PHILADELPHIA - The No. 8 Navy lightweight rowing team concluded the regular season portion of its schedule on Saturday with cup racing in Philadelphia versus No. 3 Penn. With the Callow Cup on the line between the first varsity eights and the 1919 Trophy up for grabs for the overall team points winner, the host Quakers retained both courtesy of victories in three of the four races held on the Schuylkill River. The Mids' lone victory on Saturday came from its fourth varsity eight crew, who recorded an open-water win in the day's initial contest.
Racing in reverse order, the fourth varsity eight event led off the action. Close for the first half of the race, the Mids turned up the heat over the final 1,000 meters and pulled away from the Quakers for a 6.2-second margin of victory, 6:06.1 to 6:12.3. Competing as a guest in the event, Navy's 5V nearly made it a one-two Midshipmen finish as it clocked in only 1.6 seconds behind the Quakers with a respective time of 6:13.9.
The third varsities were next on the water and the fans along the banks of the Schuylkill were treated to the tightest of races amongst the four on Saturday morning as Penn and Navy kept in contact for the majority of the 2,000 meters of action. Gaining seats down the stretch, the Quakers collected their first victory of the day by 4.4 seconds at the finish line, 5:54.0 to 5:58.4.
Penn took the lead in the race for the 1919 Trophy in the ensuing race as it controlled the action from the start and went wire-to-wire for a 5:47.6 to 5:56.1 win.
The hosts rounded out the day with their third straight win of the day and fourth straight in the Callow Cup series courtesy of an emphatic, 5:39.8 to 5:50.8 result in the first varsity contest.
"There were nice, small improvements in our racing this weekend, but hats off to Penn for really having a nice day on the course," remarked head coach
Shawn Bagnall. "Our 4V8 executed the best turn of all the boats on the course. We're excited for those guys to continue to develop. The learning continues with this young group, and I am proud of the team continuing to trust in each other. As we head into finals, we look forward to finding the combinations for our best racing at Sprints."
Following a break for final exams at the Naval Academy, the Mids will return to the water on Sunday, May 17 in Worcester, Massachusetts for the 2026 edition of the Eastern Sprints.
Race Results
First Varsity Eight
Penn – 5:39.8
Navy – 5:50.8
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Second Varsity Eight
Penn – 5:47.6
Navy – 5:56.1
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Third Varsity Eight
Penn – 5:54.0
Navy – 5:58.4
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Fourth Varsity Eight
Navy 4V – 6:06.1
Penn – 6:12.3
Navy 5V – 6:13.9
Boat Lineups
