All three Cornell crew teams kicked off their spring seasons with regattas this past weekend, bringing home various accolades while still seeking to improve overall performance.
The No. 2 ranked lightweight men’s crew team was successful at the Matthews Cup, starting the spring season off strong. The Red competed against Harvard and Penn on the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania.
The team won its 25th consecutive Matthews Trophy and also claimed its eighth straight Leonard Cup, which is awarded to the team that wins the majority of the eight races.
Both Penn and Harvard were ranked No. 5 going into the regatta and put up impressive performances. Harvard beat Cornell last year at this regatta, but due to its status as a guest participant, was not eligible to win any of the trophies.
The Cornell Lightweight Varsity 8 is a relatively young squad, featuring 3 sophomores. The boating assignments were successful in all four boats and led to their achievements on the water.
Men’s heavyweight had a home regatta on Cayuga Lake against Harvard and George Washington. The No. 12 Cornell team came in second after No. 3 Harvard, with No. 15 George Washington trailing at third overall in the contest.
Cornell came in second against Harvard in the Varsity Eight and Third Varsity Eight races. The Red came in third in the Second Varsity Eight and Fourth Varsity Eight races, with Harvard sweeping those races as well and George Washington coming in second.
“The varsity boat had a good race. The second varsity boat needed a lot of improvement; [they need to] find better connection to the water so they go faster,” said head coach Todd Kennett ’91. “As soon as you start … changing the lineups, that can change everything.”
With this past weekend’s being the first regatta of the spring season, the team needs to find their stride by putting together optimal lineups.
“We’ve seen the best. It gives us a goal of what we’re working towards,” Kennett said.
Women’s crew was successful in the Ivy Invitational this past weekend at Carnegie Lake in New Jersey. The Princeton Tigers took the Class of 1975 Cup for the fifth year in a row for its win with the Varsity 8.
Columbia swept Cornell in the Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 meets. Cornell was beaten by No. 5 Princeton and No. 14 Harvard-Radcliffe in the Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 4 meets. The Varsity 4 was second to Princeton, beating Harvard-Radcliffe by just under 3 seconds.
Women’s crew will travel to New Haven, Connecticut, to take on Yale next Saturday, April 13.
The lightweight men’s team will participate in the Platt Cup against Princeton in Ithaca on Saturday, April 13. The heavyweight men’s team will travel to Annapolis, Maryland, on April 20 to face off against Navy and Syracuse.