OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Navy women's rowing team got a strong taste of high echelon collegiate rowing over the weekend at the 2026 Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite as the squad raced a total of 16 times all against teams from Power Four conferences and two that currently rank among the nation's top-25. Racing down a 2,000-meter stretch of Melton Lake in Eastern Tennessee, the Mids' top-three varsity eight crews, as well as their top-two varsity fours all competed three times over Saturday and Sunday; their third varsity four raced once on Sunday. At the conclusion of an action-packed weekend, Navy's 3V8 earned top billing with a victory in its first race on Saturday. Additionally, the Mids' V4 finished third in its second race on Saturday to highlight the program's results.
Over the 16 races, Navy went up against crews from No. 19 Duke, No. 24 Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisville, Miami and North Carolina.
Navy's 3V8 was the first crew on the water on Saturday morning and had a dynamic introduction to the competition with a victory over Oklahoma and Louisville. Close throughout the contest, the Mids beat the Sooners to the finish line by 0.975 seconds, 7:06.575 to 7:07.550. The Cardinals were over 10 seconds behind the fast duo with a third-place time of 7:18.088. For the rest of the weekend, Navy's 3V8 came in fourth of four crews in the Saturday afternoon contest with a time of 7:14.628 and fourth of four crews in the Sunday morning race at 7:12.024.
Navy's first varsity eight boat started out its series of races with a strong effort Saturday morning as they challenged Louisville for second place in the Oklahoma-Louisville-Navy contest. The Sooners were victorious in this heat at 6:33.121, while the Cardinals held off the Mids by just over two seconds, 6:45.416 to 6:47.452. Taking on a field of Miami, Alabama and North Carolina in the afternoon session, Navy crossed the finish line in fourth place with a time of 6:50.813. The Hurricanes came in first at 6:27.913. The Mids' V8 improved on that time on Sunday morning, though they came up a little short in catching the North Carolina Tar Heels in a race for second place as they finished 6.229 seconds behind at 6:49.682. Duke and UNC went one-two with respective times of 6:34.864 and 6:43.453.
Navy's second varsity eight rounded out the competition for eight-women crews with similar matchups, first against Oklahoma and Louisville and later versus UNC, Miami and Alabama on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, the Mids had a second chance to race versus the Tar Heels with the Duke Blue Devils joining the fray. The crew's top performance came on Saturday morning as it turned in a time of 6:57.153 that was within 6.5 seconds of the winning time of Oklahoma (6:50.665) and slightly over two seconds behind Louisville's runner-up effort of 6:54.910. In their second race on Saturday, the Mids placed fourth of four teams with a final time of 7:01.470 before coming in third behind UNC and Duke on Sunday morning with a 7:06.778 mark.
Among Navy's four-women crews, their first varsity four found the most success at Melton Lake over the weekend. They began their series of races with a competitive opening piece versus Oklahoma and Louisville on Saturday morning as they stayed in contact with the Cardinals for most of the contest and finished 2.837 seconds off their pace, 7:46.720 to 7:49.557 to settle for third place. The Sooners cruised with a winning time of 7:29.694. In its second race of Saturday, Navy's V4 shaved over 10 seconds off its initial result and passed Miami to claim third place in the four-team field. Staying in stroke with second-place Alabama for the majority of the 2,000 meters, the Crimson Tide held with a time of 7:34.618 that bested the Mids' 7:38.709. Challenged from its other neighboring lane as well, Navy clocked in 1.03 seconds ahead of Miami's 7:39.739. The Mids' V4 closed out its stay at the invite with a time of 7:52.126 to finish third in Sunday's three-team race against Duke and UNC.
Navy's second varsity four crew started off its trio of competitions with a close decision versus Louisville in a race for second place on Saturday morning. The Cardinals edged the Mids at the line by 2.373 seconds, 7:49.041 to 7:51.414. Oklahoma ended up victorious at 7:38.742. In its second race on Saturday, the 2V4 posted a similar time as it posted a 7:52.747 result that placed it fourth of four behind UNC, Miami and Alabama. On Sunday morning, Navy's 2V4 wrapped up its action with a time of 8:01.292 to finish third in its three-team heat with Duke and UNC.
After getting scratched on Saturday due to an injury in its lineup, Navy's third varsity four got it turn to race down Melton Lake on Sunday morning in a contest versus Louisville and Alabama. The Cardinals defended their home waters and won with a time of 7:52.333 that bested the Crimson Tide's 8:01.456 and the Mids' 8:15.293.
"After a week of very hard training, it was great to be able to line up against top-25 teams throughout the weekend," remarked head coach
Joe Schlosberg. "We gained a lot of race experience and learned a lot from three sessions of competition. We will continue to make adjustments as we prepare for our next race in two weeks."
Navy will next be in action with a four-team meet hosted by Temple University on Saturday, March 28. The Mids will go up against the Owls, Delaware Blue Hens and Georgetown Hoyas on the Schuylkill River.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Saturday AM
Oklahoma – 6:33.121
Louisville – 6:45.416
Navy – 6:47.452
Saturday PM
Miami – 6:27.913
Alabama – 6:30.264
North Carolina – 6:34.090
Navy – 6:50.813
Sunday
Duke – 6:34.864
North Carolina – 6:43.453
Navy – 6:49.682
Second Varsity Eight
Saturday AM
Oklahoma – 6:50.665
Louisville – 6:54.910
Navy – 6:57.153
Saturday PM
North Carolina – 6:32.687
Miami – 6:34.938
Alabama – 6:41.004
Navy – 7:04.470
Sunday
North Carolina – 6:41.049
Duke – 6:45.028
Navy – 7:06.778
First Varsity Four
Saturday AM
Oklahoma – 7:29.694
Louisville – 7:46.720
Navy – 7:49.557
Saturday PM
North Carolina – 7:28.302
Alabama – 7:34.618
Navy – 7:38.709
Miami – 7:39.739
Sunday
Duke – 7:27.682
North Carolina – 7:30.259
Navy – 7:52.126
Second Varsity Four
Saturday AM
Oklahoma – 7:38.742
Louisville – 7:49.041
Navy – 7:51.414
Saturday PM
North Carolina – 7:28.585
Miami – 7:30.483
Alabama – 7:43.101
Navy – 7:52.747
Sunday
Duke – 7:33.580
North Carolina – 7:36.746
Navy – 8:01.292
Third Varsity Eight
Saturday AM
Navy – 7:06.575
Oklahoma – 7:07.550
Louisville – 7:18.088
Saturday PM
North Carolina – 6:48.817
Alabama – 6:56.099
Miami – 7:00.150
Navy – 7:14.628
Sunday
North Carolina – 6:45.908
North Carolina 4V8 – 6:54.673
Duke – 7:05.843
Navy – 7:12.024
Third Varsity Four
Did Not Race on Saturday (scratched vs. Louisville-AM and Alabama-PM)
Sunday
Louisville – 7:52.333
Alabama – 8:01.456
Navy – 8:15.293
Boat Lineups (Saturday)
Boat Lineups (Sunday)
