Heavyweights Nab Trophy Before Eastern Sprints

All of the Columbia University rowing teams were in action this weekend. The heavyweight squad looked to continue its winning ways, while the women’s and lightweight teams searched for victories to add to their seasons. This was the last competition for all teams until they compete in the Eastern Sprints (EARC) in the middle of May. This past weekend leaves the Lions well-situated for this upcoming major competition.

The women’s team traveled upstate to face off against Cornell and Brown for the Dunn Bowl. Brown, one of the top women’s teams in the nation, has been victorious in previous years, and while this year the Bears would again be victorious, the Lions would not fall to Cornell.

The Brown squad started off the race even with the Cornell team, but after several strokes, it was evident that Brown was pulling away and gaining a comfortable lead. In the first 1,000 meters of the contest, the Big Red was able to gain a length lead on the Light Blue squad. Columbia, however, refused to go quietly to its host, Cornell, and challenged the Big Red again and again. By the end of 1,500 meters, Cornell found itself with a smaller lead than it had before. The last 500 meters would be the toughest for the Lions as they continually gained on Cornell. With the race drawing to a close, the Light Blue was even with the Big Red, and several strokes later, they pulled ahead and edged out Cornell by a tenth of a second to claim second place behind Brown. This type of exciting race could help the Lions once they move on and compete in mid-May.

The lightweight team looked to gain a victory against MIT and fourth-ranked Cornell in the contest for the Geiger Cup. The race started off closely as Cornell and Columbia were even at the end of the first 500 meters. However, by the 1,000-meter mark, Cornell began to pull away and did not look back. The Lions refused to let the Big Red comfortably cruise to a victory and continued to fight until the very end, and in the final 500 meters, the Lions edged closer and closer and began to cut into Cornell’s lead. But the Light Blue’s late push was not enough as the Big Red defeated the Lions by 2.9 seconds. The freshmen lightweights also competed this weekend and, hungry for a win, took down Cornell and MIT. The freshmen squad was able to provide the Light Blue with its only victory of the day, beating Cornell and MIT with a time of 6:01.9.

The men’s heavyweight team has consistently been one of the most exciting and successful teams on Columbia’s campus. The Lions entered competition for the Doc Lusins Trophy on a streak of cup victories. Although the Lions faced nationally ranked contenders, they were the favorites to take home the trophy, especially after being ranked fifth by the EARC coaches this past week. The Light Blue and Syracuse Orange started off the line even and would remain that way through the first 500 meters. By the time the Lions reached the 1,000-meter mark, though, they were pulling ahead and would stay in the lead until they crossed the finish line with a time of 5:42.3, beating the then-undefeated Orange by a margin of 3.3 seconds.

This race marked the end of the regular dual meet season for the Lions. The Columbia men’s heavyweight team finished the year with a 9-1 record and five trophies for the Dodge display case. The team’s only loss came at the hands of Princeton in a close race for the Childs Cup.

When the Lions travel to Worcester, Mass. for the EARC sprints May 18, they not only have a very strong chance of medaling, but they also are in position to garner first place.