ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After opening its 2025 season last Saturday on the road at No. 2 Princeton, the No. 6 Navy lightweight rowing team will be returning to the waters of Lake Carnegie for three sessions of racing this weekend. The Mids' busy slate begins Saturday afternoon at 4:40 p.m. with a one-on-one tilt versus the No. 8 Yale Bulldogs before Navy turns it attention to a three-team competition against No. 3 Cornell and No. 10 Columbia on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and a shoulder-to-shoulder bout with No. 5 Dartmouth starting at 1:00 p.m. The Navy-Yale and Navy-Columbia first varsity eight showdowns will be contested for the Eads Johnson Trophy and WIT Cup, respectively. 

Saturday's Navy-Yale and Sunday's Navy-Cornell/Columbia 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. 

Navy vs. Yale
The entire slate of racing on Saturday between Navy and Yale will go in reverse order with each team's third varsity eight crews leading off the event at 4:40 p.m. 15 minutes later at 4:55 p.m. the respective second varsity eight crews of Midshipmen and Bulldog rowers will battle before the first varsities will race down Lake Carnegie for the right to take home the Eads Johnson Cup at 5:10 p.m.

Most Recent Navy-Yale Matchup: March 30, 2024
Navy had a day for the record books as the Mids' first varsity eight laid it all out on the line and knocked off No. 5 Yale to earn possession of the Eads Johnson Cup for the first time since 2010. Participating in a three-contest slate of neutral site racing at Mercer Lake, the Mids and Bulldogs were competitive throughout the matchup as Yale won the second and third varsity eight races to retain the Jon Van Amringe Team Points Cup.

With the Eads Johnson Cup on the line for the victor of the first varsity eight competition, the Mids fought throughout the 2,000-meter course and bested the Bulldogs down the stretch to earn the 5:48.81 to 5:51.09 decision. The victory allowed Navy to bring the trophy back home to Hubbard Hall for the first time in 14 years.

What's at Stake
Eads Johnson Cup
Established in 2004 and presented to the winner of the varsity race between Navy and Yale, the trophy is named after Eads Johnson, the captain of the 1934 Yale lightweight rowing team and a 20-year member of the U.S. Navy. In its history, the Bulldogs have earned 14 titles versus five for the Mids. 

Jon Van Amringe Cup
The Van Amringe Cup is awarded to the team with the highest cumulative finish across all five races. Van Amringe was a Yale lightweight rower, who first served in the U.S. Navy and then coached the Navy lightweights. The trophy was first awarded in 2019.

Navy vs. Columbia & Cornell
The Sunday morning action between Navy, Columbia and Cornell will also go in reverse order with the fourth varsity eight contest going off at 9:30 a.m. Ten minutes later at 9:40 a.m. the respective third varsity eight crews will head down Lake Carnegie with Penn's 3V racing as a guest to make it a four-boat field. The Mids, Lions and Big Red will round out the competition with a 2V8 race at 9:50 a.m. and a V8 showdown at 10:00 a.m. The fastest of the Navy and Columbia V8 crews will take home the WIT Cup.

Most Recent Navy-Columbia Matchup: April 6, 2024 
No. 7 Navy splits its Eastern Sprints League matchup at No. 8 Columbia at Overpeck Park in northern New Jersey. After the host Lions captured the third and second varsity eight races, the Mids 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.

What's at Stake
WIT Cup (Whatever It Takes)
The WIT Cup was put into rotation by Columbia's Class of '98 and was originally awarded to the winner of the varsity eight race featuring Columbia, Navy and Rutgers. The trophy had been out of commission since 2006 when the Scarlet Knights disbanded its lightweight rowing program, but was revived in 2014 with Columbia earning initial possession of it for three consecutive years before Navy got into in the win column in 2017 at home on the Severn River. Since it was put back into rotation, the Lions lead 5-4.

Navy vs. Dartmouth
Rivals at the year-end Eastern Sprints Championship and IRA National Championship Regattas, Sunday afternoon marks a rare head-to-head matchup between Navy and Dartmouth. The Mids and Big Green will conclude the busy weekend on Lake Carnegie with a three-race slate starting at 1:00 p.m. with a third varsity eight contest; Navy's 4V will be joining the action as a guest crew. 15 minutes later at 1:15 p.m. it will be a one-on-one matchup between Navy and Dartmouth's respective second varsity eights. The Mids' 10th and final race of the weekend will be a first varsity eight bout set for 1:30 p.m.

Navy-Dartmouth at 2024 IRA National Championship: June 2, 2024
The Mids and Big Green last met each other at the 2024 IRA National Championship. Competing in the grand final of the V8, Dartmouth came in fifth at 5:46.598 ahead of Navy's 5:50.571 time.

Race Schedule -- Saturday vs. Yale
4:40 PM - Third Varsity Eight
4:55 PM - Second Varsity Eight
5:10 PM - First Varsity Eight  *Johnson Cup*

Race Schedule -- Sunday AM vs. Columbia w/Cornell
9:30 AM - Fourth Varsity Eight
9:40 AM - Third Varsity Eight w/Penn 3V
9:50 AM - Second Varsity Eight
10:00 AM - First Varsity Eight  *WIT Cup*

Race Schedule -- Sunday PM vs. Dartmouth
1:00 PM - Third Varsity Eight w/Navy 4V
1:15 PM - Second Varsity Eight
1:30 PM - First Varsity Eight

Spectator Viewing

• All spectators should be directed to the finish line area on Nassau St./NJ State Route 27 adjacent to Lake Carnegie      
• There is no parking at the Princeton Boathouse. Any parking near there should occur at the Stadium Parking Garage