By TUCKER MAGGIO-HUCEK
In their third competition of their fall season, all three Cornell Rowing programs took to the Cayuga Lake Inlet. The Cornell Autumn Classic, which took place this past Saturday, was dominated by the home boats as the Red managed to pick up a victory in every race of the day. The men conquered a field that included boats from Ithaca College, Hobart, Mercyhurst and Syracuse, while the women matched their performance against Ithaca College.
The conditions on Saturday were less than hospitable as heavy winds and cold weather forced a change in the format of the competition. Winds strained the length of the racecourses and the coaches decided that the Autumn Classic would consist of a 3000-meter race and a 300-meter race. In order to determine the winner, each boat was timed for both races with the 300-meter race time being tripled. The boat with the fastest combination of the two races was the winner.
Despite the weather and format changes, senior Caitlin McDonnell said the event was a success.
“Overall it was a great opportunity for all three teams to see some good competition on the inlet as we wrap up our fall seasons,” she said.
The Cornell Lightweight boat won the first flight men’s varsity two race, edging out the Hobart A boat by an overall time of just under seven seconds. Although the Red finished second in the 3000-meter race, the squad had the best time in the sprint, which propelled them to eventual victory. A similar storyline followed by the Lightweight D boat, which struggled in the longer race but put up great numbers in the sprint. Its second place finish behind the varsity boat in the 300-meter sprint boosted them to the No. 3 spot overall, four seconds behind the Hobart A boat.
In the men’s varsity four race, the Red’s varsity heavyweight boat continued the trend of Cornell dominance. The squad won both halves of the competition and finished ahead of the second place boat, the Cornell Heavyweight C boat, by a considerable amount. The heavyweight varsity eight boat also edged out the competition despite finishing third in the 300-meter sprint. The boat’s overall time of 12:26 was over five seconds less than the Cornell Heavyweight B boat and 12 less than the third place finishers from Syracuse.
The Cornell women’s rowing team crushed its cross-town rivals, Ithaca College, in the Autumn Classic held at the Cayuga Lake Inlet. (Michaela Brew / Sun Staff Photographer).