Columbia
YALE*, PENN*
Heavyweight Crew Third in Blackwell Cup
4/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Heavyweight Rowing
PELHAM, N.Y. -- After capturing their first two cup races of the spring, the Columbia heavyweights lost their second in a row when they finished third in the varsity race of the Blackwell Cup regatta on Orchard Beach Lagoon.
Yale retained the historic Cup with an impressive victory that cemented its Top 10 ranking, beating second-place Penn by 11.4 seconds, with Columbia more than six seconds behind the Quakers.
"We ran into a very aggressive Yale crew and a good Penn crew," head coach Mike Zimmer said.
The Lions had hoped to finish ahead of Penn after losing to the Philadelphians by just two seconds one week ago in the Childs Cup. And Columbia managed to pull within six seats of the Quakers at one point. "That was with 600 or 700 meters to go," Zimmer said.
Yale was timed in 6:09.8 for the 2000-meter Orchard Beach Lagoon course, with Penn in at 6:20.12 and Columbia third in 6:26.96.
The Lions also lost the other two races in the regatta. Yale won the second varsity eights in 6:19.40, to Columbia's 6:37.19, as Penn did not field a second varsity. In the freshman eights, Penn posted its second impressive victory in a row, defeating Yale by more than 10 seconds a week after upsetting Princeton. The Bulldogs were second in 6:26.82, followed by Columbia, 6:37.95, and Yale's second freshmen, 6:46.01.
"We were pleased with the freshmen," Zimmer noted. "They rowed much better than last week."
Columbia rows against Boston University and Syracuse next Saturday in the Doc Lusins Cup on the Charles River. The first race is scheduled to begin at 9:20 a.m.
The results:
Varsity Eights (Blackwell Cup)
1. Yale, 6:09.8
2. Penn, 6:20.12
3. Columbia, 6:26.96
Second Varsity Eights
1. Yale, 6:19.40
2. Columbia, 6:37.19
Freshman Eights
1. Penn, 6:16.08
2. Yale, 6:26.82
3. Columbia, 6:37.95
4. Yale 2F, 6:46.01
