Opening up the first week of IRA coverage on JRN, we have had a raft of exciting races across the country in both the heavyweight and lightweight divisions. After a jam packed weekend of invitational regattas, favourites are beginning to emerge from the proverbial peloton, and this weekend provides an opportunity for some teams to separate themselves from the rest further.
Sarasota 2K
In a formidable season opener, #1Washington University, #4 Harvard , #6 Yale, #3 Brown, and #9 Northeastern took to Nathan Benderson Park to make clear their intentions for the season. Whichever way this race ended would spark some controversy. However, it was Washington who took a half-length victory over the rest of the field in the Big Varsity. While the Harvard alum will be pleased the Crimson stole a three-second lead over Yale, they will be disappointed to trail two seconds behind Brown, who, in a repeat of last year’s Eastern Sprints, took silverware from their Ivy compatriots. Washington expectedly went on to claim gold in all events, except for the third varsity eight, where Harvard saw out an uncomfortable one-second victory. These are not the closest margins we have ever seen, but nonetheless, this has undoubtedly set the tone and expectations while we head for the dual season.
National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational
Lightweight racing is infamously close-knit, and this weekend was no exception. The highlight came from Princeton University and Dartmouth University, who (in spite of many onlookers’ disagreement) saw a dead heat in a time of 5:59.9, no doubt a disappointment for Big Green, who had maintained the lead down the course. While the Tigers dominated the lower boat classes, Dartmouth have gained momentum from last season, where they achieved a fifth-place finish at the IRA National Championship, marking their best performance since 2013. The 1V completed the grand final with a time of 5:46.6. Other matchups between Yale, Georgetown and MIT saw a similar sweep from the Bulldogs, while Cornell University set an impressive seven-second margin ahead of the US Naval Academy, with Colombia trailing closely behind. As the season plays out, it will be interesting to see if any of these crews can challenge the might of Harvard University Lightweights, who remain unbeaten since 2023.
#5 Princeton University , #15 Georgetown University, #18 La Salle University , #19 Temple University
It seems fellow top-five team Princeton University did not want to miss out on their companion’s multi-lane racing this weekend, inviting local rivals to Lake Carnegie for the 15th iteration of this matchup. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Princeton swept the day with clear water margins in every event. Clearly, this did not carry hard feelings, noting on Instagram the teams returned to the water in the afternoon for some friendly 750-meter pieces to ‘empty the tank’.
Looking forward, the marquee event of next week takes place on the Housatonic River between Yale and Dartmouth, two perennial contenders featuring elite talent from the US and internationally. Coast-to-coast rivalries will ensue In Boston, MA, where a local derby takes place between Charles River rivals Boston University and Northeastern, while on the other side of the country, Stanford hosts a slate of west-coast racing at their home course in Redwood Shores, California.
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