The men’s lightweight crew maintained hold of the Platt Cup for the second year in a row after defeating both Princeton and Rutgers Saturday morning on Cayuga Inlet by winning 3-of-5 races. Before last year, the men had not captured the trophy since 1992. This year also marks the first back-to-back years the Red has won the cup since the late 1960s.
The Red went on to defeat Ivy-rival Yale yesterday, winning each race except the first freshman.
The Red captured the first varsity race against Princeton and Rutgers in a time of 5:53.6, after establishing its lead early on and continuing to gain on each crew. It finished a full seven seconds ahead of second-place Rutgers (6:00.7). Princeton was third in 6:07.2.
“I was very excited about the outcomes of this weekend,” said head lightweight coach Todd Kennett ’91. “All three crews gave us different challenges during the races.”
The second varsity boat finished in a time of 6:03.3, ahead of both Princeton (6:07.9) and Rutgers (6:19.4). The third varsity boat was also victorious, crossing the line ahead of Princeton in 6:06.3.
The freshmen boats were not as successful as the varsity crews, but still put up a good showing. The first freshman finished third in 6:21, while the second freshman boat was second in 6:31.
“Even though they did not win, I was happy with the freshman crews,” Kennett said. “At points during each race, we were winning. As they improve, they will be a force to reckon with.”
Against Yale, the first varsity posted a time of 5:50.9 to Yale’s 5:54.1. The second (6:02.9) and third (6:14.8) varsity boats also finished well in front of the Bulldogs, who completed the course in 6:08.2 and 6:28, respectively.
“This weekend really came down to generating boat speed, and we were able to do that,” Kennett said.
Kennett went on to say that he hopes to see his crews improve in their slickness and ability to row higher over the remainder of the season.
The men’s heavyweight crew had a successful weekend as well, finishing second to Navy and defeating Syracuse Saturday morning. The Midshipmen retained the Goes Trophy, which is contested annually in this three-team competition. The Red last won the Goes three years ago, and since then, Navy has held onto it.
The men were second to Navy in all except the third varsity race, which they captured in 6:06.7. Navy finished in 6:08.9.
“The day shaped up very much as was expected,” said heavyweight head coach Dan Roock. “Navy gave us the strong competition we expected, and Syracuse did not as much.”
The Red finished the first varsity race in a time of 5:51.8, only 2.4 seconds behind Navy’s 5:49.4. Syracuse crossed the line in 5:59.6. The second varsity had similar results, finishing 2.1 seconds after Navy (5:53.4) in 5:55.5, while Syracuse finished in 6:01.4.
In both the first and second varsity races, Navy had very aggressive starts, putting them ahead of Cornell by a full boat length almost immediately and leading for the entirety of the race. The Midshipmen maintained their lead, even as the Red gained about half a second on them during the rest of the race.
“Although I was disappointed we did not win, the men put in a great effort,” Roock said. “Navy has had many more races than us so far this season, so we still have a lot to gain. I am very excited about the speed we have to gain during the rest of the season.”
Syracuse proved to have their greatest impact of the day in the first freshman race when they interfered with Cornell’s boat at the 1000 meter turn, leading the Orange to be disqualified. The Red finished in 6:16, well behind Navy (6:05.5).
The heavyweights travel to Princeton this weekend to compete against Princeton and Yale on Lake Carnegie.
Sunny skies and light wind greeted the women’s crew Saturday morning as they rowed to victory at home, sweeping Penn and Rutgers in all three eight competitions. The first varsity finished in 6:40.77, just ahead of Penn (6:42.13) and Rutgers (6:47.35).
The second varsity and novice eight had similar results. The second varsity crossed the line in 6:50.2, ahead of second place Penn (6:56.79) and third place Rutgers (6:56.79). The novice eight finished in 6:50.44, 4.31 seconds ahead of Rutgers.
The women meet Ivy League rivals Columbia and Brown this weekend in Providence.
Archived article by Erin Garry
Sun Staff Writer