“To win four out of five races is something that the guys can enjoy — for a day,” said head coach Andy Card. “It took all of what we had on the day to win.”
In the eight years Yale has raced Navy for the Johnson Cup, each school has won the title four times apiece, Card said, adding that the first varsity boats have finished within two or three seconds of each other seven years out of eight.
Yale finished second in the first race of the day, an exhibition race between second freshman and fourth varsity oarsmen. Navy's fourth varsity eight won by a significant margin, crossing the line in 6:35.3. Yale's combination boat of freshman and varsity rowers finished second with a time of 6:48.3, ahead of the Navy second freshman eight, which crossed the line in 6:55.8
In the third varsity eight, Yale established an early lead against the Midshipmen, slowly extending their margin as the race went on, earning Yale's largest victory of the day. Yale finished with a time of 6:12.1, 13.3 seconds ahead of Navy.
Yale's freshman crew had a similar race, establishing a solid rhythm early in the race and pulling away from Navy's plebe crew. Yale crossed the line in 6:08.0, and Navy finished in 6:16.3
The Yale second varsity, like the 3V and 1F before it, took a sizable lead at the start, taking a boat length from Navy in the first 500 meters. The Midshipmen closed the margin slightly in the second half of the race, but Yale's early push was too much to overcome, as the Bulldogs won by 3.1 seconds with a time of 6:08.7.
In the final event of the day, the varsity eight, Yale recaptured the Johnson Cup with a 3.3-second victory[just less than 1 length]. Like the other Yale crews before it, the varsity eight focused on using the race's first quarter to set the tone within their boat.
Both Yale Coach Andy Card and Navy Coach Steve Perry agree that their teams are nowhere near championship speed at this stage and will develop more as the season progresses. It is likely that the composition of the varsity boats are also open to change.
Next week, the Bulldogs will take on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Joy Cup in a series of races on the Housatonic River that will also feature crews from Georgetown, who are invited as guests. Last year, Yale crews took out all five races, a result that team members said they hoped to repeat.
The James C. Joy Cup was given in their coach's honor by Yale oarsmen in 1972 — To be rowed for annually by the Varsity Lightweight crews of Yale and MIT. Since inception in 1974, MIT has won the Cup 3 times [1974, 1975 and 1978], Yale has won the remaining 33 races with no race being held in 2006.
The Georgetown team fell last weekend to Princeton, who are two-time defending champions at both the Eastern Sprints and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. Princeton's winning time on Lake Carnegie was 5:58.7.
The Midshipmen will host Columbia in Annapolis next Saturday on the Severn River. Last Saturday Columbia's 1V [6:12.2] was 3rd to Princeton, also trailing Georgetown [6:02.5]. Later on the day, Columbia took 1 of 3 from Delaware, trailing the Blue Hens by 12.1 seconds in the 1V.
Yale Women –
Tight racing highlighted Saturday's battle between the Yale, Cornell and Syracuse women's crews on the Housatonic River. Three of the four races were decided by less than three seconds. Cornell claimed the Cayuga Cup by winning the varsity eight, while the Bulldogs captured the three other races.
After nine straight Yale victories, the women’s crew lost the Cayuga Cup to the Big Red on Saturday at the Housatonic river, ending a decade-long streak.
The second varsity eight was the closest race of the day. The Yale crew edged Cornell by less than two seconds. The Bulldogs finished in 6:30.0, while Cornell came in at 6:31.6. Syracuse was third in 6:44.5.
Yale's varsity four with coxswain won by nearly three seconds with a time of 7:08.9. Cornell (7:11.6) was second followed by Syracuse (7:42.9).
In the third varsity eight, the Bulldogs cruised to a nearly 11-second victory, finishing with a time of 6:49.2.
Cornell jumped out in front and held on in the varsity eight. The Big Red crossed the line in 6:14.5, just ahead of the second-place Bulldogs, who finished in 6:17.9. Syracuse (6:39.5) was a distant third.
“Cornell beat us in the 1V, they were faster than us, they were excited to be in the race in the last 500 while we were disappointed with our effort at that point,” said head coach William Porter
"As a team, we competed well," said Yale head coach Will Porter. "Our first varsity did everything right but close. I give Cornell credit. They were the better crew today."
Porter said the weekend highlighted the physical and mental struggle of Division I athletics. The ability to learn through hard work is why the Ivy League still has a Division I athletics program, he said. “You can't get this stuff in a classroom,” Porter said. He added that the team was not yet fast enough, but that he thought it could get to nationally competitive speeds by the end of the season.
The Bulldogs race Boston University and Dartmouth for the Class of 1985 Cup next Saturday on the Charles River.
Navy Women –
The Mids' varsity eight placed third with a time of 6:54.1. Princeton finished first [6:26.1], while Rutgers was second [6:44.9].
Navy was seeing Rutgers for the second straight weekend, after competing against the Scarlet Knights in last weekend's Murphy Cup.
"It wasn't a great day for us, so we're a little disappointed" said Navy head coach Mike Hughes. "We went out too high and hard and really didn't row the kind of race we rowed last week. So, now we know what we have to work on. We need to row longer and lower and not come out so hard."
Meanwhile, Navy's second varsity eight boat actually had a better time than its first boat, also finishing third with a time of 6:53.7. Princeton won with a time of 6:33.3, while Rutgers was runner-up at 6:51.7.
Navy's third varsity eight [7:16.2] was second to Princeton[6:55.4].
Navy was second in the varsity four boat with a time of 7:35.0, and won the second varsity four boat with a clocking of 7:45.9.
Navy will be back in action next weekend at the George Washington Invitational next Saturday and Sunday in Washington, D.C.
San Diego Crew Classic –
Tom Cook USNA LW '76 had strong rows in two events at the SDCC.
- Tom stroked the Master's Club 8+ to 4th place in the City of San Diego – Think Blue Cup. Dave Frost USNA HW '75 was also a stalwart in the San Diego Rowing Club 8+. In Saturday's preliminary qualifying heat moved to a close third finishing 0.81 seconds back of 2nd place Sacramento State AC.
- In the Masters D 8+ [Regatta Central Founders Trophy], Tom stroked SDRC to another 4th. Masters D calls for an average age of 50 and Tom admits to being nearly a decade above that mean. Sounds like the guys value Navy's boat moving ability.
- As Tom would say — "Let the boat work & not me"
.Other EARC and EAWRC Rowing of Interest –
- Penn LWs raced twice on Saturday winning 2 of 5 from Delaware, losing the 1V by 3.9 seconds. Later in the day they won 1 of 3 races against the Williams HWs trailing in the 1V by 6.6 seconds
- In rough conditions on the Charles River [Harvard Rower described it as "Surf Rowing"], Harvard HWs swept all 4 races by open water.
- Dartmouth HWs, who will face the Yale HWs for the Olympic Axe on Saturday at Derby, swept Holy Cross on Lake Quinsigamond.
- BU HW 1V beat Brown by open water [6.8 seconds]. Last week Brown edged the Yale HW 1V by less than a deck [0.4 seconds]
EARC HM:
- Stein Cup: Harvard vs. Brown, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Arlett Cup: Boston Univ. vs. Northeastern, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Childs Cup: Penn vs. Princeton/Columbia, Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA
- Olympic Axe: Yale vs. Dartmouth, Housatonic River, Derby, CT
- Wisconsin vs. Michigan, Madison, WI
- Navy at George Washington Invitational, Potomac River, Washington, DC
EARC LM:
- Matthews-Leonard Cup: Penn vs. Cornell/Harvard, Schuylkill River, Philadelphia
- Dartmouth vs. Delaware, TBD
- Navy vs. Columbia, Severn River, Annapolis, MD
- Joy Cup: Yale vs. MIT/Georgetown, Housatonic River, Derby, CT
EAWRC:
- Class of '85 Cup: Boston Univ. vs. Dartmouth/Yale, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Class of 1975 cup: Radcliffe vs. Princeton/Cornell, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Orange Challenge Cup: Northeastern vs. Pennsylvania/Syracuse, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Navy at George Washington Invitational, Potomac River, Washington, DC
Coach and TB406
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From Navy Sports:
Yale Tops Navy For the Johnson Trophy
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 Navy fell to Yale in the first varsity race. |
April 2, 2011
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Navy lightweight rowing team lost its bid to retain the Eads Johnson Trophy as the first varsity fell to Yale, 6:05.8 – 6:08.8, on Saturday on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J.
Navy started the day with a win in the fourth varsity/second freshman race. The Mids fourth varsity cruised to first place with a time of 6:35. 3. Yale placed second as it clocked a 6:48.3 and Navy's second freshman boat came in third with a time of 6:55.8.
The Bulldogs responded in the next race as their third varsity boat finished ahead of Navy with a time of 6:12.1. Navy clocked a 6:25.4.
Yale followed in the next race with the first of two narrow wins as its second varsity just edged Navy, 6:08.7 – 6:11.8.
The Bulldogs closed the day by reclaiming the Johnston Trophy in another hard-fought race – defeating Navy by just over three seconds in the first varsity race.
The Midshipmen will host the first of two races in Annapolis next Saturday when they meet Columbia. Action will begin at 6 a.m. on the Severn River.
Varsity 8
Yale 6:05.5
Navy 6:08.8
2nd Varsity 8
Yale 6:08.7
Navy 6:11.8
3rd Varsity 8
Yale 6:12.1
Navy 6:25.4
Varsity/2nd Freshman
Navy 4V 6:35.3
Yale 4V / 2F 6:48.3
Navy 2F 6:55.8
Frosh/Novice 8
Yale 6:08.0
Navy 6:16.3
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From Yale Sports:
Yale Captures Johnson Cup From Navy
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale lightweight rowing team's season got off to a strong start this afternoon on Lake Carnegie, where the Bulldogs took four out of five events, including the varsity eight, which captured the Johnson Cup for the third time in four years. Captain Andrew Hakanson was happy with the performance but added that the team must continue working in the coming weeks.
"It was a tremendous team performance to win four of five races against such a fierce competitor as Navy," said Hakanson. "We should take confidence in our wins but understand that it is only the beginning of the season. It is crucial that we build from our success and focus on finding more speed in practice."
Yale finished second in the first race of the day, an exhibition race between second freshman and fourth varsity oarsmen. Navy's fourth varsity eight won by a significant margin, crossing the line in 6:35.3. Yale's combination boat of freshman and varsity rowers finished second with a time of 6:48.3, ahead of the Navy second freshman eight, which crossed the line in 6:55.8
In the third varsity eight, Yale established an early lead against the Midshipmen, slowly extending their margin as the race went on, earning Yale's largest victory of the day. Yale finished with a time of 6:12.1, 13.3 seconds ahead of Navy.
Yale's freshman crew had a similar race, establishing a solid rhythm early in the race and pulling away from Navy's plebe crew. Yale crossed the line in 6:08.0, and Navy finished in 6:16.3
The Yale second varsity, like the 3V and 1F before it, took a sizable lead with its starting strokes, taking a boat length from Navy in the first 500 meters. The Midshipmen closed the margin slightly in the second half of the race, but Yale's early push was too much to overcome, as the Bulldogs won by 3.1 seconds with a time of 6:08.7.
In the final event of the day, the varsity eight, Yale recaptured the Johnson Cup with a 3.3-second victory. Like the other Yale crews before it, the varsity eight focused on using the race's first quarter to set the tone within their boat.
"Going into race we didn't know what to expect," said Hakanson, the six-seat. "Our race plan was pretty simple in nature. We really executed in the first 500 meters and essentially kept our lead until the finish line. We felt in control of the race and remained internal within our own shell."
Yale will race at home next Saturday against MIT and Georgetown for the Joy Cup.
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From Yale Daily News:
LIGHTWEIGHT CREW | Yale reclaims Johnson Cup
Yale lightweight crew’s first varsity boat broke away from the United States Naval Academy in the first 500 meters of the two teams’ race on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J. on Saturday. They never looked back.
The Bulldogs recaptured the Eads Johnson, Jr. Cup from the Midshipmen, who took the race last year, with a 3.3 second margin over the 2000 m course, spearheading Yale’s near clean-sweep of the day’s five races. The Elis also triumphed in three other races — the second and third varsity and freshman boats won their races against Navy, while a combined freshman and fourth varsity boat was edged out in an exhibition race.
“To win four out of five races is something that the guys can enjoy — for a day,” said head coach Andy Card. “It took all of what we had on the day to win.”
In the eight years Yale has raced Navy for the Johnson Cup, each school has won the title four times apiece, Card said, adding that the first varsity boats have finished within two or three seconds of each other seven years out of eight.
The result was “certainly an accomplishment,” said captain Andrew Hakanson ’11, noting that the first varsity boat felt in control of their race after finding some “true speed” in the first 500 m.
Still, Hakanson cautioned against reading too much into the speed of the Yale’s boats more than a month out of championship season, which begins with the Eastern Sprints on May 15.
“It is impossible to predict what our speed will be like come mid-May but I am confident we will be competitive with the teams at the top,” he said. “I also believe most teams are not at their top speed as of now. This includes us.”
Will Zeng ’11, who sits in the stroke seat of the first varsity boat, agreed with Hakanson’s assessment and added that the rhythm his boat established early on in the race was a “microcosm for how [the boat plans] to attack the rest of the season.”
“Our guys have great fitness that we'll be taking advantage of to groove in the practice necessary to maintain the maximum hull speed that we've shown thus far,” he said.
But Card said the team is nowhere near championship speed at this stage and will develop more as the season progresses. He said the composition of the varsity boat is also open to change, a view echoed by Hakanson.
“Each race serves as a checkpoint where we can make adjustments,” Hakanson said. “Whether it is personnel, technique or strategy changes, we hope to develop a crew that continually finds speed each week leading up to our championship races.”
Next week, the Bulldogs will take on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Joy Cup in a series of races on the Housatonic River that will also feature crews from Georgetown, who are invited as guests. Last year, Yale crews took out all five races, a result that team members said they hoped to repeat.
“Replicating last year’s performance of winning all five events would be great,” Hakanson said. “The last two years, our races with Georgetown have been close, so I would not be surprised if they are right there with us the entire way.”
The Georgetown team fell this weekend to Princeton, who are two-time defending champions at both the Eastern Sprints and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.
“Princeton was unable to break a large margin away from the Hoyas in their race yesterday morning — a three second differential,” Zeng said. “So I’m looking forward to taking our rhythm up against the challenge they and the MIT crew will present us.”
Races this weekend against Georgetown and MIT kick off at 9 a.m. on the Housatonic River in Derby, CT.
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From Yale Sports:
Bulldogs Win Three Of Four Races But Cornell Captures Cayuga Cup
Second Varsity, Varsity Four, Third Varsity Victorious For Yale
DERBY, Conn. – Tight racing highlighted Saturday's battle between the Yale, Cornell and Syracuse women's crews on the Housatonic River. Three of the four races were decided by less than three seconds. Cornell claimed the Cayuga Cup by winning the varsity eight, while the Bulldogs captured the three other races.
The second varsity eight was the closest race of the day. The Yale crew of Kristen Brownlee, Eliza Hastings, Claire Tolson, Elizabeth McDermott, Armine Afeyan, Kathryn D'Andrea, Jen Stockwood, Nikki Grigg and Emily Tormey edged Cornell by less than two seconds. The Bulldogs finished in 6:30.0, while Cornell came in at 6:31.6. Syracuse was third in 6:44.5.
Yale's varsity four of coxswain Margaret Ayers, Alexandra Fields, Brittany Bowman, Georgia Separovich and Elizabeth Kalina won by nearly three seconds with a time of 7:08.9. Cornell (7:11.6) was second followed by Syracuse (7:42.9).
In the third varsity eight, the Bulldogs cruised to a nearly 11-second victory, finishing with a time of 6:49.2. The crew for Yale was coxswain Elisa Visher, Mary Barrosse-Antle, Lily Blair, Abby Loucks, Lauren Ross, Reynolds Ostrover, Sabrina Malak, Melissa Weigel and Madeleine Faucher.
Cornell jumped out in front and held on in the varsity eight. The Big Red crossed the line in 6:17.9, just ahead of the second-place Bulldogs, who finished in 6:17.9. Syracuse (6:39.5) was a distant third. The crew for Yale was coxswain Sarah Brownlee, Catherine McDermott, Dara Dickson, Caroline Nash, Natalie King, Amber Anderson, Kathleen O'Keefe, Stephanie Madner andMaddie Lips.
"As a team, we competed well," said Yale head coach Will Porter. "Our first varsity did everything right but close. I give Cornell credit. They were the better crew today."
The Bulldogs race Boston University and Dartmouth for the Class of 1985 Cup next Saturday on the Charles River.
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From Yale Daily News:
W. CREW | Four seconds too short
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
After nine straight Yale victories, the women’s crew lost the Cayuga Cup to the Big Red on Saturday at the Housatonic river, ending a decade-long streak.
During the race for the Cayuga Cup last year, Yale’s first varsity boat hit a bridge but still pulled off a victory with a 2.5-second margin. This time it fared worse, finishing four seconds behind Cornell. Nonetheless, Yale won its three other races, with the third varsity demolishing its competition by 11 seconds.
“Cornell beat us in the 1V, they were faster than us, they were excited to be in the race in the last 500 while we were disappointed with our effort at that point,” said head coach William Porter.
Cornell took an early lead in the first varsity race and held on to finish in 6:14.5, followed by the Bulldogs, who finished in 6:17.9, and Syracuse, in 6:39.5.
Porter said that Cornell’s rowing program should have been selected for the NCAA Championships last spring, but the selectors snubbed them. He described their team’s mentality as “hungry.” At the NCAA's in California last spring, Yale’s first varsity boat placed first, while the team was sixth overall.
“I think this weekend was really important for our team,” Captain Caroline Nash ’11 said. “Obviously we did not perform to the level we had hoped we would. Cornell raced very well and were a formidable opponent, and, in the varsity, the better crew that day.”
Both Porter and Nash were optimistic that the team can learn from Saturday’s defeat. Nash said that losses can benefit the team by teaching the mental toughness necessary to race with “real speed.”
Last week Porter spoke about his team’s immaturity, and his hopes for them to mature over the season. This week he said they had found some maturity after the loss.
“This is what I talked about last week. We are young and need to live through experiences like this,” Porter said. “It can be good to get knocked down; it makes you feel alive.”
Nash said that although she was disappointed to lose the Cayuga Cup, the performance of the rest of the team was heartening. The second and third varsity, as well as the varsity four, all won their races.
Eliza Hastings ’13, the stroke of the second varsity, described the race as a great learning experience.
“We know we can go faster and can't wait for this weekend to take the next step in finding more speed,” Hastings said. “It has been said that our boat is young, but I don't think that has hurt us in any way.”
The second varsity boat started with a lead because of the staggered starting positions, and held it throughout the race. In the end, they finished 1.5 seconds ahead of Cornell.
Porter said the weekend highlighted the physical and mental struggle of Division I athletics. The ability to learn through hard work is why the Ivy League still has a Division I athletics program, he said.
“You can't get this stuff in a classroom,” Porter said.
He added that the team was not yet fast enough, but that he thought it could get to nationally competitive speeds by the end of the season.
Nash said she hoped that the loss would help the varsity boat reevaluate and improve. She said that while winning is fun and is a nice reward for hard work, losses are more valuable because the team learns more from them.
“I think we will look back on this weekend, as a team, and be grateful it turned out the way it did,” Nash said.
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From Navy Sports:
Navy Women's Rowing Places Third Against Princeton and Rutgers
|
 Navy Women's Rowing placed third against Princeton and Rutgers on Saturday. |
April 2, 2011
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Navy women's rowing team continued its early-season slate on Saturday, competing against Rutgers and Princeton in New Brunswick, N.J.
The Mids' varsity eight boat placed third with a time of 6:54.1. Princeton finished first with a 6:26.1 clocking, while Rutgers was second with a time of 6:44.9.
Navy was seeing Rutgers for the second straight weekend, after competing against the Scarlet Knights in last weekend's Murphy Cup.
"It wasn't a great day for us, so we're a little disappointed" said Navy head coach Mike Hughes. "We went out too high and hard and really didn't row the kind of race we rowed last week. So, now we know what we have to work on. We need to row longer and lower and not come out so hard."
Meanwhile, Navy's second varsity eight boat actually had a better time than its first boat, also finishing third with a time of 6:53.7. Princeton won with a time of 6:33.3, while Rutgers was runner-up at 6:51.7.
Navy's third varsity eight boat was second with a time of 7:16.2, while Princeton was first in 6:55.4.
Navy was second in the varsity four boat with a time of 7:35.0, and won the second varsity four boat with a clocking of 7:45.9.
Navy will be back in action next weekend at the George Washington Invitational next Saturday and Sunday in Washington, D.C.
1st Varsity Eight Boat
1) Princeton 6:26.1 2) Rutgers 6:44.9 3) Navy 6:54.1
2nd Varsity Eight Boat
1) Princeton 6:33.3 2) Rutgers 6:51.7 3) Navy 6:53.7
3rd Varsity Eight Boat
1) Princeton 6:55.4 2) Navy 7:16.2 3) Rutgers 7:28.5
1st Varsity Four Boat
1) Princeton 7:23.3 2) Navy 7:35.0 3) Rutgers 7:56.9
2nd Varsity Four Boat
1) Navy 7:45.9 2) Rutgers 7:58.0
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From Row2k.com:
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EARC LW Men: University of Pennsylvania vs. University of Delaware
April 2, 2011; Philadelphia, PA |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC LW Men: University of Pennsylvania vs. Williams College
April 2, 2011; Philadelphia, PA |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC LW Men: Fosburgh Cup
Princeton University vs. Georgetown and Columbia April 2, 2011; Lake Carnegie–Princeton, NJ |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC LW Men: Columbia University vs. University of Delaware
April 2, 2011; Lake Carnegie |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC HW Men: Harvard University vs. Cornell University
April 2, 2011; Charles River |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC HW Men: Holy Cross vs. Dartmouth
April 2, 2011; Worcester, MA |
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From Row2k.com
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EARC HW Men: Boston University vs. Brown
April 2, 2011; Charles River |
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From Harvard Crimson:
Harvard Sweeps Big Red Despite Tough Rowing Conditions
The Harvard men’s heavyweight crew team, shown above in earlier action, once again proved its No. 3 ranking on Saturday by sweeping all the races against No. 6 Cornell. The inclement weather forced many teams to change the location of their races, but both the Crimson and the Big Red decided to stay on the Charles to race. Despite rowing at lower stroke ratings, Harvard was dominant in each level of racing, demonstrating good depth.
The much anticipated rematch between the EARC co-Crews of the Year, Harvard and Cornell, turned out to be rather one-sided.
The No. 3 Crimson men’s heavyweight crew team topped the No. 6 Big Red by 17.9 seconds in the first varsity eight race and completed a Harvard sweep of its EARC rival.
The two squads were among the few who braved the conditions of the Charles on Saturday morning. Several teams, including the Radcliffe heavyweights, originally planned to race on the Charles but moved the location of their races on account of the conditions.
“It was like surf-rowing,” said junior five-seat Mike DiSanto. “It was pretty ridiculous. There was a very strong headwind and waves breaking over the bow ball.”
The conditions were particularly bad in the first varsity eight race, the final event of the day. The wind and whitecaps forced crews to row at lower stroke ratings than usual.
“I think we went down to a 31,” said captain and varsity two-seat Anthony Locke. “We're usually at a 36. I think we topped off at the start at 37 where we're usually at a 45. It was such tricky conditions. It was difficult to row well.”
The Crimson took advantage of better water in the second 500 to make its biggest move of the day, granting the squad an insurmountable lead by the halfway point.
“By 1000 meters, we had a full length of open [water],” DiSanto said. “By then, it was pretty hard for them—and for us—to keep going. But we had the advantage.”
“We definitely tried to push on them in the second 1000,” Locke added.
And Harvard continued building its lead throughout the second half of the race to win by nearly 18 seconds. But DiSanto said Cornell may be faster than the results indicate.
“I think their boat was pretty water-logged,” he said. “I think their bow was almost completely submerged by the finish. It was a fun race. Obviously it’s good to win, but you obviously can't take too much stock in that race.”
The water had worsened over the course of the morning to the point that the first varsity eight race was actually the slowest event of the day. But DiSanto attributed the times in part to the depth of the team.
“I know we are such a deep squad,” he said, “Throughout the season, it won't be surprising to see the 3V close to the 2V and the 2V close to the varsity. There’s just so much talent. Guys have worked really hard. If one boat doesn't have a good piece or one boat has a really good piece, they'll be able to catch the boat [that’s ahead of them]. That’s going to help the squad as a whole get faster…it'll make sure you're on your game.”
While the first varsity eight won convincingly, the second and third varsity eights won by much tighter margins, with both boats rallying from starting down.
“I think all the boats had very strong races, particularly the 2V and 3V,” Locke said. “They did a fantastic job”
In the second varsity eight race, the Big Red went a length up early in the race, but the Crimson walked through Cornell’s crew for a 9.3 second win.
“That’s encouraging to hear that the guys stayed relaxed and trusted the coxswain,” DiSanto said.
Harvard’s third varsity eight never had the luxury of a nine-second lead but was able to eke out a 2.2-second win.
“I heard it was a very hard-fought race,” DiSanto said. “It’s great to know guys on your team dug deep on got the victory.”
The freshmen had no such trouble. The freshman eight led off the start and kept moving for a 14.3 second victory.
“The freshmen also had a really good race, which will give them confidence as they get used to college racing,” Locke said. “They have bigger races coming up. It was a good confidence builder for them.”
While the Crimson pulled off the sweep this time, the rowers know of the Big Red’s ability to peak for later races.
“They haven't spent a lot of time on the water,” Locke said. “We're expecting them to get quicker and to have much more competitive races.”
While Harvard’s top boats were taking care of business on the Charles, a crew of fourth-varsity and second-freshman boat rowers was dispatching the first varsity eights from the University of Vermont and Tulane University on Malden River in Medford, Mass. The Crimson’s 4V and 2F edged Vermont by 4.1 seconds and dominated Tulane by 34.2 seconds.
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