In the final stretches of a literally record-breaking season, all eyes will be on the Cooper River for the IRA National Championships. For the men’s lightweight program, this weekend’s competition will essentially be a rerun of the Eastern Sprints with no additional qualifiers from the Dad Vail Regatta. In theory, the races may seem predictable, but given the variability in lightweight rowing, the title remains all to play for.
Harvard University
The Harvard Crimson are strong favourites to take the title. The 2025 season was a landmark year for Harvard men’s lightweight rowing, and only seemed to build off an undefeated 2024. The Crimson delivered a flawless performance at the Eastern Sprints, sweeping all entered events, including the First, Second, and Third Varsity Eights, as well as the Varsity Four, for the first time since 1998, earning the Jope cup for the first time since 2017. This result only compounded an undefeated regular season where notably they set a Lake Carnegie record of 5:28.5 during the HYP dual. With only coxswain Anya Cheng and seven seat Brahm Erdmann graduating, I expect this crew to not only finish the season on a high, but continue their dominance in years to come.
Cornell University
At the Eastern Sprints on May 18, the Big Red’s First Varsity Eight 1V8 secured a silver medal, finishing just 2.546 seconds behind Harvard, with a time of 5:49.285. This marked Cornell’s first podium finish in the 1V8 event since 2017. Earlier in the season, Cornell demonstrated their legitimacy by demolishing No. 3 Princeton in the Platt Cup race. They were the only crew to really go out with Harvard at the Eastern Sprints, holding the favourites through the first half of the race. Cornell’s 2v and 3v places fifth and fourth respectively at Sprints, but given their clear momentum I would not be surprised to see stroke seat Joe Savell lead the big red to some silverware at the big dance.
Princeton University
At the Eastern Sprints on May 18, the perennially strong Princeton Tigers secured second place in the overall team standings, earning medals in two events. The Third Varsity Eight claimed silver, while the First Varsity Eight earned bronze. Throughout the regular season, Princeton posted notable victories, including reclaiming the Wood-Hammond Trophy with a win over No. 4 Penn on April. On paper, this crew features a spoil of decorated athletes, including Kiwi U23 representative Reuben Cook and Henley Champion Freddie Middleton. In the big races, experienced rowers tend to have the edge. Stroked by senior Nick Aronow, this boat will certainly be challenging the field in Camden.
University of Pennsylvania
Penn has seen a successful season after a third place finish at IRAs last year. For example, In early April, the Quakers regained the Matthews Cup and Leonard Trophy by narrowly defeating Cornell in all three varsity eight races. At the Eastern Sprints on May 18, Penn’s Second Varsity Eight secured a silver medal, finishing behind Harvard. The Fourth Varsity Eight earned bronze, while the Varsity Eight placed fourth, narrowly missing the podium. With clear squad depth and a distinct, aggressive style, I would vouch for Penn causing an upset, especially in the lower boat classes.
Dartmouth University
Dartmouth is a dark horse this season after a resurgent year in 2024 following a decade of disappointing results. In April, the Big Green retained the Durand Cup with a decisive win over Yale, finishing more than seven seconds ahead of the Bulldogs. They also had a stunning dead heat against No. 3 Princeton on lake Carnegie, where neither team could be called victorious. They continued their strong form by defeating Columbia to retain the Subin Cup, concluding their dual season on a high note. At the Eastern Sprints, Dartmouth‘s Varsity Four secured a silver medal, while the First Varsity Eight narrowly missed the podium, finishing fifth overall.
Yale University
Yale University were perhaps disappointed by their performance at the Eastern Sprints. While the Bulldogs’ Second Varsity Eight (2V) secured a bronze medal, edging out Princeton in a tightly contested race, their first and third eights failed to qualify for the grand final. After a miserable 2024 season, Yale was hoping to have a comeback year with renewed focus and Sophomore Timmy Parsons returning to the team after trialing for the Olympics in 2024. The season has started to slip away from the Bulldogs. However, a storied program like Yale carries the weight of expectations, and I have no doubt they will be preparing to exceed them this weekend.
Prediction
Lightweight rowing is always exciting because with all rowers being roughly the same size, it becomes a game of technique and unison. However, this year has been an exception to that trend. The margins were wide between first, second and third at the Eastern Sprints, with each crew having a length on the next. It remains to be seen if anybody can find the speed to upset the imperious Harvard lightweights, and I would not be surprised to see Cornell jump out on the remaining field again. With these two crews leading, I could not assuredly place the remaining podium. With further challenge from MIT, Navy and Georgetown, I expect the medals to be dominated by the Ivy League and would hazard Cornell, Princeton, Penn and Dartmouth will battle it out for silverware.
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