ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Severn River will be busy this Saturday morning with a pair of rowing competitions. The doubleheader will consist of the No. 8 Navy lightweight team racing against No. 1 Harvard and No. 2 MIT with the Haines Trophy up for grabs between the Crimson's and Mids' first varsity eight crews, while the women's team will get an up-close view of Patriot League rival Georgetown with a quintet of contests. The lightweight competition begins at 7:40 a.m. before the women's meet kicks off at 9:00 a.m. 

The teams will be racing on Navy's Lower Course, a 2,000-meter stretch of the Severn River that finishes up along the seawall at Hospital Point.

Order of Events
Saturday's doubleheader will consist of four lightweight races and five contests for the women. The action gets going at 7:40 a.m. with the third varsity eight crews heading down the Severn. 20 minutes later at 8:00 a.m. it'll be the second varsity eight showdown with the Haines Trophy up for grabs at 8:20 a.m. between the first varsities. The fourth varsity eight race will conclude the lightweight meet at 8:35 a.m.; of note, Navy's 5V8 will be participating in this contest.

Following the men's lightweight action, the women will take center stage with a series of five races. The first varsity eight race headlines the racing with Navy and Georgetown going head-to-head at 9:00 a.m. 20 minutes later at 9:20, the second varsity eight crews for the Mids and Hoyas will go head-to-head. The next two races involve four-person crews as the 1V4+ and 2V4+ go off at 9:40 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., respectively. A three-boat tussle closes out the regatta as the 3V8's from Navy and Georgetown will be joined by the Mids' 4V8 at 10:20 a.m.

Spectator Information: USNA Access and Fan Shuttles (LINK)
As a result of current world events, Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSAA) and the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) are increasing Force Protection measures. The following restrictions to USNA access are effective immediately, unless otherwise noted, and will remain in effect until further notice:

The Visitor Control Center (VCC) is currently closed. You can only walk through the turnstiles if you are a DoW or DBIDS card holder.

General public visitation is suspended.

There will be 100% ID checks. Only those with DoW- or DBIDS-issued ID cards will be permitted to walk or drive through Gate 8.

Visitation related to Naval Academy–sponsored events is on a case by case basis. Those with DoW or DBIDS ID cards will be allowed to walk or drive onto the Naval Academy. 

In alignment with NORTHCOM direction, the following additional access restrictions to NSAA / USNA are in effect immediately, and will remain in effect until further notice:

• Trusted Traveler (the ability of a credentialed individual with base access to escort a non-credentialed individual) is immediately suspended.  Example: Lou (CAC holder) wants to drive onboard USNA with his brother Bruce. Bruce has a Real ID drivers license, but does not have a CAC card/DBIDS/Military ID; therefore, Lou cannot drive onto the Yard with Bruce in his car. Bruce cannot come onboard, even though he's a grad.

Currently there are shuttle busses for fans for select events, including this Saturday's crew doubleheader. All shuttles will depart from the bus stop at the Blue Angel at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Ave, Annapolis, MD). Crew will drop off/pick up at Hubbard Hall. There is a nominal fee for parking at the stadium before boarding the shuttle.

A 100% ID check will be in effect and you must have a REAL ID or a passport to get on the bus.  You must be an U.S. citizen to take advantage of the shuttle.

The schedule for Saturday's crew shuttle ... the shuttle will run from 6:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

Lightweight Preview
Most Recent Navy-Harvard & MIT Matchup: April 19, 2025 in Boston
The Navy lightweight rowing team was faced with the toughest task in its sport with a road matchup at the nation's top team, No. 1 Harvard, on Saturday. Racing the Crimson on their home Charles River course, the No. 7 Mids also faced stiff and consistent pressure from a game No. 8 MIT Engineers squad that was competing as a guest. At the culmination of Saturday's three-race slate, Navy came through with a victory in the third varsity eight contest and a runner-up result in the second varsity race.

The first of three races on Saturday was the first varsity eight contest. After a competitive start by all three teams, MIT broke out to an early lead, though Harvard quickly overtook the Engineers and had its eyes on securing a dominant open water lead before the mid-way point of the 2,000-meter piece. Navy and MIT battled it out over the second quarter of the race, but the Engineers packed a bit more of a stronger punch and cleared the Mids' bow ball near the half-way juncture. A gutsy Navy squad charged back at MIT and came back in contact over the next 500 meters, though the Engineers had the final answer and held on for a 3.4-second margin for second place, 6:17.7 to 6:21.1. Harvard retained the Haines Trophy over Navy with a victorious time of 6:10.0.

What's at Stake
Haines Trophy
Named after Bert Haines, the Harvard lightweight head coach from 1936 to 1952, the trophy is awarded to the winner of the first varsity eight race between Navy and Harvard. Raced for since 1964, the Crimson hold the series lead, 47-9 with the Mids earning the trophy most recently in 2022.

Michael Paulovich Points Trophy
Introduced into the Navy-Harvard rivalry in 2018, the Paulovich Trophy goes to the highest-scoring program. Michael Paulovich was a four-year member of the Harvard lightweight program before entering the United States Marine Corps in 1979. A strong supporter of both Harvard and Navy, he served until 2007. Harvard earned the trophy in 2018 and 2019 before Navy captured it in 2022.

Last Time Out - April 11 versus Georgetown
Local rivals Navy and Georgetown faced off in a nip-and-tuck three-race showdown on Saturday morning that saw a pair of sub-one second margins of victories and all three contests decided by less than five-and-a-half seconds. At the conclusion of that series of hard-fought races, the No. 5 Hoyas (3-1) came out on top of the No. 8 Mids (1-3) in two of the three events, including the first varsity eight battle for the Forster Cup.

Ownership of the Forster Cup was on the line for the Mids and Hoyas in the day's second race. Close throughout the majority of competition down the Severn River, Georgetown was able to push out to an open-water margin of victory down the stretch and earned the hardware with a 5:58.1 to 6:03.4 final result.

---

Women's Preview
Saturday morning's women's contest will be just the fourth home meet on the Severn for the Mids since the 2012 season. Over the past 14 years, Navy has hosted a three-team meet against Georgetown and Lehigh on April 6, 2019, a head-to-head contest against George Washington on April 17, 2021 and most recently a one-on-one regatta with Georgetown last season on April. The Mids won eight of a possible 11 races over those three home contests. 

The Navy-Georgetown duel will give the competitors, coaches and spectators an early preview of two of the lead combatants in next month's Patriot League Championship event. The league-wide regatta scheduled for May 15 in Pennsauken, N.J. features nine teams entered in first and second varsity eight, as well as in first and second varsity four racing.

Most Recent Navy-Georgetown Matchup: April 19, 2025 in Annapolis
Taking to the waters of the Severn River for a regular season competition for the just the third time since 2012, the Navy women's rowing team went head-to-head with Patriot League and local rival Georgetown over a four-race series on Saturday morning. At the conclusion of the racing, the Mids came away with a victory in the first varsity eight contest, while posting solid 2,000-meter pieces in the remaining three events.

The fans, who packed themselves along the seawall of Hospital Point were treated to a competitive stroke-for-stroke first varsity eight race right out of the gate. Starting out down the Severn River, the Mids and Hoyas were fairly even following the opening sprint. After settling into its base rhythm, Navy made a small move and began taking a handful of seats between the 500 and 1,000-meter juncture of the race. By the midway point, the Mids had broken out to a half boat lead. Down the stretch at the Navy had answers for each of Georgetown's attempts at the lead and the hosts held on for a 2.18-second victory, 7:25.31 to 7:27.49.

Last Time Out: at Columbia w/Notre Dame as a guest on April 4 in Leonia, New Jersey
The Navy women's rowing team turned in five hard-fought 2,000-meter pieces on Saturday as part of a three-team meet hosted by Columbia University. Entering its top-three varsity eight crews and top-two varsity fours in action, the Mids were thoroughly tested at Overpeck Park versus the Lions and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. At the conclusion of the day's racing, the Mids' first varsity eight had the most-competitive finish as they came within 3.25 seconds of nipping the Fighting Irish for second place in their respective event.

The first varsity eight contest was the closest of the day for Navy as the Mids and Fighting Irish stayed in contact throughout the 2,000-meter course at Overpeck Park. While Columbia broke out to an open-water advantage with a victorious time of 7:10.17, Notre Dame held off a game Navy squad as it crossed at 7:24.16, 3.25 seconds ahead of the Mids' 7:27.41 effort.

Race Schedule
Lightweights: Navy vs. Harvard and MIT
7:40 AM - Third Varsity Eight
8:00 AM - Second Varsity Eight
8:20 AM - First Varsity Eight (Haines Trophy)
8:35 AM - Fourth Varsity Eight w/Navy 5V8

Women: Navy vs. Georgetown
9:00 AM - First Varsity Eight
9:20 AM - Second Varsity Eight
9:40 AM - First Varsity Four
10:00 AM - Second Varsity Four
10:20 AM - Third Varsity Eight w/Navy 4V8