The men’s heavyweight crew dominated Georgetown this weekend at its race in Princeton, N.J., while the women’s crew did not fare as well, falling short in its race for the second annual Cayuga Cup in Ithaca.
The Red took three of four races against the Hoyas on Lake Carnegie. Georgetown eked out a three-second victory in the first freshman eight race. Cornell won every other contest by a large margin.
“It was a very good effort,” said head coach Dan Roock. “All the boats rowed well.” Georgetown is not as strong as other competition the Red will face this year, but Roock was happy to get the team out on the water in a competitive setting.
“As many times as we can do it in a race situation, the better,” he said. “The boats were racing at a high level. Almost a surprisingly high level, given the amount of time we’ve been on the water.” Good weather conditions and flat water helped the Red.
“The crews didn’t row to the level of their opponent,” Roock said. “We rowed to our ability. It was a pretty solid race.”
The women’s team also turned in a strong performance this weekend, winning three of six races against Yale and Syracuse. But this was not enough to stop the Elis from taking home the Cayuga Cup for the second year in a row.
Yale, ranked No. 3 in the nation, pulled to victory in the first and second varsity eight races. The Red came away with victories in the freshman eight, and both the first and second varsity four races. Syracuse earned a lone win in the freshman four race.
“[Yale] is a good crew,” said head coach Melanie Onufrieff. “We raced them pretty well. We put together a good race, but still not our best.”
The Red crossed the line in 6:49.1 in the varsity eight race, three seconds behind Yale. “You never like to finish behind someone, but we made good improvements,” Onufrieff said. “We’re taking the right steps to be fast at the end of the season.”
Cornell is on the right track for the rest of the season and for seasons to come. The freshman eight beat Yale by 19 seconds, indicating the talent and strength the Red will be able to draw on next year.
“The freshman group is really good, great athletes,” Onufrieff said. “It bodes well for the future.” The Red beat the Orange for only the second time in six years.
Archived article by Olivia Dwyer
Sun Staff Writer