ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After a week off, the No. 7 Navy lightweight rowing team will return to action on Saturday with a three-race showdown on the Potomac River versus local rival No. 9 Georgetown. The series between the Mids (1-4) and the Hoyas (5-5) is highlighted by the first varsity matchup for the Forster Cup. The first strokes through the waters of Washington, D.C. are set for 8:45 a.m.

The full slate of racing will go in reverse order with the third varsity eight contest leading off the action; Navy's fourth and fifth varsity eight crews will be competing as guests in this contest. 15 minutes later at 9:00 a.m. the respective second varsity eight crews will battle before the first varsities will race down a 2,000-meter stretch of the Potomac for the right to take home the Forster Cup at 9:15 a.m.

Most Recent Navy-Georgetown Matchup: April 21, 2024 
The No. 5 Navy lightweight crew team had an action-packed weekend of home racing as it went one-on-one with No. 6 Georgetown on Sunday. After competing against No. 1 Harvard on Saturday, the Mids re-grouped on Sunday and took two of three races against the Hoyas, though Georgetown won the headlining first varsity Forster Cup race.

Victorious in the second and third varsity races, 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.

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 won eight straight meetings between 2014 and 2023 before Georgetown got back in the win column last April.

Last Time Out - March 30 at the National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational
The No. 6 Navy lightweight rowing team had an action-packed weekend of competition as part of the 2025 National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational (NCLI) at Lake Carnegie with racing against four Eastern Sprints League foes over three sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

Navy opened up the multi-day meet on Saturday with a head-to-head matchup versus No. 8 Yale, that saw the Bulldogs edge the Mids by 0.2 seconds to win back the Eads Johnson Cup in the first varsity eight race. On Sunday, Navy had a pair of matchups, first a three-way competition against No. 3 Cornell and No. 10 Columbia in the morning and a one-on-one bout with No. 5 Dartmouth in the afternoon. The Mids finished second of three crews in the morning V8 race, though they out-paced the Lions to retain the WIT Cup. In the final set of races, the Mids' V8 came up just short against the Big Green in a competitive concluding piece.

Race Schedule
8:45 AM - Third Varsity Eight (w/Navy 4V & 5V)
9:00 AM - Second Varsity Eight
9:15 AM - First Varsity Eight 

Spectator Viewing
Spectators should park and watch from Georgetown Waterfront Park: 3303 Water St NW, Washington, DC 20007