saturday with a home contest versus Penn with the Callow Cup. The first race between the Mids and Quakers is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on the Severn River.
 
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Harvard – 5:38.6
Navy – 5:41.8
MIT – 5:57.1
Delaware – 6:16.6
 
Second Varsity Eight
Harvard – 5:50.3
Navy – 5:56.2
MIT – 5:56.4
 
Third Varsity Eight
Harvard – 5:55.9
Navy 3V – 5:57.8
Navy 4V – 6:08.4
MIT – 6:15.8

Boat Lineups

	First Varsity Eight	Second Varsity Eight	Third Varsity Eight	Fourth Varsity Eight
1	Jonathan Sauer	Frank Keusenkothen	Ross Johansen	Tanner Hamilton
2	Owen O'Malley	Jonathan Greenberg	Leo Wagner	Colin Dupon
3	Robert Sherman	Sam Sheridan	Robby Klanac	Joshua Kim
4	Stephen Frost	Oliver Hasler	Jack Moroney	Nathan Faust
5	Matt Ross	Andy Fichtel	Colby MaGill	Alexander Vester
6	Brooks Kirchen	Lucas Schatz	Ramon Mendoza	Nani Veluchamy
7	Mason Banks	Connor Rex	Pete Carino	Colson Poillucci
Str.	Jackson Fuller	Paddy McNamara	Luke McIntosh	Riley Guerrera
Cox.	Stephen Scholl	Mia Sachs	Kelly Bye	Charles Francesconi