ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After finishing second at last year's Patriot League Championship, the Navy women's rowing team will be looking to re-assert itself atop the conference leaderboard this spring. First up for the Mids is action this weekend at the 2025 Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite at Melton Lake in eastern Tennessee. Navy will be tested over three separate sessions of racing with matchups against seven teams from the ACC, Big Ten and SEC conferences, including four squads that are currently ranked in the top-20 nationally. The Mids' first race on Saturday is set for 9:14 a.m. with a series against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The field for the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational consists of No. 15 Indiana, No. 16 Duke, No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 19 Alabama, Louisville, Navy, North Carolina and Wisconsin (all rankings are from the preseason 2025 CRCA Coaches Poll).

The Mids will be busy throughout the weekend racing in 12 separate events over the three sessions. The team's top-two varsity eight crews, as well as its first and second varsity fours, will all be in action three times. Saturday's morning session starts at 9:14 a.m. with a V8 race against UNC. The ensuing three races (V4, 2V8, 2V4) are slated to go off in eight-minute intervals; 9:22 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 9:38 a.m. After a five-plus hours off the water, session two will commence at 3:13 p.m. for Navy with three-way action versus Louisville and Indiana. The same racing order at the same intervals will proceed for the Mids, Cardinals and Hoosiers; 3:21 p.m., 3:29 p.m. and 3:37 p.m.

The competition will round out on Sunday morning with Navy in the first relay of races versus Notre Dame and Wisconsin. The four-race slate is scheduled to begin at 8:42 a.m. with the V8 before concluding at 9:06 a.m. with the 2V4 crew.

Last Time at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite
Last year at the two-day Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, the Mids opened their 2024 season with a victory in the 2V4 on Saturday afternoon versus Clemson and Louisville, as well as five more runner-up results: 2V8 (twice on Saturday), V4 (twice on Saturday) and the 3V8 in the PM session on Saturday. On the final day of action, Navy placed third of four teams in four different classifications; V8, V4, 2V4 and 3V8.

2024: A Retrospect
Last May, Navy set out to defend its Patriot League Championship crown and earn the conference's automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Championship. While fast in the morning's qualifying heats, the Mids ran into a determined Boston University squad in the afternoon that was looking to avenge last year's tie-breaking loss to Navy. At the completion of three grand final contests on the Cooper River, BU was victorious in all three classifications to claim the team crown, holding off Navy, who placed runner-up in the team standings, as well as in both the first varsity eight and varsity four races.

On the final leaderboard, Boston's sweep resulted in 54 points. Navy and MIT tied for second with 44 points each, though the Mids officially finished in second due to the tie-breaker of the higher finisher in the first varsity eight. 

Looking Ahead to 2025
The Mids have a good mixture of youth and experience with 17 freshmen and 16 more sophomores, but experienced top-end talent. The squad returns 15 athletes that competed at last year's Patriot League Championship, including seniors Noelle de Vente (V8), Grace Hueber (V4), Lizzie Jendrysik (2V8), Tenlea Radack (V8), Amelia Snyder (V8) and team captain Jenevieva Mulhall (2V8). Also returning from the first varsity eight crew are sophomores Emily Kroettinger and Harlie Hanley, while a trio of juniors headline the list of returning members from the second varsity eight; Laura Dorfman, Mary Catherine Harvey and Grace Rimmer, alongside sophomore Lucy Weems. Led by Hueber, four-fifths of the Mids' varsity four lineup returns with the likes of junior Eleanor Snyder and sophomores Melania Diah and LauraFern Jones.

This past fall, the team competed in a pair of collegiate exhibition races, between Georgetown and George Washington on Sept. 28 and at Rutgers on October 19.

Race Schedule
Saturday
Morning Session (Navy vs. UNC)
9:14 AM - First Varsity Eight
9:22 AM - First Varsity Four
9:30 AM - Second Varsity Eight
9:38 AM - Second Varsity Four (w/UNC 3V4)

Afternoon Session (Navy vs. Indiana & Louisville)
3:13 PM - First Varsity Eight
3:21 PM - First Varsity Four
3:29 PM - Second Varsity Eight
3:37 PM - Second Varsity Four

Sunday
Morning Session (Navy vs. Notre Dame & Wisconsin)
8:42 AM - First Varsity Eight
8:50 AM - First Varsity Four
8:58 AM - Second Varsity Eight
9:06 AM - Second Varsity Four