Men’s lightweight rowing continued its dominance over the weekend, following up its victory over No. 2 Princeton with another resumé-boosting win over No. 3 Columbia.
Heavyweight rowing was not as successful, falling to Syracuse for both of the available trophies in its Saturday regatta.
The women’s Clemson Invitational that was scheduled for April 19 and 20 was canceled due to inclement weather.
Cornell’s No. 1-ranked lightweight rowing team defeated Columbia to reclaim the Geiger Cup in its race on Saturday at the Cayuga Lake Inlet. The two schools have gone back and forth in victories over the past seasons, with Cornell winning in odd years — 2015, 2017 and now in 2019.
The Varsity 8 has come in first place in all of its races this spring.
“The outcomes we have seen so far this spring are the result of everyone’s hard work during the offseason,” said senior Nick Anderson, who is in his second year of being in the Varsity 8 lineup. “Our coaching staff holds us to a very high standard every day.”
Lightweight rowing’s final regular-season meet is this Saturday, April 27, at home against Dartmouth.
Following that, on May 19 — in the middle of senior week — the team will travel to Worcester, Mass. to participate in Eastern Sprints, an “Ivy League and EARC League [championship],” as Anderson referred to it.
The team with the most points wins the Jope Cup at Eastern Sprints, which has not been won by a Cornell team since 2015.
“Our class has been working towards [the Jope Cup] since we joined the team in the fall of 2016,” Anderson said. “We want to leave … with that legacy.”
If the team falls in the top eight during this Eastern Sprints meet, it will qualify for the IRA National Championship, which takes place between May 31 and June 2 in Sacramento, California.
“Only one varsity eight and two four-man crews will make the trip,” Anderson said. “We have raced a squad at the IRA every year.”
The No. 12 ranked men’s heavyweight crew team traveled to Princeton, New Jersey, to battle for the Stagg and Goes Trophies against No. 9 Syracuse and No. 16 Navy.
The Stagg Trophy is awarded to the overall winner of the regatta and Cornell has won it 17 times since it was initiated in 1967. The Goes Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Varsity 8 race.
The Stagg Trophy was claimed by Syracuse last year; Cornell just barely won the Goes Trophy last season when it overtook Syracuse right at the line.
But this year, Syracuse claimed victory in both categories. The Orange won the Stagg Trophy and also took the Goes Trophy for the first time since 2011 by winning three of the four races of the day.
The heavyweight team will travel to New Haven on April 27 to take on Princeton and Yale. Additionally, the women’s team is going against Dartmouth for the Parents Cup in Ithaca on April 28.