ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 5 Navy lightweight crew team had an action-packed weekend of home racing as it welcomed the nation's top-ranked team, the Harvard Crimson for a three-race competition on the Severn River on Saturday before going one-on-one with No. 6 Georgetown on Sunday. Racing for the right to take home the Haines Trophy for a victory in the first varsity event and the Col. Michael Paulovich (USMC, ret.) Team Points Trophy for overall program success, the Crimson swept the action over the Mids to kick off the weekend before the hosts re-grouped on Sunday and took two of three races against the Hoyas, though Georgetown won the headlining first varsity Forster Cup race.
Saturday's regatta began with the third varsity eight race, that saw Navy's 4V and 5V racing as guests. The 3V boats of Crimson and Midshipmen rowers found themselves in a close contest through the 2,000 meters of racing. Navy's late push down the stretch wasn't enough as Harvard held on for a 2.5-second victory, 6:07.8 to 6:10.3.
The visitors made it two-for-two in the second varsity competition as the Crimson defeated the Mids' crew by six seconds, 5:56.6 to 6:02.6.
The attention for both programs turned to the race for the Haines Trophy. Battled for between the first varsity crews from Navy and Harvard since 1964, the Crimson made sure that they'd be taking home both the Haines and Paulovich Trophies with a 9.6-second margin of victory, 5:41.0 to 5:50.6.
 "Lining up against the number one team in the country on Saturday certainly gave us a benchmark for what is required for our team in the coming weeks heading into the Eastern Sprints," remarked head coach
Shawn Bagnall. "Unfortunately, we were unable to take advantage of the awesome race conditions we were afforded. Across the board we did not execute well enough, and allowed our inexperience to show. That is a very strong Harvard team and they seem to be leading the way in our league this year. I have no doubt our young team, including the walk-on athletes who are experiencing their first racing season, are motivated to show up at Sprints as a more complete representation of who we aspire to be.
"The highlight of the day for both programs was undoubtedly Col. Paulovich (USMC, ret.) accompanied by Gen. Sattler (USMC, ret) (USNA, '71), helping officiate the race and presenting the team points trophy at the conclusion of racing. Semper Fi."
Coming back to the Severn River 24 hours later, the Mids had a much stronger performance across its ranks as they won two of three contests against the Hoyas. Navy's third varsity eight was the first crew in victory lane as it edged its fourth varsity brethren by 1.6 seconds, 5:58.3 to 5:59.9. Georgetown's 3V was behind the pair of Navy crews at 6:05.0. The Mids' fifth varsity rounded out the group with a 6:11.9 result.
A similarly dominant effort by Navy's second varsity eight crew saw the hosts cruise past Georgetown for an 8.3-second margin of victory, 5:55.0 to 6:03.3.
The Mids took aim for the clean sweep in the first varsity eight contest with the J.J. Forster Cup up for grabs. Navy came out of the gates fast and led early over Georgetown. Heading down the course on the Severn, a game Hoya squad continued to stay in stroke with the Mids and eventually pushed ahead of the hosts near the mid-way mark of the 2,000-meter race and took off down the backstretch for a 3.3-second victory, 5:42.3 to 5:45.6.
"It was good to see our 2V and 3V lineups bounce back and execute a solid 2,000-meter effort," commented Bagnall about Sunday's action. "In the 1V race, we were unable to overcome some self-inflicted mistakes, letting our composure wane in the second half of racing. We are disappointed that we weren't able to capitalize on a great start, and there are certainly lessons to be learned from the loss this morning. It will be up to our team to respond to the results this weekend, demonstrating our ability to put into practice our character and values as a team.Â
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"It was awesome to see the parents and families of many of our First Class midshipmen come out for their last home race on the Severn River this morning. They have left a strong legacy of resilience and achievement that once our season has concluded this year, they will be able to look back on with pride. We were also fortunate to have John J. Forster, the namesake of our cup racing with Georgetown, here on The Yard to award the trophy. We are honored to race for the Forster Cup each year, honoring a US Marine and Purple Heart recipient."Â Â
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Navy will take part in its final race of the regular season next Saturday when it travels to Penn for another Eastern Sprints League contest.
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Race Results (Saturday)
First Varsity Eight
Harvard – 5:41.0
Navy – 5:50.6
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Second Varsity Eight
Harvard – 5:56.6
Navy – 6:02.6
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Third Varsity Eight
Harvard – 6:07.8
Navy 3V – 6:10.3
Navy 4V – 6:11.9
Navy 5V – 6:17.9
Race Results (Sunday)
First Varsity Eight
Georgetown - 5:42.3
Navy – 5:45.6
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Second Varsity Eight
Navy - 5:55.0
Georgetown - 6:03.3
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Third Varsity Eight
Navy 3V – 5:58.3
Navy 4V – 5:59.9
Georgetown 3V - 6:05.0
Navy 5V – 6:11.9
Boat Lineups (Saturday & Sunday)
