With large volumes of predicted rainfall overnight, racing was delayed on the Cooper River, but the afternoon racing certainly delivered. Semifinals in the openweight division one eights and finals in the fours and division three boats meant Cherry Hill was the place to be this Saturday, as we were treated to some of the best races in the championship’s history.
The first semifinal in the varsity eights was an all-timer. After establishing an early lead off the start, #1 California established a half-length lead over #3 Harvard but the Crimson had their train moving. Entering the final 500 metres, they overhauled the Golden Bears, providing one of the shocks of the regatta, with the favourites seemingly slipping behind their East Coast rivals. Behind them, unfavoured #11 Syracuse was challenging with #5 Princeton for the final progression, as Dave Reichman’s men have got it clicking at just the right moment after an underwhelming season.
And then, amidst the frenzy and fury of a windswept and whirling race, the California three-seat caught a crab. Scott Fransden’s men ground to a halt, as shock swept across the crowd, the reality of what was happening slowly dawning on the thronged spectators. In the end, it was Harvard who took the win ahead of Syracuse in second and Princeton cruising past a dejected California into third.
The second semifinal, a little shorter on drama, was no shorter on brilliant racing. #2 Washington jumped out to an early lead, leaving the Ivy League crews behind to take swings at each other. Through the race, #4 Dartmouth moved away, with #6 Yale, #7 Brown and #9 Penn. Tied as they entered the closing stages, Penn dropped back while Brown accelerated with the sprint Paul Cooke has become known for, claiming the final spot in tomorrow’s final by just half a second over Yale.
In the lower boats there were even more great races as the referees got great use of their photo finish equipment. Syracuse continued their great day, making it to all three grand finals as did Washington, Harvard and Yale. Outside of that triangulation of power, the field was relatively varied; California will still be competing for golds in both the second and third eights whilst Brown and Princeton had two back-to-back close races. Brown got the spot in the second eight by 0.8 seconds, while Princeton took it in the third boat by 0.16.
The afternoon began with the lightweight women’s boats with heats in the double plus races for lanes in the eight and the four. In the heats, MIT stood out as the seven-seeded crew set the fastest time across the two heats, while also winning in the coxed four. In the eights, Harvard-Radcliffe produced an upset, getting the better of the previously undefeated crew from four-time-defending champions Princeton.
Rounding out the day were our first champions. The lightweight fours final presented a compelling contest. Favourites Penn lead out early from lane four, but were challenged by Mercyhurst and Georgetown, both of whom came third in their respective heats on Friday afternoon. Coming into the closing stages, the Mercyhurst Lakers claimed the lead from lane six after Penn had a wobble, but from the other side of the river, Georgetown surged through to win the gold medal by half a second in lane one. This is the third successive year that the Healy Cup has returned to the District of Columbia, while Mercyhurst received their first IRA medal since 2021. This medal in a well-contested event represents a big step forward for the Erie-based programme.
In the heavyweight fours, it was the first round of the Washington/California/Harvard battle that will dominate the narratives tomorrow. It was a great end to a great day for the Huskies as they established an early lead and managed the race behind them. Down the course, it was a near-constant tussle between Harvard and California, but in the final quarter of the race, the Crimson squeezed their advantage, eventually having an open-water margin in the tailwind conditions.
The worst of the wind was saved for the division three first varsity eights, and favourites Trinity jumped out to an early lead. Given the tough weather, one could be forgiven for expecting a repeat of their dominant win from the New England Championships, but this was not the case. Tufts was hot on their tail, as the Jumbos slowly reclaimed ground on their bitter rivals. In the end, it wasn’t enough as Trinity battled through, completing their undefeated season with their very first IRA title. Tufts took silver with Bates in third
In the second eights, it was a different story as Williams and Tufts emerged as two prize fighters, taking chunks out of each other all the way down the course. Williams took their first major swing at halfway, earning a decent lead, but Tufts came back through the third 500. Williams edged away by almost a seat in the closing stages, but in the final few strokes in the roughest water on the course, Tufts sailed through to take the gold over Williams, with a similarly close race for bronze saw debutants Colby win over Wesleyan.
Across these two events, Tufts’s consistency earned them the victory in the team rankings. The jumbos will return to Medford, Massachusetts, with the points trophy to match the NCAA title their women’s squad also won today.
About The Author
Discover more from JRN
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
