ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The No. 5 Navy lightweight crew program has a busy weekend of action ahead with a pair of trophy competitions against No. 1 Harvard on Saturday and No. 6 Georgetown on Sunday. Both the Haines and the Paulovich team points trophies will be on the line starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday between the Mids (2-1) and Crimson (7-0) before the Forster Cup will be going home with the winner of a duel between the Mids and Hoyas (0-2) on Sunday morning, also at 7:30 a.m. on the Severn River.
The slate of racing on both days will go in reverse order with the third varsity eight contest leading off the action at 7:30 a.m. Twenty minutes later at 7:50 a.m. the respective second varsity eight crews will battle before the first varsities will race down a 2,000-meter stretch of the Severn for the right to take home hardware at 8:10 a.m.
Most Recent Navy-Harvard Matchup: April 22, 2023
The No. 7 Harvard Crimson defended its home waters on April 22 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 in all three contests. 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.
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.
What's at Stake
Haines Trophy
Named after Bert Haines, the Harvard lightweight head coach from 1936 to 1952, the trophy is awarded to the winner of the first varsity eight race between Navy and Harvard. Raced for since 1964, the Crimson hold the series lead, 46-9 with the Mids earning the trophy most recently in 2022.
Michael Paulovich Points Trophy
Introduced into the Navy-Harvard rivalry in 2018, the Paulovich Trophy goes to the highest-scoring program. Michael Paulovich was a four-year member of the Harvard lightweight program before entering the United States Marine Corps in 1979. A strong supporter of both Harvard and Navy, he served until 2007. Harvard earned the trophy in 2018 and 2019 before Navy captured it in 2022.
Most Recent Navy-Georgetown Matchup: April 15, 2023
The No. 4 Navy lightweight rowing team had a dominant day of action on April 15 as the Mids swept a three-race series against the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas. Racing on a 2,000-meter stretch of the Potomac River, the Mids handily defeated the Hoyas in all three races by four or more seconds.
In the final race of the meet with the Forster Cup on the line, the Mids easily took care of the hosts to retain the trophy. Putting together a complete race Navy jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back as it grabbed a 5.8-second victory over Georgetown, 6:02.5 to 6:08.3.
What's at Stake
Forster Cup
Named after John J. Forster, the Forster Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the Georgetown/Navy first varsity eight race. A 1970 graduate of Georgetown, Forster represented the United States at the 1972 Munich Olympics, as well as the 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977 World Championships. Forster is a United States Marine Corps veteran, who was awarded two Purple Hearts, while serving in Vietnam.
The inaugural cup race was rowed in 2013 and won by Georgetown. Since that first competition, Navy has won eight straight meetings.
Last Time Out - April 6 at Columbia
The No. 7 Navy lightweight rowing team splits its Eastern Sprints League matchup at No. 8 Columbia on Saturday at Overpeck Park in northern New Jersey. After the host Lions (0-3) captured the third and second varsity eight races, the Mids (2-1) came through in the clutch as its first varsity eight dominated the headlining WIT Cup contest amidst a strong head wind and choppy water conditions over the 2,000-meter course.
Victorious in the last two Whatever-It-Takes (WIT) Cup matchups in 2022 and 2023, Navy made sure that it would be taking the hardware home to Annapolis once again with a dominant 13.47-second margin of victory over Columbia. At the finish line, the Mids posted a 6:29.03 result versus a 6:42.50 mark for the Lions.
Race Schedule (both Saturday & Sunday)
7:30 AM - Third Varsity Eight
7:50 AM - Second Varsity Eight
8:10 AM - First Varsity Eight
Directions to Navy Boathouse and viewing on Navy's Lower Course
*you will need a photo ID to walk onto Navy campus*
These driving directions will take you to Gate 8 of the Naval Academy. Spectators and guests should park outside of the gate and make the short walk (0.25 miles) to the boathouse. Once at the boathouse, it is another short walk (0.33 miles) to the finish line of the Lower Course.
• Route 50 towards Annapolis
• Take Exit 24, Rowe Blvd, Annapolis
• After approx 1 mile, make a left onto Taylor Ave.
• After passing a 7-Eleven, make a right at the T-intersection.
• Turn right at the second traffic light and then make another immediate right into a parking area and park there. To get to the boathouse, you need to walk down the hill along the practice baseball field and to the guard shack. Show your photo ID to the guard and continue to walk down the hill. The boathouse is the first building that you will see on the right after the guard shack.
• From the boathouse, you can walk to the finish line of the Lower Course. After crossing the road near the boathouse towards the cemetery, take the road that takes you along the water's edge in the creek (Do not cross over bridge). Once you get to the hospital point fields, walk across field to the right corner of the seawall. The finish line is directly at that corner.
