Columbia
CORNELL, MIT (Geiger Cup)
Lightweight Freshmen Set the Pace in Geiger Cup Rowing
4/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Lightweight Rowing
PELHAM, N.Y. ? Anyone who has watched ESPN's SportsCenter is familiar with its feature, “The Play of the Day”. If Columbia head lightweight rowing coach Scott Alwin had his way, his freshman eight's race in Saturday's Geiger Cup Regatta would have enjoyed top billing on SportsCenter that evening. But Alwin would have renamed the feature.
“The freshmen had the Row of the Day,” Alwin said after the regatta on Columbia's home course, the Orchard Beach Lagoon. “That race showed they have really matured for a bunch of freshmen.”
The freshmen gave Columbia its only victory in its three events. They rowed the 2000-meter course in 6:01.9, 3.3 seconds faster than Cornell's 6:05.2, with MIT third in 6:13.5.
“The last 1000 they rowed was the best I've seen them row all year,” Alwin said. “I give a lot of credit to our stroke, Pat Fernbach. He did a good job.”
The varsity eights race, for the Geiger Cup, was also a solid contest, pitting fourth-ranked Cornell against seventh-ranked Columbia, plus a surprisingly swift MIT boat.
“It was a solid row,” Alwin said. “Cornell did a good job, and I was surprised with MIT staying as close as they did.”
Columbia and Cornell waged a fierce battle on the Lagoon. Level after 500 meters, the next 1000 saw Cornell start to pull away. With 500 to go, the Big Red held a lead of nearly one boat length, and looked to widen it.
The Lions put a stop to that. Over the last 500 meters, they repeatedly closed, eating into Cornell's lead. They were still closing as the Big Red boat crossed the finish line, an apparent “refuge” from that rapacious Lion. Cornell's winning time of 5:53.5 was just 2.9 seconds ahead of Columbia, with the Engineers 3.3 seconds back.
Columbia also closed rapidly in the second varsity race. Cornell's top boat won the race comfortably, but the Big Red third varsity and the Lion second varsity fought a fierce battle, which went to the Upstaters by 6/10 of a second.
The regatta marked the lightweights' final event of the regular season. They will compete Sunday May 18 at the Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The results:
The Geiger Cup
Columbia, MIT, Cornell
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Orchard Beach Lagoon, Pelham, N.Y.
Varsity Eights
1. Cornell, 5:53.5
2. Columbia, 5:56.4
3. MIT, 5:59.7
Second Varsity Eights
1. Cornell, 6:01.0
2. Cornell 3V, 6:09.8
3. Columbia, 6:10.4
Freshman Eights
1. Columbia, 6:01.9
2. Cornell, 605.2
3. MIT, 6:13.5
The Columbia Freshman Lightweight Eight
Cox - Jen George-Nichol, Fr.-CC, Williamsburg, Va.
Stroke - Pat Fernbach, Fr., Williamsville, N.Y.
7 - Anders Boman, Fr., Fall River, Mass.
6 - Matt Hayto, Fr., Vancouver, B.C.
5 - Nick Cortes, Fr., Scarsdale, N.Y.
4 - Brian Nickel, Fr., Syosset, N.Y.
3 - Jim Bauserman, Fr., Fairfax, Va.
2 - Jim Brown, Fr., Valley Forge, Pa.
Bow - Ryan Kavanaugh, Fr., Fairport, N.Y.
CC - Columbia College
Players Mentioned
