ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After kicking off its regular season against a field of national competitors at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite in mid-March, the Navy women's rowing team will conclude its regular season this Friday and Saturday against another talented field of national squads at the 2026 Lake Wheeler Invitational. This weekend's action will help the Mids put the finishing touches on their race lineups, strategies and overall speed in advance of next month's Patriot League Championship. 20 teams from across the nation will converge on Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, North Carolina for three sessions of racing starting with two on Friday and a final series of competition on Saturday morning. The Mids will have five crews in action at the event that is co-hosted by the University of North Carolina and Duke. The racing on Friday morning for Navy begins at 9:30 a.m. with its third varsity eight crew before the second session gets going with that same crew at 2:25 p.m. The third and final round of the competition is scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. start on Saturday morning.

The field for this weekend's Lake Wheeler Invitational is headlined by six teams ranked in this week's CRCA Top-25 Poll: No. 8 Virginia, No. 13 Duke, No. 14 Miami, No. 15 Alabama, No. 22 North Carolina and No. 25 Oklahoma. The rest of the 20-team field consists of Boston College, Clemson, George Washington, Georgetown, High Point, Kansas, Lehigh, Louisville, Old Dominion, SMU, Tulsa, Villanova and West Virginia.

The first session on Friday that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. will see Navy go up against Boston College, Duke, Georgetown, Louisville and Oklahoma over the first, second and third varsity eight events, as well as in the first and second varsity four races. The Mids will be on the waters of Lake Wheeler every 30 minutes: 9:30 a.m. (3V8), 10:00 (2V4), 10:30 (V4), 11:00 (2V8) and 11:30 (V8). The matchups in the second session switch over to Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Louisville and SMU. The time of those five races are as follows: 2:25 p.m. (3V8), 2:55 (2V4), 3:25 (V4), 3:55 (2V8) and 4:25 (V8). The competition will conclude on Saturday morning with Navy going up against Alabama, George Washington, Kansas, Miami, Oklahoma and Villanova at 9:00 a.m. (3V8), 9:30 (2V4), 10:00 (V4), 10:30 (2V8) and 11:00 (V8), respectively.

The 2026 Lake Wheeler Invitational will have live stats provided online through RegattaTiming, as well as be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform via the ACC Network Extra channel. ACCNX and ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Most Recent Lake Wheeler Invitational Action - April 25-26, 2025
Navy began action at the 2025 Lake Wheeler Invitational with two sessions of competitive racing against a pair of ranked opponents and five more from Power 4 conferences on Friday. At the conclusion of eight separate races, two for each of their four crews, the program saw improvements from session one to session two by three of its four boats including a runner-up result in the first varsity four contest and a third-place result from its first varsity eight crew.

On day two, Navy concluded its stay at the Lake Wheeler Invitational with a strong showing on Saturday against a host of national competitors in four classifications of racing. The Mids' first varsity four highlighted the team's effort with its second runner-up result in as many days, while their first varsity eight crew repeated a third-place outcome for their second straight race.

After netting a fifth-place result in its initial race on Friday and a third-place outcome in its second race, the Mids' first varsity eight crew continued to show its growth at the Lake Wheeler Invitational as it cut over eight seconds off its quickest time from yesterday and matched its best result with a third-place finish on Saturday morning. No. 24 North Carolina was challenged by Tulsa for the heat victory, though the host Tar Heels held off the Golden Hurricane by 1.724 seconds, 6:29.543 to 6:31.267. Navy found itself in a mid-pack scrap with Kansas, Georgetown and Boston College. The Mids were up to the task and sped across the finish line in third place at 6:36.497. The Jayhawks were over 3.2 seconds back in fourth at 6:39.789, while the Hoyas and Eagles placed fifth and sixth at 6:41.551 and 6:42.659, respectively.

Last Time Out - April 18, 2026 versus Georgetown in Annapolis
Getting on the Severn River for the first and only time in 2026, the Navy women's rowing team gave their home fans a great show with victories in four of five races versus Georgetown on Saturday. In a preview of next month's Patriot League Championship regatta, the Mids displayed depth and speed that should make them among the favorites to finish high up the standings.

The action began with a first varsity eight showdown. In a dominant performance, Navy collected what would be its largest margin of victory on the day as they led wire-to-wire and cruised to a 15.02-second win over Georgetown, 6:44.33 to 6:59.35.

Additionally, the Mids secured victories over the Hoyas in the 2V8, 2V4 and 3V8 competitions.

Spectator Information / UNC Race Day Guide
Lake Wheeler Park, Raleigh, NC
6404 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh, NC 27603

Race Schedule
Friday
Session #1 (Boston College, Duke, Georgetown, Louisville, Oklahoma)
9:30 AM - Third Varsity Eight
10:00 AM - Second Varsity Four 
10:30 AM - First Varsity Four
11:00 AM - Second Varsity Eight
11:30 AM - First Varsity Eight

Session #2 (Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Louisville, SMU)
2:25 PM - Third Varsity Eight
2:55 PM - Second Varsity Four 
3:25 PM - First Varsity Four 
3:55 PM - Second Varsity Eight
4:25 PM - First Varsity Eight 

Saturday
Morning Session (Alabama, George Washington, Kansas, Miami, Oklahoma, Villanova)
9:00 AM - Third Varsity Eight
9:30 AM - Second Varsity Four
10:00 AM - First Varsity Four
10:30 AM - Second Varsity Eight
11:00 AM - First Varsity Eight