US Collegiate Rowing – Week Three Race Preview

With almost every programme having opened their racing, the collegiate rowing season is well and truly underway. With duals and invitationals once again scattering the nation, here are three races to keep an eye on this weekend.

Redwood Shores II

Billed under various names, the second major invitational of the season taking place at Redwood Shores plays host to #17 Wisconsin as well as most of the West Coast’s top programmes. While Wisconsin provides the outsider in the event, the most exciting racing will come between #1 Washington and #11 Stanford. The Cardinal have made some impressive recruiting moves in the last few years, and this year’s crew may be able to make a significant step forward. Who better to test that against than the newly appointed number-one team in the country?

Yale vs Syracuse vs Cornell

On the women’s side, the most exciting race for this weekend comes in upstate New York as Cornell are hosting racing against two high-quality opponents in #5 Yale and #11 Syracuse. With a tougher ACC, Syracuse will want to show they are not slowing down after winning their first conference title in programme history. Coming up against them is Yale, a programme that demonstrated their title ambitions with a dominant opener on the Cooper River, who will want to emerge from this weekend with its team-wide unbeaten record intact.

Dartmouth vs Yale

Ranked #6 and #7, respectively, Yale plays host to the season opener for Dartmouth on Saturday in New Haven. Yale came off the back of a disappointing performance in Sarasota, where they finished fourth out of the five teams present. Standing in their way is a well-respected Dartmouth squad that enters the season with high expectations. The boys from New Hampshire finished second among all collegiate eights at the Head of the Charles and return Billy Bender after his year out racing at the Paris Olympic Games. Add to that the recruitment of prodigy Issaih Harrison, Dartmouth will want to prove they can live up to the hype.

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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