ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After finishing fourth at last year's Patriot League Championship, the Navy women's rowing team has its full attention locked in on getting back to the top of the conference leaderboard and obtaining the league's automatic qualifying berth in the NCAA Championship. To attain the goal, the Mids will first navigate their way through five regular season events before heading to Pennsauken, New Jersey for the year-end league regatta on May 15. First up for the Mids is action this weekend at the 2026 Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite at Melton Lake in eastern Tennessee this Saturday and Sunday. Navy will be tested over three separate sessions of racing as one of ten teams in the field, including all nine opponents coming from Power Four conferences, three of whom begin the 2026 season ranked in the CRCA Coaches Poll.
The full field for the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational consists of No. 14 Indiana, No. 19 Duke, No. 24 Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisville, Miami, Navy, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
The Mids will be busy throughout the weekend racing in 18 separate events over the three sessions (six in each). The team's top three varsity eight crews, as well as its first, second and third varsity fours, will all be in action three times. Saturday's morning session starts at 11:12 a.m. with a 3V4 race against Louisville. The ensuing five races: 3V8, 2V4, V4, 2V8 and V8, are slated to go off in eight-minute intervals at 11:20 a.m., 11:28 a.m., 11:36 a.m., 11:44 a.m., and 11:52 a.m., respectively and add Oklahoma to the mix. After a five-plus hours off the water, session two will commence at 5:08 p.m. for Navy with four-way action versus Alabama, Miami and North Carolina. The same racing order at the same intervals will proceed for the Mids, Crimson Tide, Hurricanes and Tar Heels with the last race of the day, the V8 contest going off at 5:48 p.m.
The competition will round out on Sunday morning with Navy in the second relay of races versus Duke and North Carolina. The six-race slate is scheduled to begin at 9:28 a.m. with the 3V8 before concluding at 10:16 a.m. with the 3V4 crew in action.
Last Time at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite
Last year at the two-day Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, Mother Nature dictated the action on Saturday with multiple delays and eventually the cancellation of one of the day's two sessions, it was business as usual on Sunday for Navy. The Mids opened the two-day event at Melton Lake on Saturday with four races against the North Carolina Tar Heels before coming back on Sunday for three-way action versus No. 18 Notre Dame and Wisconsin. At the conclusion of the opening weekend of racing of the Mids' 2025 season, a victory by their first varsity eight on Sunday highlighted their eight-race competition.
In Sunday's V8 contest, Navy's top crew made the most of its opportunity and shaved over 15 seconds off its initial time from Saturday to post a 6:27.175 result. Racing against Notre Dame and Wisconsin, Navy was the class of the field and earned the victory as the Fighting Irish clocked in at 6:30.062, while the Badgers were 15 seconds behind the Mids at 6:42.853.
2025: A Retrospect
The Navy women's rowing team left it all out on the line on last May 16 at the season-ending Patriot League Championship. After a morning of fast qualifying times for all four of the Mids' entries put the team in position to succeed in a quartet of grand finals on the Cooper River in the afternoon, Navy's second varsity eight and both of its first and second varsity four crews all claimed silver medals to leave the team, just three points out of first with one race to go. Unfortunately for Navy, the action in the first varsity eight competition didn't break its way and Boston University was able to defend its crown as the 2025 Patriot League Champion.
In the final standings, Boston's victories in the first varsity eight, as well as in the first and second varsity four contests resulted in 289.5 points and the team title. Georgetown edged MIT for second place by 3.5 points, 267 to 263.5. Navy finished just off the podium in fourth place with 204 points.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The Mids come into the 2026 season with a fairly young roster as 37 of its 60 member are freshmen (22) and sophomores (15). To complete the roster 14 are juniors and nine are seniors. The program returns 22 athletes that competed at last May's Patriot League Championship. The list includes seniors
Lauren Dorfman (V8),
Isa Dugan (2V4),
Kelly Fields (2V8), team captain
Mary Catherine Harvey (2V8),
Grace Rimmer (2V8) and
Eleanor Snyder (V8), as well as juniors
Sarah Goss (2V8),
Harlie Hanley (2V8),
Ingrid Holter (2V8),
Emily Kroettinger (2V8),
Kyra Schmid (2V4) and
Kaylin Schneider (2V8). Additionally nine current sophomores made an immediate impact in the debut season as
Paige Burke (2V8),
Elizabeth Christie (2V4),
Kate Jarrett-Dean (2V8),
Abby Linson (V4),
Sami Maynard (V4),
Kate McMullin (V4),
Sophia Mitchell (V8),
Samantha Morse (V8) and
Camryn Smith (2V4) all saw action at the Patriot League Championship as rookies.
This past fall, the team competed twice, first in a scrimmage at Georgetown on September 27 and later at UVA's Rivanna Romp on November 9.
Race Schedule
Saturday
Morning Session (Navy vs. Louisville & Oklahoma)
11:12 AM - Third Varsity Four (1-v-1 w/Louisville)
11:20 AM - Third Varsity Eight
11:28 AM - Second Varsity Four
11:36 AM - First Varsity Four
11:44 AM - Second Varsity Eight
11:52 AM - First Varsity Eight
Afternoon Session (Navy vs. Alabama, Miami & North Carolina)
5:08 PM - Third Varsity Eight
5:16 PM - Third Varsity Four
5:24 PM - Second Varsity Four
5:32 PM - First Varsity Four
5:40 PM - Second Varsity Eight
5:48 PM - First Varsity Eight
Sunday
Morning Session (Navy vs. Duke & North Carolina)
9:28 AM - Third Varsity Eight (w/ UNC 4V8)
9:36 AM - Second Varsity Four
9:44 AM - First Varsity Four
9:52 AM - Second Varsity Eight
10:00 AM - First Varsity Eight
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10:12 AM - Third Varsity Four (vs. Alabama & Louisville)
