ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After a long offseason of training both on and off the water, the 2025 season kicks off for the Navy lightweight rowing team on Saturday morning versus Eastern Sprints League rival, Princeton. Preparing for a seven-race regular season slate, the Mids will get a chance to showcase their initial speed with a quartet of contests against the Tigers on their home waters of Lake Carnegie. The series of races on Saturday begin at 10 a.m. with the fourth varsity eight race and conclude at 10:45 a.m. with the Murtaugh Cup battle between both team's varsity eight boats.
The entire schedule of racing on the Lake Carnegie will go in reverse with the fourth varsity eights (with a Navy guest 5V) leading off before the contest for third varsity superiority goes off 15 minutes later. The 2Vs will get a chance to race at 10:30 before the Murtaugh Cup contest.
Saturday's Navy-Princeton racing will be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform.
ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.
Who's Back ... Class of 2025 | IRA Returners
Navy will be led by 16 members of the Class of 2025. First Team IRCA All-American
Jonathan Sauer was selected in the off-season and has been serving since as the team's captain during this 2024-25 academic year. Sauer,
Mason Banks, Peter Carino,
Andy Fichtel,
Charles Francesconi,
Brooks Kirchen,
Ramon Mendoza,
Owen O'Malley,
Mia Sachs and
Leo Wagner all return after racing on the national stage last year at the 2024 IRA National Championships. The Class of '25 gains added leadership and experience from fellow seniors
Ian Aguilar,
Colin Dupon,
Nathan Faust,
Cruz Kaufman,
Joshua Kim and
Alex Vester.
Eight more Mids return from the team's IRA lineups from last season: juniors
Tanner Hamilton,
Nihko Johnson-Newman,
Frank Keusenkothen,
Paddy McNamara and
Nani Veluchamy, and sophomores
Noah Ferguson,
Luca Mezzanotte and
Decker Moy-Jacobs.
Most Recent Navy-Princeton Matchup: March 23, 2024
The 2024 season got underway for the Navy lightweight rowing team on March 23 and the Mids were in for a battle against Princeton, as well as Mother Nature. Tasked with navigating a tough 2,000-meter stretch of the Severn River, while dealing with heavy rains, the No. 7 Mids turned in extremely competitive pieces versus the No. 3 Tigers and came away with a victory in the third varsity eight race and two runner-up results with margins of 3.0 seconds in the first varsity eight and 1.1 in the second varsity eight contest.
The Murtaugh Cup was up for grabs between the first varsity eight crews. The more experienced Tiger boat controlled the action down the stretch for the 5:46.3 to 5:49.3 victory. Navy's V8 consisted of one senior, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
The three-race slate concluded with three crews competing in the third varsity eight contest. Navy's depth shined in this race as the Mids' third and fourth varsity eight crews both posted faster times than Princeton's third varsity entry. Navy's 3V won with a time of 6:08.3, while the Mids' 4V bested the Tigers by 2.2 seconds, 6:12.1 to 6:14.3.
Murtaugh Cup History
Named after the former Princeton and U.S. lightweight rowing coach Joseph Murtaugh, the trophy has been on the line between the Mids and Tigers since 2008. After Navy won the initial competition in 2008, Princeton countered with eight straight victories in the first varsity eight race until the Mids climbed back on top in 2017. All-time, Princeton leads the Murtaugh Cup series, 12-3.
Race Schedule
10:00 AM - Fourth/Fifth Varsity Eight
10:15 AM - Third Varsity Eight
10:30 AM - Second Varsity Eight
10:45 AM - First Varsity Eight - Murtaugh Cup
