For the first time in over 12 years, the men’s heavyweight varsity eight crew captured the Carnegie Cup, defeating rivals Princeton and Yale. The last time Cornell won was in 1991, when lightweight coach Todd Kennett ’91 was a member of winning boat. This, plus the fact that heavyweight head coach Dan Allen used to coach Princeton, helped motivate the No. 6 Red to a win over the No. 7 Tigers.
The varsity eight boat finished with a time of 5:50.7, 1.3 seconds ahead of the Tigers’ 5:52.0. Yale pulled up the rear with a time of 5:55.8.
Junior John Lipiros, of the varsity eight boat, felt that the unusually warm Ithaca weather worked in the Red’s favor.
"We had flat water and great conditions. It was a nice day," Lipiros said.
With two even teams on the water, the race between Cornell and Princeton was expected to be a nailbiter. Neither team disappointed, as the two boats were neck-and-neck for much of the race.
However, Cornell finally pulled away around the first big turn and gained a boatlength advantage on the Tigers, a lead it would never relinquish. For the remainder of the race, Princeton pushed Cornell intermittently. Yet, each time the Tigers posed a threat, the heavyweights responded.
"It was tight the whole way, but we started pulling away at the end," Lipiros said. "After last week’s loss, this win will help set the tone for the next two weeks of practice."
In other heavyweight action, the third varsity eight boat posted a come-from-behind victory to beat Princeton with a time of 5:59.6. The Red finished 4.3 seconds in front of the Tigers, who clocked in at 6:02.8, and nearly 38 seconds ahead of the Bulldogs’ 6:37.0.
Men’s lightweight crew wrapped up the weekend with three victories over Dartmouth. The Red’s varsity eight boat was unable to capitalize on its teammates’ victories, though, finishing just four seconds shy of winning the Baggeley Cup.
The second varsity eight boat crossed the finish line a time of 6:08.2 ahead of Dartmouth’s 6:14.8. The Red’s third varsity eight boat also won with a time of 6:18.5 over the Green’s 6:44.3. In novice action, the Red rowed to a 6:15.0 finish, nearly five seconds better than its opponents 6:20.6.
"Overall, the entire team did well," Kennett said. "Unfortunately, we lost the one race we really wanted to win by a boatlength."
With important regattas on the horizon for the Red, Kennett sees many areas in which the Red can improve.
"We have some work left to do to prepare ourselves for Ivies in two weeks and then Nationals in five weeks," Kennett said.
And with mixed results this past weekend, the lightweights may look to make changes in their boats.
"I am going to do a little more selection. We will probably juggle the lineup some before Ivies," Kennett concluded.
The women’s crew finished third in the Dunn Bowl against Brown and Columbia. Brown swept the competition with five first-place finishes, while the Red secured four second-place wins.
The Red’s varsity eight crossed the line in 6:40.17, while the second varsity eight placed second in 6:30.11.
The women will be practicing for a home race against Dartmouth on May 3, while the men take a two week break from racing to prepare for the Eastern Sprints on May 11 in Worcester, Mass.
Archived article by Adrienne Dunbar