US Collegiate Rowing – Week Five Race Preview

As national championships draw ever closer, some questions are beginning to be answered while other remain as open as ever. This weekend, we have an exciting set of races, with top programmes showing down against each other. For some other programmes, this weekend could be season-defining with the path to New Jersey being forged this weekend.

Big Ten Invitational

With 23 top-class programmes facing off on the best course in the country, Nathan Benderson Park is the place to be this weekend. Each team will face three rounds of racing across Friday and Saturday against a variety of opponents. From the Friday morning offerings, my pick of the racing will be in the third round as #13 Michigan, #18 Duke and #16 Harvard-Radcliffe will headline, as they search to show well in cross-conference racing involving the nation’s three deepest groupings. On Friday afternoon, #9 Rutgers will aim to show the strength of their large improvements this year as #8 Tennessee will be their main opposition. It was this event twelve months ago where Kim Cupini’s squad made their biggest splash, and they will not want to be beaten on the same stage this year.

However, the pick of the racing across the whole weekend comes on Saturday morning as #3 Washington, #8 Tennessee, #6 Brown, #12 Penn, #13 Michigan and #14 Ohio State provide us with a NCAA semi-final level of competition as they go six-wide in Sarasota. This showdown will have a massive impact on seedings for the end of May and all six schools will know the importance of a strong result.

Compton Cup

On the men’s side, the headline dual comes early on Saturday morning as the #4 Harvard Crimson travel south to meet the #5 Princeton Tigers for the Compton Cup. This matchup, vitally important for the pride of both squads, will play a key part in unravelling the very complicated situation among east coast schools as the entire grand final field could seemingly win any given race. Harvard hold a massive lead in the all-time series in this cup and will be looking to reclaim the crown for the first time since 2022, while Princeton will want to continue their advantage in the rivalry that has been evenly split over the last decade.

Eisenburg Cup

Following that Compton Cup on Carnegie Lake, the #4 Princeton women’s team host their fiercest rivals in the conference as the #5 Yale Bulldogs come to town. This rivalry is closely matched as the Tigers look to defend their 12-time winning streak for the Eisenburg Cup. However, this Yale squad seem more prepared to upset that than any other in recent memory. Both programmes enter with unblemished records in their top two boats but Yale will enter with more confidence, having won by large margins against tougher competition so far in 2025. The all-time record stands at 11-36, with Princeton 12-0 in the last 12 years.

About The Author

Fraser Innes

Fraser joined the JRN team in September 2022 and regularly writes about domestic and international rowing with particular specialisation on US Collegiate Rowing having launched JRN’s coverage and being a staple on the End of the Island’s series on the topic. He has been involved with the sport since 2016 at George Heriot’s School and the Universities of Glasgow and Wisconsin.

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