3/26/2010 – Back to the Water — Blue Crews 2010

Folks…

The winter “glacier” has finally disappeared. In southwestern PA the local media say we have gone from “snowmaggedon” to a threat of “floodzilla”. So with some signs of Spring — robins, cardinals and crocuses, despite the weather person calling for snow flurries tonight, it is time for rowers past and present to turn their thoughts to racing over 2,000 meters. With even more delight I am sure that the “Blue” squads trade in a winter of ergs and tank work for the swing of a shell and quality time on the Severn and Housatonic.


Folks…

The winter “glacier” has finally disappeared. In southwestern PA the local media say we have gone from “snowmaggedon” to a threat of “floodzilla”. So with some signs of Spring — robins, cardinals and crocuses, despite the weather person calling for snow flurries tonight, it is time for rowers past and present to turn their thoughts to racing over 2,000 meters. With even more delight I am sure that the “Blue” squads trade in a winter of ergs and tank work for the swing of a shell and quality time on the Severn and Housatonic.

At Navy, the $14 million renovation of the Hubbard Hall Boathouse is well underway. Shells, equipment and the boatman’s workshop are in temporary tents in the parking lot and the interior demolition is well underway in the building. The project, scheduled for completion in January 2011, will see a new “N Room/King Room”, new locker rooms, offices, work shop and storage for all of the shells, oars and other equipment necessary to support the three Navy rowing programs. Of course, there will be even more space for ergometers. The project includes a “state of the art” rowing tank in “new” Hubbard that will be capable of running at a flow rate of 5 to 6 meters per second, which should make it the “fastest tank in the world”. Interestingly the new tank will occupy the wing of the building, where there originally had been a “tank” type rowing facility. We understand that training was actually in the waters of College Creek! Go to www.navylites.org where you can check out Hubbard Hall plans, Navy Crew winter newsletter as well as other good stuff.

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Three of the six Blue Crews will open the 2010 racing season this weekend. Full schedules for each of the squads are included below.

Navy LWs will host Princeton on the Severn on Saturday with hopes of bringing back the Joseph Murtaugh Cup. Last year Princeton began a perfect season with a 3.3 second victory over Nick Baker’s 1V. The Tiger lightweights in 2009 were undefeated in the regular season and HYP, won the EARC Sprints and IRA National Championship and edged the Brown Frosh HWs by 3/4 length to win the 2009 Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. Princeton returns four members of that winning championship crew and is led by new Coach Marty Crotty, formerly the Princeton HW Assistant Coach. After leading the Princeton LWs from 2006, Greg Hughes takes over the Princeton HWs, replacing Curtis Jordan, who retired as Princeton’s all-time winningest rowing coach [see article from Princeton Sports below].

There are new coaches for the LW Midshipmen as well. Steve Perry returns to the Severn after fours years as head coach of the Dartmouth LWs where his crews posted a 15-7 record, winning the 2007 EARC Sprints and defeating Harvard in competition for the Biglin Bowl for the first time in 54 years. Prior, Perry coached the Navy Plebe LWs from 2003 to 2005 with an impressive 33-1 career record with the first Plebe LW boat during that period. The 1st Plebes took first-place finishes at the Eastern Sprints Championship in 2003 and ’05, while the 2nd Plebe boat took three-straight Eastern Sprints titles. Matt Muffelman, Dartmouth ’03 also joins the Navy LW staff and will mentor the Navy LW Plebes in his initial EARC coaching season. Matt was a four-year member of the U.S. National Rowing Team, where he earned a world championship gold medal in the men’s lightweight eight in 2008 and silver medal in 2009. Jimmy Sopko, USNA ’05, rowed with Matt in the USA LW 8+ in the 2009 championships. {The Princeton LW rowing website schedule indicates that MIT will be racing against the Mids and Tigers on the Severn in the morning.}

The JEVA , a Resolute racing shell, in her 5th season appears to be part of the Navy LW Plebe fleet — Be One With the Boat!

After coaching the Navy LW Plebes for three years and the LW Varsity in 2009, Nick Baker left Annapolis to take the reins of the University of Pennsylvania LWs. Nick’s Penn LWs will race against Delaware and Marietta, on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to kick off the Quakers’ spring season on Saturday. Navy travels to Philadelphia to face Penn on May 1 in Rusty Callow Cup competition.

The Yale Women have finished in the top four at the NCAA Championship in each of the last three years and will start the 2010 season ranked No. 1 in the nation. Yale’s first race is Saturday against Penn and Columbia on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The teams will be racing for the Connell Cup.
Five seniors – Maren McCrea, Tess Gerrand, Alice Henly, Taylor Ritzel and coxswain Mia Kanak – are expected to begin the season in the varsity boat. Three of them – Gerrand, Henly and Ritzel – have been part of the varsity since the day they arrived at Yale. The three won NCAA championships in their first two years before finishing fourth last spring.

[See more from Yale Sports on the Bulldog season below].

On the Navy Women’s side, the Midshipmen and Rutgers will be rowing on Saturday, head-to-head in Princeton, NJ during the regular season for the first time in more than a decade. The crews have squared off at the Eastern Sprints Championship in recent years. At last spring’s championship, the Mids defeated the Scarlet Knights in the first varsity eight (by 4.740 seconds) and second varsity eight (by 3.936 seconds) races.

“We have always had a great rivalry with Rutgers,” stated Navy women’s crew head coach Mike Hughes. “Opening our racing season with them will give us a good idea of where we stand and what kind of early speed we have.”

Yale LWs open their Spring season next weekend when they face Navy in competition for the Eads Johnson Trophy on Lake Carnegie at Princeton, NJ. For the Bulldogs, the race will mark the beginning of a three-month stretch of racing events, all on the road, that will culminate with the IRA National Regatta in early June. The lightweights will look to recreate and surpass the successes of the past two seasons, when they finished in third and second place nationally.

Though still on their learning curve, after Fall racing and winter training in the Tank A of Payne Whitney Gymnasium, the Y150s are now excited to see some live competition, starting with the Johnson Cup against Navy. Held on Lake Carnegie, in Princeton, N.J., the Johnson Cup represents a fierce rivalry between the two crews. Navy and Yale are perennially two of the best lightweight crews in the country and the April 3rd race will be an exciting kickoff for the season. The Johnson Cup race has existed for six years and the two crews have split the series. However, the Bulldogs have won two in a row and three of the last four races, so they will look to bring that momentum to this year’s race.

There is also a new member of the Yale 150 staff. Colin Farrell, Cornell ’05, three-time national team oarsman and 2008 World Champion in the lightweight eight, will lead the Yale 150 Freesh. Farrell was a three-time member of the Cornell lightweight varsity eight and stroked the lightweight varsity to back-to-back 8-1 regular seasons, as well as a bronze medal at Eastern Sprints and a silver medal at the IRA, both in 2005. Farrell was a two-time captain of the lightweight crew. Before coming to Yale, Farrell spent a year as the Men’s Heavyweight Crew Intern at Cornell University. Farrell coached the Third Varsity Heavyweight 8+ to an undefeated regular season and third place finish at Eastern Sprints. He also coached the JV Heavyweight 8+ and Open 4+ in preparation for the IRA and played an integral role in helping the varsity heavyweight crews achieve a 19-1 record during the regular season.

It should add a bit of color to the Eads Johnson Trophy competition and rivalry between the Navy and Yale Frosh as these two 2008 LW 8+ gold medalists face off.

[See more from Yale Sports on the Bulldog season below].

Navy HWs will open their Spring racing season April 9-10 at the George Washington Invitational Regatta on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Head Coach Rick Clothier begins his 36th year at Navy, as the longest-serving head coach in the 138-year history of the program. Rob Friedrich, Navy Heavyweight Senior Associate Head Coach, leads the HW Plebes for the second year after spending seven very successful seasons as the head coach of the lightweight program.

Yale’s HW spring racing season officially kicks off on April 3 when the Bulldogs face Ivy League rivals Brown on the Housatonic River at Derby. This first dual race marks the end of a successful period of winter training, the completion of a two-week spring training camp, and the beginning of four straight weeks of cup races in preparation for Eastern Sprints on May 16th. This season will feature three home races for Yale and one away, along with the customary Eastern Sprints, IRA Regatta and Yale-Harvard Regatta.

In between the EARC Sprints on May 16 and the IRA National Championships June 3-6, for the first time in recent memory, the Bulldogs square off against Harvard in the 145th installment of the Yale-Harvard Regatta on May 29, America’s oldest collegiate athletic competition. The annual regatta held on the Thames River in New London, Conn., normally takes place after the IRA Regatta. This year, however, Yale and Harvard crews will have to go from racing 2,000 meters at Eastern Sprints, to racing two, three or four miles in New London, and back to 2,000 meters at the IRA—all in a three-week period.

[See more from Yale Sports on the Bulldog season below].

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San Diego Crew Classic. On March 27-28, collegiate, junior and masters athletes will return to the sun-kissed water of Mission Bay for the 37th renewal of the Crew Classic and compete in 92 races over two days. Across seven lanes, with the city skyline as a backdrop, they will race for early season honors and coveted trophies.

In the Men’s Collegiate Invitational – Copley Cup, HW eights from EARC competitors — Boston University, Brown, Syracuse and Northeastern will face off against west coast boats from Cal, Stanford and others. Interestingly, no entry from Washington. In the club events, we will look to Tom Cook, USNA ’76 to report on his participation rowing for San Diego Rowing Club and any other familiar faces. Check out video, audio and real time results at http://www.crewclassic.org/.

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In eight days at 1630 BST on 3 April, Oxford and Cambridge Blues will race over 4 1/4 miles on the Thames River in London for the 156th time. On Race Day, up to 250,000 spectators crowd the banks of the Thames from Putney to Mortlake to witness the action. Cambridge currently lead the series since 1829 by 79-75. Oxford won the 2009 Race by 3 1/2 lengths. After 7 consecutive wins by the Cambridge Light Blues, Oxford was the victor in 2000. Including that race, in the past 10 years, the Oxford Dark Blues are 7-3. In 2003, Oxford won by just one foot – probably the closest Boat Race of all-time given that the “1877 Dead Heat” was recorded as “by six feet to Oxford”.

It is unlikely that the sports book in Vegas makes odds on US collegiate rowing, but in London, Oxford was named red-hot 2/5 Race favourites by bookmaker William Hill, with Cambridge at 7/4 and 100/1 for a dead heat.

“We expect Oxford to be very well backed this year and are hoping for a million pound-plus turnover,” said Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams.

Odds of 8/1 are being offered on the course record of 16 mins 19secs being broken in 2010 – the shortest price Hill’s have ever offered when publishing the Race odds for the first time.

The company also quotes 11/8 for a winning margin of between two and three lengths; 6/4 for over three lengths; and 9/4 for two lengths or less.

Other bets include:
33/1 – either boat to strike a bridge;
33/1 – either or both boats to sink;
250/1 – the Race to be postponed due to a water-born animal on the course.

The Race will be William Hill’s busiest sporting event of the day in betting terms and they expect to turn over six figures during the Race itself through live betting.

The biggest ever bet on the Race was £15,000 placed by a punter from Oxford on 8/5 favourites Cambridge in 2007. {N.B. Cambridge won!}
So place your bets!

Cambridge University boatings include 2 oars from the USA — Derek Rasmussen at 7 [University of Wisconsin] and Deaglan McEachern at 4 [Cal – Berkeley] along with 3 Canadians and 4 from Great Britain including the cox.

The Oxford Blue boat includes five guys with ties to the USA — identical twins, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the USA Olympic 2- at 3 and 4 [Harvard]; #6 Canadian Matt Evans rowed at Princeton and #7 German Simon Gawlik rowed at Harvard; USA coxswain Adam Barhamand steered at Wisco. The remainder include 1 from Holland and Ireland and 2 from Great Britain.

Lots to see and learn at http://www.theboatrace.org. More next week on when and how to follow the races live.

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Make sure you check out www.NavyLites.org as well as the Yale LW team-run web site at http://www.yale.edu/rowing/lt_news.html — lots of interesting stuff!

Go Blue!

Cheers!

Best Regards,

Coach and TB406

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From Navy Sports:

Two Navy Crew Teams Kick Off Spring Season on Saturday

Men’s lightweight crew hosts Princeton at 6 a.m., women’s crew at Rutgers at 1 p.m.

Navy men’s lightweight crew

March 26, 2010

ANNAPOLIS, MD. – Two of Navy’s three crew teams will open their 2010 spring slate this Saturday, as the men’s lightweight team will host Princeton at 6 a.m. on the Severn River, while the women’s squad will square off against Rutgers at 1 p.m. in Princeton, N.J.

The men’s lightweight team will look to recapture the Joseph Murtaugh Cup on Saturday, which is presented to the winner of the varsity race. Last season, Princeton nipped Navy by 3.3 seconds on their home water. Despite that setback, the Midshipmen still won both the second and third varsity races by a minimum of four seconds each.

On the women’s side, Navy and Rutgers will be rowing head-to-head during the regular season for the first time in more than a decade, but have squared off at the Eastern Sprints Championship in recent years. At last spring’s championship, the Midshipmen defeated the Scarlet Knights in the first varsity eight (by 4.740 seconds) and second varsity eight (by 3.936 seconds) races.

“We have always had a great rivalry with Rutgers,” stated Navy women’s crew head coach Mike Hughes. “Opening our racing season with them will give us a good idea of where we stand and what kind of early speed we have.”

Following this weekend, both teams will return to action the following Saturday, April 3. The men’s lightweight squad will face off against Yale for the Eads Johnson Trophy in Princeton, N.J., at 1 p.m., while the women’s team will partake in the Murphy Cup Regatta in Philadelphia.

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From Princeton Sports:

Reigning Champ Men’s Lightweights Open Season Saturday

Courtesy: Princeton Athletic Communications Release: 03/24/2010

After arguably the greatest year in the proud tradition of Princeton men’s lightweight crew, the 2010 team is ready to try and make another run at postseason success.

As is the nature of college athletics, several members of the 2009 EARC, IRA national and Henley Royal Regatta champion Princeton Tigers graduated last summer, but a group of talented competitors have risen to compete for open spots in the varsity eight. Another newcomer to the program is head coach Marty Crotty, who took over when Greg Hughes became the heavyweight rowing coach.

“He is all about passion,” said senior Brian Kenney. “If you’re in there and he has his eyes on you, you are supposed to bring the passion he wants out of you. Every day is intense. Every day has a purpose.”

Crotty, the former heavyweight novice coach, has been more than pleased with the passion and intensity he has seen from his squad.

“I think we’ve been doing great,” Crotty said. “I think every guy, by an objective measure, has been improving. The attitude is good. I feel good about where we are this spring.”

Princeton still has four members of its championship crew: Robin Prendes, Jack Leonard, James Donovan and Christian Klein. Leonard is one of the senior leaders on the crew and has been impressed with the work of his younger teammates, especially the members of last year’s novice boat.

“The sophomores are stepping up,” Leonard said. “I think the freshmen are as well, but the sophomore class is a strong one, and it’s good to see them stepping up.”

Of course, as is the challenge of being the top team, each of Princeton’s opponents will be stepping up this season to offer its best challenge to the reigning national champion. Starting this weekend with The Joe Murtaugh Cup regatta at Navy, Princeton will face the best teams in the East well before it heads to Worcester, Mass., on May 16 for the EARC Championships.

Between its trips to Annapolis and Worcester will be four regattas, and each will be held on Lake Carnegie. The home schedule opens April 3 against Georgetown and Columbia and will conclude with the annual H-Y-P showdown in The Goldthwait and Vogel Cups regatta on May 1.

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From Yale Sports:

Mar 24, 2010

Lightweight Crew to Kick Off Spring Season

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale lightweight crew team will begin its spring season on Saturday, Apr. 3, with its annual race against Navy, for the Johnson Cup. For the Bulldogs, the race will mark the beginning of a three-month stretch of racing events that will culminate with the IRA National Regatta in early June. The lightweights will look to recreate and surpass the successes of the past two seasons, when they finished in third and second place nationally.

The Bulldogs will be building on their successes and lessons from the fall season, during which they competed in the Head of the Housatonic, the Head of the Charles and the Princeton Chase. The Yale varsity eights took fourth, sixth and fourth place in these regattas, respectively. Meanwhile in the varsity fours for the three races, the Elis took third, first and fourth places respectively. The Yale freshman eight took third in the Head of the Housatonic and fifth in the Princeton Chase. The Yale freshmen also raced in the Green Monster, on the Connecticut River in Hanover, NH

Although their results would indicate that the Bulldogs had an up and down fall season, the significance of these results should not be overstated. The Elis approach the fall races with the goal of experimenting with different boats, tuning up, improving and learning enough to take with them into winter training.

Said head coach Andrew Card of the fall season: “It was fun at the time, but to look back at those results with anything more than nostalgia is a fool’s errand. What I do remember best from the fall was the good rowing we did after the competitive season ended. November is a great time to do some rowing on the Housatonic, and we did some interesting things on the water that set us up well for our indoor training.”

Thus, the Elis have spent the past couple of months since the fall season ended working hard, in an effort to come out strong for the spring races. During the cold winter months, the team spent a lot of time working in Tank A in Payne Whitney Gymnasium. Finally, in the last couple of weeks, during spring break, the weather has given the Elis a chance to get back on the water and row in the Housatonic.

“The training has been intense and balanced,” said coach Card. “There has been quite some demand placed on the guys, and they have responded as required. Because of this, the time seems to have flown by; at the same time, improvements are coming not dramatically, but at a pace that would indicate deep learning. Mastery is the goal, and we have some ways to go. For those willing to put in the time, though, incremental is exciting.”

“Spring break is a great time to watch the freshmen finally come into their own,” coach Card continued. “While they are not quite Y150 yet, as they have neither weighed in nor raced a 2k for shirts for Yale, they have been quick to absorb the positive Y150 ethos that we insist every athlete share. While we aren’t perfect, the expectations for this season and for their career are established. It’s taken a lot of hard work and catch-up on the freshmen’s part to get to this point in the year, and it often goes unrecognized when everyone around them is also working hard. It is important that they know what is expected of them, and it’s then their choice to abide by and live up to those expectations. So far, they’ve done that.”

Coach Card further commented on the wonderful work done by freshman coach Colin Farrell, whom he called a “tremendous addition to the coaching team.” Coach Card further praised the leadership of senior captain Brendan McCook, and the coxswain corps, led senior Stephen Dobeck and junior Erin Anderson.

Though still on their learning curve, the Bulldogs are now excited to see some live competition, starting with the Johnson Cup against Navy. Held on Lake Carnegie, in Princeton, N.J., the Johnson Cup represents a fierce rivalry between the two crews. Navy and Yale are perennially two of the best lightweight crews in the country and the April 3rd race will be an exciting kickoff for the season. The Johnson Cup race has existed for six years and the two crews have split the series. However, the Bulldogs have won two in a row and three of the last four races, so they will look to bring that momentum to this year’s race.

Y150 will then continue its season with the Joy Cup against MIT and Georgetown on Apr. 10, the Dodge Cup against Columbia and Penn on Apr. 17, a dual-race against perennial powerhouse Cornell on Apr. 18, the Durand Cup against Dartmouth on Apr. 24, and the Goldthwait and Vogel Cups against Harvard and Princeton on May 1. Following a two-week break, the Bulldogs will then race in the EARC sprints, which serve as the de facto Ivy League Championship. Finally, the Elis will conclude their season with the IRA National Regatta on June. 3-5. Should the lightweights take first place in either the Eastern Sprints or the IRA Regatta, they will then have the privilege of representing the United States at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.

Last season, the Bulldogs won the Johnson Cup, the Joy Cup, the Dodge Cup and the Durand Cup. In their dual-race, the lightweights also defeated then-defending champion Cornell in three of five races, including the varsity eight. Yale then won the Vogel Cup for overall points, but lost the Goldthwait Cup after coming in third in the varsity eights. In the Eastern Sprints, the Yale varsity eight boat took fifth place, the junior varsity boat won the gold, and the freshman eight took third place. In finishing after Princeton and Harvard, the varsity eight’s performance gave the Bulldogs third place in the Ivy League. Finally, in the IRA Regatta, the Y150 pulled off a remarkable turnaround to take silver in the varsity eight. They finished behind Princeton, but ahead of Harvard, Georgetown and Navy, who had all been ranked ahead of the Bulldogs for the majority of the season.

Last season’s story further underscores the volatility of the relative standings of the top lightweight crews. In recent years, Yale in particular has made a habit of making great strides during the season, then coming together at the right time to make big runs at the national championship. The Bulldogs will look to repeat that storyline this season.

With this volatility in mind, in looking ahead to the season and the team’s expectations, coach Card quoted Bill Parcells in saying, “Expect nothing. Do something.”

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Mar 23, 2010

Fresh Off Training Camp, Yale HWs Ready to Tackle Spring Season

NEW HAVEN, Conn- Yale’s spring racing season officially kicks off on Apr. 3 when the Bulldogs face Ivy League rivals Brown. This first dual race marks the end of a successful period of winter training, the completion of a two-week spring training camp, and the beginning of four straight weeks of cup races in preparation for Eastern Sprints on May 16th. This season will feature three home races for Yale and one away, along with the customary Eastern Sprints, IRA Regatta and Yale-Harvard Regatta.

The Bulldogs, fresh off two weeks of training at the Gilder Boathouse, are confident that the time and energy they have put in over the past months will pay off as they head into racing season. Captain Lucas Spielfogel and the six other members of the class of 2010 lead the Bulldogs in their sprint season.

“Spring break in New Haven was incredibly productive. Though we still have much work to do over the next months, I believe that we’ve put ourselves in a favorable position as we approach the dual season,” said Spielfogel. “As this will be our last racing season, the class of 2010 looks to make it our best.”

Head Coach John Pescatore echoed these remarks:

“Strong athlete leadership has inspired intense and purposeful fall and winter training that will shape Yale’s performance this season. Five sophomores earning Varsity eight racing time in the fall regattas has also contributed to an early escalation of competition in the erg room.”

Pescatore, now in his eighth year as head coach of the Bulldogs, went on to say:

“A demanding race schedule begins in early April: six Ivy League opponents prior to the Eastern Sprints. Each contest will provide an opportunity to test ourselves against first-class competition and ultimately help us prepare for the championship regattas.”

Last year’s encounter with Brown in Providence, R.I., left the Bulldogs empty-handed. The Bears swept all three races: varsity, second varsity and freshman. Yale will race Brown in four events this year: the varsity, second varsity, third varsity and freshman eights.

Of the upcoming Brown race, Spielfogel noted, “There’s no question Brown will be fast. However, history means nothing to us. We will look to beat them.”

Following Brown, the Bulldogs will face Dartmouth in defense of the Olympic Axe on Apr. 10. Yale cruised to wins over Dartmouth at last year’s meeting to ensure that the Olympic Axe stays at Gilder Boathouse for another year. The Bulldogs look to extend that stay for another year.

Then, on Apr. 17, Yale will head down to Philadelphia to face Columbia and Penn in search of the Blackwell Cup. At last year’s regatta, the Bulldogs won three out of four races (second varsity, third varsity and freshman) on Columbia’s racecourse, but fell in the varsity eight to miss reclaiming the Blackwell Cup. That day, the Columbia varsity crossed the line 2.8 seconds before Yale. This year’s varsity will no doubt have that race in the back of their minds when they line up again this year.

The Bulldogs’ toughest test of the cup season will come on Apr. 24 when Yale hosts Princeton and Cornell for the Carnegie Cup. The Carnegie Cup is Yale’s last dual race until the Yale-Harvard Regatta on May 29. Last year, the freshman eight took first place over Cornell and Princeton. The varsity eight finished second, behind Cornell and ahead of Princeton. The second varsity took third behind the two Ivy rivals and the third varsity finished second behind Cornell. Cornell took possession of the trophy in what proved to be another competitive regatta. Yale, Princeton and Cornell have each held the trophy in the last three years.

After the Carnegie Cup and three weeks of training and preparation, the Bulldogs will line up at Eastern Sprints on May 16. Eastern Sprints serves as a de facto Ivy League Championship and helps build momentum for the three-day IRA Regatta that begins on June 5. At IRAs, Yale will face top teams from throughout the nation in what has become collegiate rowing’s national championship.

In between the two, for the first time in recent memory, the Bulldogs square off against Harvard in the 145th installment of the Yale-Harvard Regatta on May 29, America’s oldest collegiate athletic competition. The annual regatta held in New London, Conn., normally takes place after the IRA Regatta. This year, however, Yale and Harvard crews will have to go from racing 2,000 meters at Eastern Sprints, to racing two, three or four miles in New London, and back to 2,000 meters at the IRA—all in a three-week period.

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Mar 27, 2010

2010 Season Preview – Yale Women’s Crew: Outstanding Senior Class Hopes To Finish Careers In Style

Bulldogs Open Season Saturday Against Penn & Columbia In Philadelphia

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale women’s crew coach Will Porter still remembers his first meeting on campus with this year’s senior class in the fall of 2006.

“They had all grown a lot since the last time I had seen them,” Porter said.

During their time at Yale, the Class of 2010 has helped the Yale women’s crew program grow into one of the most dominant in the nation. The Bulldogs have finished in the top four at the NCAA Championship in each of the last three years and will start the 2010 season ranked No. 1 in the nation. Yale’s first race is Saturday against Penn and Columbia on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The teams will be racing for the Connell Cup.

Porter’s coaching philosophy remains the same every year.

“Our goal is to go as fast as we can,” he said. “We have a talented group of athletes and if we perform to our abilities, we will generate some good boat speed. Where that takes us? Who knows, but the goal is to go get it.”

Five seniors – Maren McCrea, Tess Gerrand, Alice Henly, Taylor Ritzel and coxswain Mia Kanak – are expected to begin the season in the varsity boat. Three of them – Gerrand, Henly and Ritzel – have been part of the varsity since the day they arrived at Yale. The three won NCAA championships in their first two years before finishing fourth last spring.

Six other seniors will be counted on to contribute during the course of the season as well. Catherine Hart and Allix Wilde will start out in the second varsity. Wilde helped the 2V win the NCAA Championship last year, while Hart spent much of the year with the varsity before suffering an injury. Mary Pat Wixted and Laura Gottesdiener are in four boats, while Ryan McCarthy will sit in the No. 1 seat of the third varsity eight. Katherine Adams is out with an injury.

“This group of seniors has already been the most successful class in the history of Yale women’s crew. That is not the question,” Porter said. “The question is how do they want to finish their careers at Yale?”

In order to help make it a memorable finish, Porter has put together a very challenging schedule. The Bulldogs will race six teams currently ranked in the top-20, including No. 3 Virginia, No. 5 Brown, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 8 Princeton.

“This year’s schedule is the toughest we have had in a few years,” Porter said. “The idea is to test ourselves and to see how good we can be. Ultimately, we want to perform at a high level in the end of May.”

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2009-10 Navy Men’s Lightweight Crew Schedule

2009-10 Schedule
( Click on an event for complete event information )

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

10/03/09 at Quadricentennial Poughkeepsie Regatta Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 1st of 4 boats
10/04/09 at Occoquan Challenge Fairfax, VA. 2nd of 8 boats
10/10/09 at Navy Day Regatta Philadelphia, Pa. 1st of 10 boats
10/18/09 at Head of the Charles Regatta Boston, Mass. 3rd of 21 boats
10/25/09 at Princeton Chase Princeton, N.J. 3rd of 31 boats
03/27/10 vs. Princeton (Murtaugh Cup) Annapolis, MD. 6:00 a.m.
04/03/10 vs. Yale (Johnson Trophy) Princeton, N.J. 1:00 p.m.
04/10/10 at Columbia Pelham, N.Y. 7:00 a.m.
04/18/10 vs. Georgetown, Delaware Annapolis, MD. 6:00 a.m.
04/24/10 vs. Harvard (Haines Trophy) Annapolis, MD. 6:00 a.m.
05/01/10 at Penn (Callow Cup) Philadelphia, Pa. 10:00 a.m.
05/16/10 at Eastern Sprints Championship Worcester, Mass. All Day
06/05/10 at IRA National Championship Camden, N.J. All Day

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2009-10 Yale Men’s Lightweight Crew Schedule

Date Opponent Time Score
Oct 10, 2009 Head of the Housatonic
Oct 17, 2009 at Head of the Charles
Oct 18, 2009 at Head of the Charles
Oct 25, 2009 at Princeton Chase Regatta
Nov 7, 2009 at Green Monster
Apr 3, 2010 vs. Navy @ Princeton, NJ
Johnson Cup
Apr 10, 2010 at MIT with Georgetown
Joy Cup
Apr 17, 2010 at Penn with Columbia *
Dodge Cup
Apr 18, 2010 at Cornell *
Apr 24, 2010 at Dartmouth *
Durand Cup
May 1, 2010 at Princeton with Harvard *
Goldthwait Cup / Vogel Cup
May 16, 2010 at EARC Sprints
June 3, 2010 at IRA
June 4, 2010 at IRA
June 5, 2010
at IRA

Home games in bold.
* = Conference games.

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2009-10 Navy Men’s Heavyweight Crew Schedule

2009-10 Schedule
( Click on an event for complete event information )

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

10/10/09 at Navy Day Regatta Philadelphia, Pa. 1st of 25 boats
10/18/09 at Head of the Charles Regatta Boston, Mass. 16th of 37 boats
10/25/09 at Princeton Chase Princeton, N.J. 9th of 40 boats
04/09/10 at George Washington Invitational Washington, D.C. All Day
04/10/10 at George Washington Invitational Washington, D.C. All Day
04/17/10 Syracuse, Cornell (Goes Trophy) Annapolis, MD. 6:00 a.m.
04/24/10 at Harvard, Penn (Adams Cup) Boston, Mass. 8:00 a.m.
05/01/10 vs. Columbia Princeton, N.J. 11:00 a.m.
05/16/10 at Eastern Sprints Championship Worcester, Mass. All Day
06/03/10 at IRA National Championship Camden, N.J. All Day
06/04/10 at IRA National Championship Camden, N.J. All Day
06/05/10 at IRA National Championship Camden, N.J. All Day
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2009-10 Yale Men’s Heavyweight Crew Schedule

Date Opponent Time Score
Oct 10, 2009 Head of the Housatonic 12:00 pm 1st
Oct 17, 2009 at Head of the Charles 1:23 pm 1st
Oct 18, 2009 at Head of the Charles 3:30 pm 12th, 13th
Oct 25, 2009 at Princeton Chase 10:00 am 2nd
Apr 3, 2010 Brown * 12:00 pm
Apr 10, 2010 Dartmouth * 8:00 am
Olympic Axe
Apr 17, 2010 at Penn & Columbia * 8:00 am
Blackwell Cup
Apr 24, 2010 Cornell & Princeton * 8:00 am
Carnegie Cup
May 16, 2010 at Eastern Sprints All-Day
Worcester, Mass.
May 29, 2010 at Harvard *
New London, Conn.
June 5, 2010 at IRA National Championship
Camden, N.J.
Home games in bold.
* = Conference games.

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2009-10 Navy Women’s Crew Schedule

2009-10 Schedule
( Click on an event for complete event information )

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

10/10/09 at Navy Day Regatta Philadelphia, Pa. 2nd of 20 boats
10/24/09 at Head of the Schuylkill Regatta Philadelphia, Pa. 3rd of 19 boats
10/31/09 at Head of the Occoquan Regatta Fairfax, VA. 2nd of 28 boats
03/27/10 at Rutgers Princeton, N.J. 1:00 p.m.
04/03/10 at Murphy Cup Regatta Philadelphia, Pa. All Day
04/09/10 at George Washington Invitational Washington, D.C. 1:00 p.m.
04/10/10 at George Washington Invitational Washington, D.C. All Day
04/17/10 vs. Georgetown Annapolis, MD. 7:00 a.m.
04/25/10 at Patriot League Championship Cherry Hill, N.J. 8:00 a.m.
05/01/10 at ECAC Mid-Atlantic/New England Region Championship Cherry Hill, N.J. All Day
05/16/10 at Eastern Sprints Championship Cherry Hill, N.J. All Day
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Yale Women’s Crew 2009-10 Schedule

Date Opponent Time Score
Oct 10, 2009 Head of the Housatonic 1st
Oct 17, 2009 vs. Head of the Charles @ Boston, Mass. 3rd (1st collegiate finisher)
Oct 25, 2009 vs. Princeton Chase @ Princeton, N.J. 1st
Mar 27, 2010 vs. Penn/Columbia @ Philadelphia, Pa.
Connell Cup
Apr 3, 2010 vs. Cornell, Syracuse, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Buffalo @ Ithaca, N.Y.
Cayuga Cup
Apr 10, 2010 Boston University/Dartmouth
Class of 1985 Cup
Apr 17, 2010 vs. Princeton, Virginia @ Princeton, N.J.
Eisenburg Cup
Apr 24, 2010 Radcliffe
Case Cup
May 1, 2010 vs. Brown @ Providence, R.I.
Nat & Anne Case Cup
May 16, 2010 vs. Eastern Sprints @ Cherry Hill, N.J.
May 28, 2010 vs. NCAA Championship @ Gold River, Calif.
May 29, 2010 vs. NCAA Championship @ Gold River, Calif.
May 30, 2010 vs. NCAA Championship @ Gold River, Calif.
Home games in bold.
* = Conference games.

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