With the Yale HWs taking five races and the Olympic Axe from Dartmouth; Yale women's team sweeping Boston University and Dartmouth to claim the Class of 1985 Cup and the Yale lightweights sweeping Georgetown and MIT to claim the Joy Cup, it was a great day of racing and a great day to be a Yale rower.
With the Yale HWs taking five races and the Olympic Axe from Dartmouth; Yale women's team sweeping Boston University and Dartmouth to claim the Class of 1985 Cup and the Yale lightweights sweeping Georgetown and MIT to claim the Joy Cup, it was a great day of racing and a great day to be a Yale rower.
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The Yale lightweight crew won all four events against Georgetown and MIT on Saturday, with the varsity eight earning the Joy Cup with a 23.7 second victory over the Engineers. The Hoyas, who finished 1.1 seconds back of the Bulldogs are not participants in the Joy Cup competition. Last year, Yale 150s also won all races against MIT and Georgetown on a challenging Charles River in Boston. At Derby, all races saw favorable conditions, with a slight headwind increasing over the course of the day.
“Our opponents in the lightweight league have, by rule, the same physical characteristics that we have … and this is a powerful crucible in which to be measured,” head coach Andy Card said. “In terms of wins and losses, we passed the test, since we finished ahead in each race.”
Yale's varsity eight, ranked No. 6 in the nation won a hard-fought race with No. 4 Georgetown and No. 11 MIT. Yale had the advantage early, gaining a lead of as much as six to eight seats at the midway point. Georgetown moved into the Bulldogs in third 500, cutting the Eli lead to one seat. With an effective sprint, Yale moved out to a 1.1 second win, finishing in 5:53.4. MIT finished in 6:17.1.
In the second varsity eights, Yale finished first and second. The Yale 2V, running the Housatonic River 2,000 meter course in 5:52.7. The Yale 3V maintained contact with their teammates for much of the race but fell behind in the last 500 meters, finishing with a time of 5:58.5. Georgetown finished in 6:07.5.
Competition opened with the freshman eights, as Yale took an early lead and kept it for the entirety of the race, winning in a time of 6:03.2. Georgetown was 6.5 seconds back, crossing the line with a time of 6:09.7, while MIT finished well back in 6:28.2
In the day's final race, Yale's combination eight defeated Georgetown and MIT's second freshman boats. Yale finished in 6:28.7, Georgetown finished in 6:43.3, and MIT finished in 6:45.8.
Looking ahead, the Elis have just four races to go before the championship season begins with the May 15 Eastern Sprints.
Because the spring racing season is so short, it has a start and end, but no “middle,” Card said. “Improvements have to be made quickly, holes have to be patched, and deficits have to be overcome,” he said. “The spring season is so intense, it’s what oarsmen live for!”
Next weekend, the Bulldogs will take on Penn and Columbia on the Housatonic for the Dodge Cup.
Navy's first varsity boat posted a time of 6:11.4, while Columbia finished second, with a 6 second open water margin [6:17.4].
"It was our first win of the season, so it was certainly nice to get that," said head coach Steve Perry. "We rowed a much stronger first half of the race today and settled into a great rhythm."
In the second varsity race, Navy also took the top spot. The Mids' second varsity boat cruised to a first place finish as it clocked a 6:21.0. Columbia posted a time of 6:41.4. The 2V raced two 2,000 meter contests on the day. In the first race there was some concern that Navy had fouled the Lions water. Both Navy 2V and 3V bested Columbia, but the coaches then declared the "race" a practice run. In the "official" contest the Mids defeated the Lions by more than 20 seconds. The Navy 3V had adjourned to Hubbard Hall.
Columbia took the 1F race defeating a depleted Navy Plebe 150 by a half length. The Lions' first freshman boat finished in 6:21.4, followed by the Navy first Plebe boat that registered a time of 6:23.0. The Navy 2F trailed in 6:48.8.
"I was happy with the strong rows our crews put out," Perry said. "The freshmen rowed very strongly and we were happy to have Columbia here today."
Navy will be back in action next weekend in Washington, D.C., when it takes on Georgetown on the Potomac River.
Yale HWs – The Yale heavyweight crew team rowed its home opener in style Saturday as all five of its crews defeated the Dartmouth Big Green. The conditions on the Housatonic were near perfect during the freshman race as the Yale Class of 2014 tasted victory for the first time after losing by one second to Brown two weeks ago. The Yale varsity eight also turned things around after a disappointing finish against Brown with a five second victory over the Big Green to capture the Olympic Axe for the eighth year in a row.
After a 20-minute delay to let the morning fog roll through, racing began with the third varsity eight. Yale started down six seats because it had the inside lane, but the Bulldogs had their bow in front before the first 20 strokes were through. Yale had open water by the 500-meter mark and walked it up even further around the inside of the turn. Yale won in a time of 6:01.6 to Dartmouth's 6:14.1.
Dartmouth had its most inspired race in the freshman eight event. The Big Green outpaced Yale at the start, hitting a 39 stroke rate to Yale's 37. At the halfway point only about three or four seats separated the two crews, but with favor to Yale. Yale stepped out slowly but surely, and with a five-seat lead heading into the last 500 the Bulldogs won in 6:01.6, a length ahead of Dartmouth in 6:04.6.
In the second varsity eight Yale was again on the inside. The Bulldogs had a six seat lead going into the second 500 and broke open water by the half despite Dartmouth making a big move around the turn. Yale crossed the line in 5:50.5, the fastest time of the day. Dartmouth finished two lengths behind in 5:56.2.
By the time the varsity eight went off a slight headwind had started to blow. With half of its members newly moved into the boat, the Bulldogs, however, handled the conditions and rowed a clean race down their home course. Yale's time was 5:54.5 to Dartmouth's 5:59.6, a gap over twice as big as last year's margin of victory, when the Yale HW crew also swept Dartmouth on the Connecticut River in Hanover, NH.
Half the rowers on the first varsity boat were changed, with a new stern section in particular, because having the most developed eight is more important than a fixed “best” group of eight, explained head coach Steve Gladstone.
By allowing for inter-squad competition and giving rowers the chance to move up to a higher boat, the team is able to field the best crews it can on race day, he said.
“There are going to be variations, movements in the boats, but I was particularly pleased with the rhythm the stern section produced,” he said. “When some of your most competitive days are in the workouts, by race day [the rowers will] be well prepared.”
The heavyweights are at home again next weekend as they host Penn and Columbia for the Blackwell Cup. The Bulldogs took the Blackwell Cup [reportedly the largest trophy in US Collegiate rowing] last year by a 2.5 second margin.
Navy HWs – The Navy men's heavyweight crew capped off an undefeated inaugural weekend with the Mids 1V and defeating Oxford in the Potomac Challenge Cup final to be crowned the George Washington Invitational Champions. Oxford's eight was made up of four members of its `Blue' boat and four members of its Isis reserve boat. Navy got out to an early lead on Oxford in the PCC Final race and clocked a 5:41.3 to come in 11 seconds ahead of Oxford (5:52.5).
"It was another strong performance with all over our crews winning," head coach Rick Clothier said. "In our Varsity Eight, we got away early from Oxford and kept moving through the middle of the race. I was very proud of our pace. This was a nice first regatta for us but things get tougher and we are determined to get better."
Navy's 2V Eight also were winners [5:49.7] leading Navy's 3V [5:57.2] and George Washington [6:11.1]. Both Navy Plebe boats were also winners over GW. The Mids 1F (5:50.6) defeated the GW 1F (6:10) and Navy's 2F (6:06.6) bested GW (6:27.2) by large margins.
The Navy men's heavyweight rowing team got off to a strong start in its first competition of the spring on Saturday in the first day of the George Washington Invitational on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The course was 2,000 meters with a light crosswind and a light tailwind.
"This was our first racing of the season and I thought all of the crews handled the first race jitters pretty well," head coach Rick Clothier said. "Georgetown has a nice varsity crew and we knew they were good a strong opponent and they proved to be a worthy opponent as we only beat them by about a boat length. Our second eight was great too, I would take my hat off to them. They had times that were close to our varsity eight"
Navy's varsity eight picked up a pair of wins, defeating both Georgetown (5:44.6 – 5:50.6) in the morning by six seconds and beating Holy Cross in the afternoon by almost 20 seconds (5:41.9 – 6:00.4).
The men's second varsity eight also won both races against the Crusaders and Hoyas on Saturday —
-
Navy 2V [5:45], Navy 3V [5:52.6], Holy Cross [6:04.6]
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Navy 2V [5:58.7], Navy 3V [6:07], Georgetown [6:23.8]
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Navy 1F [5:49], Navy 2F [5:55.9], Holy Cross 1F [6:05.6]
-
Navy 1F [5:57.3], Georgetown 1F [6:14.8]
-
Navy 2F [6:13.4], Georgetown 2F [7:00.7]
Rebounding from its 2.5 second loss to Cornell last weekend, the first varsity boat beat Dartmouth by eight seconds to claim the Class of 1985 Cup for the 12th straight year.
"Today was a step forward for us as a team," said Yale head coach Will Porter. "It was an ugly win, but we needed to become more physical in our approach to covering the distance."
“It is still very early in the northeast, the weather and water is just starting to warm up, I feel like we are just starting to get going and I do not think this group is at top speed yet,” Porter said.
He said that this week’s race was a mental improvement from the previous week’s piece, particularly in the more aggressive way that Yale rowed. Porter attributed the change to the hard work during the week after the loss to Cornell.
The varsity won by eight seconds, finishing in 6:50.1. Dartmouth (6:58.1) was second followed by Boston University (7:09.6).
The second varsity had a similar margin of victory. The Bulldogs finished in 7:02.5, a little more than seven seconds faster than second-place Dartmouth. BU (7:25.0) was a distant third.
The varsity four with coxswain cruised to a 13-second victory. The Bulldogs crossed the line in 7:53.1, nearly 13 seconds faster than second-place Dartmouth.
The third varsity eight had the easiest race of the day, winning by 23 seconds.
The victory Saturday came one week after Yale's varsity eight fell to Cornell.
"Don't count this group out yet," Porter said. "We are young and really just getting started figuring out what we can do and how much is in our tank. We figured some things out last week and it carried over into our racing."
Next weekend Yale faces No. 1 Princeton and No. 9 Ohio State at home.
The Princeton crew is “amazing,” Porter said, adding that Yale will have to row its best to win.
"Obviously a great day for Navy rowing as we swept all of our races," head coach Mike Hughes said. "We won three of our four races by a pretty big margin and our Varsity Eight was close but we won in what was a heck of a barnburner."
The Varsity Eight had a hard-fought and close victory over George Washington to highlight Navy's action. The Mids crossed at 6:40.2 and George Washington came in at 6:41.3.
Navy had much easier wins over George Washington in the 2nd Varsity Eight, the Varsity A Four and the Varsity B Four. The 2nd Varsity won by 13 seconds, the Varsity A Four by 20 seconds and the Varsity B Four won by nine seconds.
Navy's Varsity Eight split a pair of races for the women's rowing team on the first day of the George Washington Invitational on Saturday on the Potomac River. Navy also got a strong performance from its Varsity "A" Four, as they defeated Columbia. The Varsity Eight clocked a 6:35.3 to narrowly edge MIT (6:38.2). The Varsity "A" Four came in at 7:31.6 to finish ahead of Columbia (7:37.0).
"Our four looked good in beating Columbia. We were ranked fifth in the region in the four and Columbia was fifth so we should be moving up in the rankings," head coach Mike Hughes said.
The women's 2nd Varsity Eight also picked up a win over MIT (6:52.7 – 7:21.1).
- On Saturday on the Schuylkill in the Mathews & Leonard Cup. Harvard LWs swept Penn with the Crimson 1V winning 5:46.4 – 5:55.1. Cornell did not compete.
- On Sunday on Lake Carnegie, Harvard LWs took 2 [1V and 2V] of 4 from Georgetown with the Crimson 1V winning 5:48.9 – 5:52.5.
- Dartmouth LWs took 3 [1V, 2V and 2F] of 5 from Delaware with the Big Green 1V winning 6:00.3 – 6:09.3.
- In the Stein Cup on the Charles River, Harvard HWs swept Brown with the Cantab 1V winning 5:55.2 – 5:57.8
- Princeton HWs swept all races over Columbia and Penn in the Childs Cup on the Schuylkill. In the 1V the finish was Princeton 5:28, Columbia 5:31 and Penn 5:39.6
- At the George Washington Invitational, Cornell HWs swept 9 races over George Washington, Gonzaga and Georgetown
EARC HM:
- Bill Cup: Rutgers vs. Boston University/Dartmouth, Raritan River, New Brunswick, NJ
- Dreissigacker Cup: Brown vs. Northeastern, Seekonk River, Providence, RI
- Blackwell Cup: Yale vs. Penn/Columbia, Housatonic River, Derby, CT
- Goes Cup and Stagg Trophy: Cornell vs. Navy/Syracuse, Cayuga Inlet, Ithaca, NY
- Compton Cup: Princeton vs. Harvard/MIT, Carnegie Lake, Princeton, NJ
EARC LM:
- Platt Cup: Cornell vs. Princeton, Cayuga Inlet, Ithaca, NY
- Biglin Bowl: Harvard vs. Dartmouth/MIT, Charles River, Boston, MA
- Dodge Cup: Yale vs. Columbia/Penn, Housatonic River, Derby, CT
- Georgetown vs. Navy/Delaware, Potomac River, Washington, DC
- Cornell vs. St. Joseph's, Cayuga Inlet, Ithaca, NY
EAWRC:
- Holy Cross vs. MIT, Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, MA
- Raritan Cup: Cornell vs. Rutgers/Pennsylvania, Cayuga Inlet, Ithaca, NY
- Georgetown vs. Navy, Potomac River, Washington, DC
- Eisenberg Cup: Yale vs. Princeton/Ohio State, Housatonic River, Derby, CT
- Charles River Challenge: Boston Univ., Northeastern, Dartmouth, Radcliffe, Syracuse, Ohio State, Louisville, Minnesota, Charles River, Boston, MA
Coach and TB406
From Yale Sports:
Y150 Sweeps Georgetown, MIT
NEW HAVEN, CT – The Yale lightweight rowing team won all four events against Georgetown and MIT this morning, with the varsity eight earning the Joy Cup with a 1.1-second victory over the Hoyas. All races saw favorable conditions, with a slight headwind increasing over the course of the day.
Competition opened with the freshman eights, as Yale took an early lead and kept it for the entirety of the race, winning in a time of 6:03.2. Georgetown was 6.5 seconds back, crossing the line with a time of 6:09.7, while MIT finished well back in 6:28.2
In the second varsity eights, Yale raced two boats, finishing first and second. The Yale 2V, starting from the center lane, finished first in 5:52.7. The Yale 3V maintained contact with their teammates for much of the race but fell behind in the last 500 meters, finishing with a time of 5:58.5. Georgetown finished in 6:07.5.
Yale's varsity eight, ranked No. 6 in the nation, was next, winning a hard-fought race with No. 4 Georgetown and No. 11 MIT. Yale had the advantage early, gaining a lead of as much as six to eight seats at the midway point. Georgetown moved into the Bulldogs in the second half, but Yale held on for a 1.1-second win, finishing in 5:53.4. MIT finished in 6:17.1
In the day's final race, Yale's fourth varsity and second freshman combination eight defeated Georgetown and MIT's second freshman eights. Yale finished in 6:28.7, Georgetown finished in 6:43.3, and MIT finished in 6:45.8.
=============================================================================
From Yale Daily News:
LIGHTWEIGHT CREW | Yale takes Joy Cup by 1.1 seconds
The lightweight boats are celebrating their victories this weekend, but the team has only four weekends remaining until championship season begins.
Last year, Yale lightweight crew won all its races against MIT and Georgetown. The team repeated the feat Saturday, sweeping all four races and earning the Joy Cup for the first varsity boat’s 1.1 second victory over the Hoyas.
“Our opponents in the lightweight league have, by rule, the same physical characteristics that we have … and this is a powerful crucible in which to be measured,” head coach Andy Card said. “In terms of wins and losses, we passed the test, since we finished ahead in each race.”
In every race, the Yale boat beat out its competitors by five seconds or more — except the first varsity race. There, the Bulldogs pulled out to a six-to-eight seat lead by the midway point of the race, only to see Georgetown counter and make up enough water in the second half to give Yale a narrow 1.1-second win.
Still, Card said there is more speed to be sought from every crew, a view echoed by captain Andrew Hakanson ’11 and varsity-boat stroke Will Zeng ’11.
“We need to focus on whatever race is next,” Hakanson said. “We must take it one race at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Each week the team endeavors to learn something about itself or its opponents, and uses that knowledge to enable it to go faster, he added.
Zeng said that although there is more work to be done, the contributions of the sophomore rowers in the first varsity boat — Brendan Harrington ’13, Patrick O’Keefe ’13 and Tom Swartz ’13 — ought to be recognized.
“This is their first year in the varsity program and they've made the transition smoothly and effectively to be a strong part of our boat’s speed,” Zeng said.
Looking ahead, the Elis have just four races to go before the championship season begins with the May 15 Eastern Sprints.
Because the spring racing season is so short, it has a start and end, but no “middle,” Card said.
“Improvements have to be made quickly, holes have to be patched, and deficits have to be overcome,” he said. “The spring season is so intense, it’s what oarsmen live for!”
But he said it is still too early in the season to tell how fast the Yale boats are compared to those of other schools, something that Zeng explained is made more difficult by the tight competition at the top end.
Next weekend, the Bulldogs will take on Penn and Columbia on the Housatonic for the Dodge Cup. Card said he has not seen enough of either Penn or Columbia to make a judgment about their speed and how it will stack up against Yale, but Zeng said the team would aim to do what it does every week — move the boat as fast as possible.
“I look forward to having another home race where we can hopefully end up on top,” Hakanson said.
Spectators can watch this Saturday’s races from the Gilder Boathouse, which Card described as the “best facility to watch a regatta.” Racing kicks off at 9 a.m.
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From Navy Sports:
Lightweight Rowing Tops Columbia at Home
 |
 Navy recorded wins in two races on Saturday. |
April 9, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, MD. – The Navy men's lightweight rowing team picked up a win on Saturday when it defeated Columbia on the Severn River in Annapolis.
Navy's first varsity boat posted a time of 6:11.4, while Columbia finished second with a 6:17.4.
"It was our first win of the season, so it was certainly nice to get that," said head coach Steve Perry. "We rowed a much stronger first half of the race today and settled into a great rhythm."
In the second varsity race, Navy also took the top spot. The Mids' second varsity boat cruised to a first place finish as it clocked a 6:21.0. Columbia posted a time of 6:41.4.
Navy had two boats competing in the freshman race, but it was Columbia that picked up the top spot. The Lions' first freshman boat posted 6:21.4 to take first place, followed by the Navy first freshman boat that registered a time of 6:23.0.
"I was happy with the strong rows our crews put out," Perry said. "The freshmen rowed very strongly and we were happy to have Columbia here today."
Navy will be back in action next weekend in Washington, D.C., when it takes on Georgetown at 10 a.m. on the Potomac River.
1V
1. Navy, 6:11.4
2. Columbia, 6:17.4
2V
1. Navy, 6:21.0
2. Columbia, 6:41.4
1F
1. Columbia, 6:21.4
2. Navy (1F), 6:23.0
3. Navy (2F), 6:48.8
=============================================================================
From Yale Sports:
Heavyweights Sweep Dartmouth for Eighth Consecutive Olympic Axe
"Today was our first chance since our meeting with Brown to put together a more complete race," said Marcos Carzolio, one of the seniors in the Yale varsity eight. True the Bulldogs have not had to give up the Axe for the past three years and with Saturday's win the senior class is four for four, but in truth Yale has not lost this race since the two schools began racing for the trophy in 2004.
After a 20-minute delay to let the morning fog roll through, racing began with the third varsity eight. Yale started down six seats because it had the inside lane, but the Bulldogs had their bow in front before the first 20 strokes were through. Yale had open water by the 500-meter mark and walked it up even further around the inside of the turn. Yale won in a time of 6:01.6 to Dartmouth's 6:14.1.
Dartmouth had its most inspired race in the freshman eight event. The Big Green outpaced Yale at the start, hitting a 39 stroke rate to Yale's 37. At the halfway point only about three or four seats separated the two crews, but with favor to Yale. Yale stepped out slowly but surely, and with a five-seat lead heading into the last 500 the Bulldogs really turned it on. Yale won in 6:01.6, a length ahead of Dartmouth in 6:04.6.
In the second varsity eight Yale was again on the inside. The Bulldogs had a six seat lead going into the second 500 and broke open by the half despite Dartmouth making a big move around the turn. Yale crossed the line in 5:50.5, the fastest time of the day. Dartmouth finished two lengths behind in 5:56.2.
By the time the varsity eight went off a slight headwind had started to blow. The Bulldogs, however, handled the conditions famously and rowed a clean race down their home course. Yale's time was 5:54.5 to Dartmouth's 5:59.6, a gap over twice as big as last year's margin of victory.
The last race of the day was a 4V/2F exhibition race. In the past, each of these two programs have not always had enough depth to field a fourth varsity eight, and that both of them were able to send one down the course on Saturday is good sign of more fast racing to come in future years. In the worst conditions of the day the Yale fourth varsity won in 6:14.9, a time that would have rivaled that of the Dartmouth third varsity. The Dartmouth fourth eight crossed the line in 6:55.6, giving Yale over a 40 second margin of victory.
With the Yale women's team sweeping Boston University and Dartmouth to claim the Class of 1985 Cup and the Yale lightweights sweeping Georgetown and MIT to claim the Joy Cup, it was a great day of racing and a great day to be a Yale rower.
The heavyweights are at home again next weekend as they host Penn and Columbia for the Blackwell Cup.
=============================================================================
From Yale Daily News:
HEAVYWEIGHT CREW | Clean sweep for heavyweights
The Yale heavyweight crew team won the Olympic Axe on Saturday for the eighth year in a row. The team beat Dartmouth by five seconds in the 2000-meter race.
With half of its members newly moved into the boat, the first varsity eight left Dartmouth in its wake on Saturday to take the Olympic Axe for the eighth consecutive year.
By the end of the 2000 meter race, the Bulldogs were around five seconds ahead of the Big Green. That number — five — was also the total number of Yale boats that tasted victory on the Housatonic River over the weekend, as the home team enjoyed a clean sweep.
“All of our boats had strong performances,” captain Derek Johnson ’11 said. “We enjoyed the victory today, but we'll go out on the water tomorrow determined to get faster.”
The successful result was no different from last year, when all four Yale boats out-rowed Dartmouth to victory.
Still, the win came despite major changes to the makeup of the first varsity boat over the past week, which Johnson said was part of an ongoing process until the team finds its best combination.
Half the rowers on the first varsity boat were changed, with a new stern section in particular, because having the most developed eight is more important than a fixed “best” group of eight, explained head coach Steve Gladstone.
By allowing for inter-squad competition and giving rowers the chance to move up to a higher boat, the team is able to field the best crews it can on race day, he said.
“There are going to be variations, movements in the boats, but I was particularly pleased with the rhythm the stern section produced,” he said. “When some of your most competitive days are in the workouts, by race day [the rowers will] be well prepared.”
Alex Matrimonies ’11, another oarsman in the varsity boat, said technique, fitness and racing mentality were three areas the team was working on, adding that the goal is to “improve every day.”
While Gladstone said the team was working to develop greater ease at race pace, Tom Deathless ’12 said the current focus of the team was to establish a strong race midsection, explaining that Saturday’s race was not won at the start or finish but through the body of the piece.
“Later, when the championship season gets underway we'll look to fine tune our speed at pace so that we can put together a complete race,” Deathless said.
The Elis still have a month to go before the May 15 Eastern Sprints that mark the start of the championship season.
Next Saturday, they will race crews from Columbia and Penn on the Housatonic for the Blackwell Cup, a contest that team members said would likely not be easy.
“Penn and Columbia are solid teams,” Matrimonies said. “We'll spend the week working to make our boats as fast as possible with the intent of winning all the races, again.”
While Penn has been a “bit off the pace recently,” Gladstone said that although such predictions are not particularly useful, he expects Columbia to be strong based on the development of their rowing program in the last five to six years.
“Projecting other teams’ speed is not really interesting — what is interesting is the potential for development in our squad,” he said.
The Bulldogs took out the Blackwell Cup last year by a 2.5 second margin.
Yale’s boats will take to the water from 9.00 a.m. Saturday, and spectators can look on from the Glider Boathouse.
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From Navy Sports:
Men's Heavyweight Crew Crowned George Washington Invitational Champions
|
 Navy won the GW Invitational Championship |
April 10, 2011
Washington, D.C. – The Navy men's heavyweight crew capped off an undefeated weekend with its Varsity Eight crew and defeated Oxford in the Potomac Challenge Cup final to be crowned the George Washington Invitational Champions. Navy competed on the Potomac River on a 2,000-meter course with a light cross headwind and a moderate tail current.
Oxford's eight was made up of four members of its `Blue' boat and four members of its second boat. Navy got out to an early lead on Oxford in the PCC Final race and clocked a 5:41.3 to come in 11 seconds ahead of Oxford (5:52.5).
"It was another strong performance with all over our crews winning," head coach Rick Clothier said. "In our Varsity Eight, we got away early from Oxford and kept moving through the middle of the race. I was very proud of our pace. This was a nice first regatta for us but things get tougher and we are determined to get better."
Navy's 2nd Varsity Eight was also victorious at 5:49.7 to beat Navy's B team and George Washington and Navy's Freshman Eight (5:50.6) and its 2nd Freshmen Eight (6:06.6) also picked up wins over GW.
Navy will next compete against Cornell and Syracuse for the Goes Cup next weekend in Ithaca, N.Y.
Day Two Results
Potomac Challenge Cup Final Men's Varsity Eight Navy 5:41.3 Oxford 5:52.5
Men's 2nd Varsity Eight Navy 5:49.7 Navy B 5:57.2 George Washington 6:11.1
Men's Freshmen Eight Navy 5:50.6 George Washington 6:10.0
Men's 2nd Freshmen Eight Navy 6:06.6 George Washington 6:27.2
=============================================================================
From Navy Sports:
Men's Heavyweight Crew Starts Strong at George Washington Invitational
|
 Navy won all of its races on Saturday |
April 9, 2011
Washington, D.C. – The Navy men's heavyweight rowing team got off to a strong start in its first competition of the spring on Saturday in the first day of the George Washington Invitational on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The course was 2,000 meters with a light crosswind and a light tailwind.
"This was our first racing of the season and I thought all of the crews handled the first race jitters pretty well," head coach Rick Clothier said. "Georgetown has a nice varsity crew and we knew they were good a strong opponent and they proved to be a worthy opponent as we only beat them by about a boat length. Our second eight was great too, I would take my hat off to them. They had times that were close to our varsity eight"
Navy's varsity eight picked up a pair of wins, defeating both Georgetown (5:44.6 – 5:50.6) in the morning by six seconds and beating Holy Cross in the afternoon by almost 20 seconds (5:41.9 – 6:00.4).
The men's second varsity eight also won both races on Saturday, as did the freshman eight crew.
Navy will have its 2nd Varsity, Freshmen and 2nd Freshmen crews competing on Sunday as action continues at the George Washington Invitational.
Day One Results
Men's Varsity Eight Navy 5:44.6 Georgetown 5:50.6
Men's Varsity Eight Navy 5:41.9 Holy Cross 6:00.4
Navy 2nd Varsity Eight Navy 5:45.0 Navy 3/V Eight 5:52.6 Holy Cross 6:04.6
Men's 2nd Varsity Eight Navy 5:58.7 Navy 3/V 6:07.0 Georgetown 6:23.8
Men's Freshmen Eight Navy 5:49.0 Navy 2nd Freshman Eight 5:55.9 Holy Cross 6:05.6
Men's Freshmen Eight Navy 5:57.3 Georgetown 6:14.8
Men's 2nd Freshmen Eight Navy 6:13.4 Georgetown 7:00.7
=============================================================================
From Yale Sports:
Bulldogs Sweep Dartmouth, Boston University
Yale Wins Class of 1985 Cup
BOSTON – The Yale women's crew rolled to victory in all four races against Dartmouth and Boston University on the Charles River. The victory in the varsity eight allowed Yale to retain the Class of 1985 Cup for the 12th straight year.
"Today was a step forward for us as a team," said Yale head coach Will Porter. "It was an ugly win, but we needed to become more physical in our approach to covering the distance."
The varsity eight of coxswain Sarah Brownlee, Eliza Hastings, Catherine McDermott, Dar Dickson, Armine Afeyan, Natalie King, Caroline Nash, Maddie Lips and Stephanie Madner won by eight seconds, finishing in 6:50.1. Dartmouth (6:58.1) was second followed by Boston University (7:09.6).
The second varsity had a similar margin of victory. The Bulldogs finished in 7:02.5, a little more than seven seconds faster than second-place Dartmouth. BU (7:25.0) was a distant third. The crew for Yale was coxswain Kristen Brownlee, Elizabeth McDermott, Amber Anderson, Kathleen O'Keefe, Claire Tolson, Kathryn D'Andrea, Jen Stockwood, Nikki Grigg and Emily Tormey.
The varsity four of coxswain Margaret Ayers, Alexandra Fields, Elizabeth Kalina, Georgia Separovich and Brittany Bowman cruised to a 13-second victory. The Bulldogs crossed the line in 7:53.1, nearly 13 seconds faster than second-place Dartmouth.
The third varsity eight of Elisa Visher, Mary Barrosse-Antle, Lily Blair, Abby Loucks, Lauren Ross, Reynolds Ostrover, Sabrina Malak, Melissa Weigel and Madeleine Faucher had the easiest race of the day, winning by 23 seconds.
The victory Saturday came one week after Yale's varsity eight fell to Cornell.
"Don't count this group out yet," Porter said. "We are young and really just getting started figuring out what we can do and how much is in our tank. We figured some things out last week and it carried over into our racing."
The Bulldogs race Princeton and Ohio State next Saturday on the Housatonic River.
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From Yale Daily News
W. CREW | Women’s crew triumphs in Boston
All four women’s crew boats won their races on Sat., with the first varsity boat finishing eight seconds ahead of Dartmouth.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Boston University and Dartmouth were no match for Yale women’s crew last weekend.
Rebounding from its 2.5 second loss to Cornell last weekend, the first varsity boat beat Dartmouth by eight seconds to claim the Class of 1985 Cup. Meanwhile, the second varsity won by seven seconds, the varsity four by 13 seconds and the third varsity by a whopping 23 seconds. Rowers were enthusiastic about their team’s performance but head coach Will Porter cautioned that the season is still early and there was much ahead for the No. 10 Bulldogs.
“It is still very early in the northeast, the weather and water is just starting to warm up, I feel like we are just starting to get going and I do not think this group is at top speed yet,” Porter said.
He said that this week’s race was a mental improvement from the previous week’s piece, particularly in the more aggressive way that Yale rowed. Porter attributed the change to the hard work during the week after the loss to Cornell.
Captain Caroline Nash ’11 agreed with Porter’s analysis that the team had changed its attitude. She said that they had not been ready for a competitive race against Cornell and were unprepared when Cornell kept up with them.
“What we sort of learned from our season this far is that it’s going to be a sort of unpredictable season,” Nash said. “The only way you can deal with that sort of unpredictability is by going into every single race as though it is the toughest race of your season.”
Yale got a quick start at the Head of the Charles, said Sarah Brownlee ’11, and around the 500-meter mark, the coxswain announced to the team that they had gained the lead. Nonetheless, Nash said, the team continued to row as hard as it could, even once its victory was assured. She described her team’s mentality as “100 percent effort every single stroke.”
Nash said that she was impressed by the rowing of the third varsity boat, which has won by 23 seconds, 11 seconds, and 20 seconds in its past three races. The rowers’ speed has created upward pressure on the rest of the team to row faster, she said.
“The ‘3V’ has been really feisty,” Nash said.
The goal of the third varsity is to get to the maximum amount of speed that they can, said Mary Barrosse-Antle ’11, the stroke of the third varsity. The stroke is the first rower on the boat and the one who determines the rhythm for the rest of the rowers.
The third varsity boat has not lost a race this spring season.
“We have been lucky to find a rhythm that works for us so far,” Barrosse-Antle said.
The second varsity has also been consistently strong, winning all of its pieces, though not by as great margins as the third varsity.
Lizzy McDermott ’12, the second varsity stroke, said that their victory this weekend was due to her boat’s hard work during the week. The boat found a good rhythm early and held on to it to win. They paid no attention to the other boats and focused only on themselves, she said.
“I’m really proud of everyone in the boat,” McDermott said. “I think we raced maturely.”
More work was ahead for the team, McDermott added.
Next weekend Yale faces No. 1 Princeton and No. 9 Ohio State at home. The Princeton crew is “amazing,” Porter said, adding that Yale will have to row its best to win.
Nash said that racing against very talented teams, like Princeton, would drive the team to achieve its goal: the fastest 2000-meter piece they could race. Difficult races are opportunities for speed improvements, she said.
“It helps to have blazing speed bearing down on you,” Nash said.
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From Navy Sports:
Women's Rowing Sweeps George Washington
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 Navy won all four of its races on Sunday |
April 10, 2011
Washington, D.C. – The Navy women's rowing team posted four wins including a close victory over George Washington in the Varsity Eight to conclude action at the George Washington Invitational on the Potomac River on Sunday. The Mids competed on a 2,000-meter course with a light cross headwind and a moderate tail current.
"Obviously a great day for Navy rowing as we swept all of our races," head coach Mike Hughes said. "We won three of our four races by a pretty big margin and our Varsity Eight was close but we won in what was a heck of a barnburner."
The Varsity Eight had a hard-fought and close victory over George Washington to highlight Navy's action. The Mids crossed at 6:40.2 and George Washington came in at 6:41.3.
Navy had much easier wins over George Washington in the 2nd Varsity Eight, the Varsity A Four and the Varsity B Four. The 2nd Varsity won by 13 seconds, the Varsity A Four by 20 seconds and the Varsity B Four won by nine seconds.
Navy will return to Washington, D.C. next weekend to compete against Georgetown.
Day Two Results
Varsity Eight Navy 6:40.2 George Washington 6:41.3
2nd Varsity Eight Navy 6:43.1 George Washington 6:56.3
Varsity A Four Navy 7:24.3 George Washington 7:44.3
Varsity B Four Navy 7:44.0 George Washington 7:53.7
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From Navy Sports:
Varsity Eight Splits for Navy Women's Crew at George Washington Invitational
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 Navy's Varsity Eight defeated MIT on Saturday |
April 9, 2011
Washington, D.C. – Navy's Varsity Eight split a pair of races for the women's rowing team on the first day of the George Washington Invitational on Saturday on the Potomac River. Navy also got a strong performance from its Varsity "A" Four, as they defeated Columbia. The course was 2,000 meters with a light crosswind and a light tailwind.
The Varsity Eight clocked a 6:35.3 to narrowly edge MIT (6:38.2). The Varsity "A" Four came in at 7:31.6 to finish ahead of Columbia (7:37.0).
"Our four looked good in beating Columbia. We were ranked fifth in the region in the four and Columbia was fifth so we should be moving up in the rankings," head coach Mike Hughes said.
The women's 2nd Varsity Eight also picked up a win over MIT (6:52.7 – 7:21.1).
Action continues at the GW Invitational on Sunday.
Day One Results
Women's Varsity Eight Navy 6:35.2 MIT 6:38.2
Women's Varsity Eight Columbia 6:44.1 Navy 6:55.1
Women's 2nd Varsity Eight Navy 6:52.7 MIT 7:21.1
Women's 2nd Varsity Eight Columbia 6:56.1 Navy 7:03.4
Women's 3rd Varsity Eight Georgetown no time St. Joseph's +02.4 Navy + 09.0
Women's Varsity A Four Navy 7:31.6 Columbia 7:37.0
Women's Varsity B Four Columbia 7:54.7 Navy 8:15.0
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From Row2k:
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From Row2k:
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EARC LW Men: Dartmouth College vs. U. of Delaware April 9, 2011; Lake Lillinonah, CT
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From Row2k:
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EARC HW Men: Stein Cup Harvard University vs. Brown University April 9, 2011; Charles River, Boston, MA
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From Row2k:
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EARC HW Men: Childs Cup: Pennsylvania, Princeton, Columbia April 9, 2011; Schuylkill River
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Collegiate Women: Class of 1975 Cup Harvard-Radcliffe vs. Princeton and Cornell April 9, 2011; Charles River
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From Row2k:
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EARC LW Men: Georgetown vs. Harvard April 10, 2011; Lake Carnegie, Princeton, NJ
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From the Harvard Crimson:
During Second Weekend, Crimson Crews Nearly Perfect
Shown here in an earlier race, the Harvard heavyweights swept rival Brown in five events on the Charles this weekend, taking back the Stein Cup and avenging its only varsity dual loss of last season. The lightweight crews found similar success against Georgetown and Penn, dropping only two races.
For Harvard crew, perfection is never far away. And in both teams’ second weekends of racing, the varsity crews finished with clean sweeps over their competition. Only losses on Sunday by the freshman lightweights kept the Crimson from a flawless weekend.
“We definitely put some stuff together,” said junior Austin Meyer, seven seat of the lightweight first varsity eight. “It was all around a really powerful weekend.”
No. 2 LIGHTWEIGHTS vs. No. 4 GEORGETOWN
How much of a difference can two spots in the rankings make?
More than a boat length.
On Princeton’s Lake Carnegie, Harvard had little trouble dispatching the Hoyas’ first and second varsity eights.
“We took a length on Georgetown in the first 500 meters,” Meyer said of the first varsity eight race. “We really shot out and sat on Georgetown and just kind of responded whenever they tried to move, and we were able to pull away.”
The second varsity eight race proved to be a battle not between 2Vs but between the Hoyas’ second varsity eight and Harvard’s third varsity eight. Georgetown was able to beat the 3V by around a boat length.
“The 3V was tenacious,” said Crimson freshman coach Linda Muri. “They raced in that and did a very strong showing.”
Harvard’s only losses of the weekend came in the two freshman races. The 2F raced Georgetown in an eight after racing in fours the day before.
“I thought that was a remarkable performance,” Muri said of the 2F. “They really rolled with the punches all weekend.”
LIGHTWEIGHTS vs. No. 10 PENN
A race originally intended to be a stroke-for-stroke battle turned into a blowout.
Saturday’s race had originally pitted Harvard against No. 3 Cornell and the Quakers, but the Big Red canceled its trip to the Schuylkill for undisclosed reasons.
Penn might be wishing that it too had canceled the trip to its home river, after it was swept by the Crimson.
Not only did Harvard win all of its races, but the Crimson’s second and third varsity eights posted times that were better than those of the Quakers’ first and second varsity eights, respectively.
“We went into the race knowing that we should win,” Meyer said of the first varsity eight race, which his boat won by 8.7 seconds. “We got a strong start and had a nice, cool, relaxed, powerful rhythm.”
The second varsity eight was even more dominant, winning the race by 13.2 seconds.
Arguably the highlight of the day was the first freshman race. After the first freshman eight lost to Delaware two weekends ago, it came back to beat a Penn squad that took down the Blue Hens’ 1F last weekend.
“It was great to see our first freshman [eight] beat a crew that beat a crew that beat them,” Meyer said. “They looked really strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing them improve throughout the season.”
Harvard completed the sweep with a win in the second freshman race. Both of the Crimson’s second freshman fours beat the Quakers’ entry in the race.
No. 3 HEAVYWEIGHTS vs. No. 7 BROWN
In the first race of the weekend, Harvard won all of its races against its rival from Providence in the lone home men’s race of the weekend.
“Overall it was a great show of our depth and the commitment of all our guys—all the guys in the boat club—to have a sweep of Brown, which hasn't happened in a while,” said junior Nick Jordan, who rowed in the six seat of the first varsity eight.
The first varsity eight opened up the day with a 2.6 second win a year after the Bears dealt the Crimson 1V its only dual loss all season.
“We were sort of jumpy off the start and actually had a really, really fast first 500 and got up to basically a length lead [in the] first 400, 300-400 meters,” Jordan said.
But in the middle 1000 of the race, the Bears were able to push their bow back into Harvard’s hull.
“We took it a little high off the start, and then in the middle of the race, we got a little bit complacent,” Jordan said. “They sort of moved back to a third of a length of overlap, and we sprinted away from them to maybe a full length. It was good to get a win, but we thought we could have put together a better performance, overall.”
The second varsity eight race had no such drama; the Crimson won by almost 12 seconds.
“They just smoked them,” Jordan said. “They just held them off the start and were taking a seat every three strokes, and they didn't stop the entire race … That was really fun to watch online.”
The 2V posted the biggest win of the day, while the third varsity eight, freshman eight, and fourth varsity/second freshman eight all defeated their Brown counterparts to ensure the sweep.
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