Courtesy of David Paul
This weekend, all three Yale rowing teams raced at the Head of the Charles Regatta; the crews saw considerable success, as all teams garnered top-10 finishes.
The highlights of the weekend were the first-place finishes among college competitors for Yale women’s club eight and the men’s heavyweight championship eight. The Bulldogs also recorded a slate of top-10 finishes among all crews, with men’s lightweight obtaining four on its own.
“As a team we have just been training this fall,” said women’s crew coach Will Porter. “We have been in a good routine of steady and consistent work. It seems to be working well for us. If we lace ’em up… with the Y on our backs, we are going to go at it with everything we’ve got.”
On Saturday, Yale women’s crew raced in the Club Eight. The Elis began by slotting in at fourth place through the first half, but they picked up the pace and secured the second spot after the three-quarters mark. They held this position and ended up in second place behind the Potomac Boat Club and in first place among all college teams. The women’s alumni team, aptly named Boola Boola, finished first in the women’s Alumnae Eight. The alumnae started out in second, but quickly overcame the Dartmouth alumni “Ever Green” and posted a dominant 8.036-second margin of victory.
Yale women’s rowing featured a pair of boats in the Championship Eight on Sunday afternoon. One squad was Bow No. Five, while another was Bow No. 31. The five-boat notched a fourth-place overall finish, which was good for second place among all college squads; the Elis were only 4.788 seconds behind top college crew Princeton. The other boat notched an impressive 14th overall slot, good for 12th place in the collegiate circuit.
Coming off of first- and second-place finishes at the Head of the Housatonic, the men’s heavyweights raced three crew this weekend. The first two boats were near-identical to those featured at the Housatonic, but the third boat was comprised of a senior-class heavy crew. The bow numbers of the three boats were two, 16 and 28, and all three competed in the Championship Eights.
Dan Williamson ’22 stroked the two-boat, which took third place overall and first of all college teams racing; the crew managed an 8.957-second margin over California. The 16-boat also placed well, finishing 11th among collegiate crews. The 28-boat placed 27th.
“We approach the regatta wanting to have each oarsman row their best on the day, and the team results should reflect that,” said men’s lightweight crew coach Andy Card. “Most everyone raced up a level and it was good to see the attitude and approach. Every shell came off the water saying, well, that was fun, more to go.”
Y150 sent five crews to the Charles River. The Elis showcased three coxed eights and two coxed fours in their 55th appearance at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday afternoon. In the Lightweight Fours, Yale boats took the fourth and fifth bow positions. The fourth-numbered crew finished seventh of all college squads, just a tad above the fifth-numbered boat, which took 10th place among collegiate crews.
The three eights set off 30 minutes after the beginning of the race of the fours. With bow numbers of three, seven and 14, the Elis finished in sixth, seventh and 14th place, respectively. The three-boat edged out the seven boat by 2.874 seconds, and the three-boat was 15.78 seconds behind Princeton’s first place crew.
“We have a long way to go before spring and many internal challenges to keep us focused,” Porter said. “As racing athletes, the team is constantly chasing speed. It is a never-ending process and something that keeps them fully engaged. Chasing your top end speed is one of life’s best challenges.”
Women’s and men’s lightweight crews will return to action in the spring, while men’s heavyweight will top off their fall slate at next weekend’s Princeton Chase on Oct. 27.
Bentley Long | bentley.long@yale.edu