Saturday, June 7
Camden, N.J. (Cooper River)
7:12 a.m.
Columbia
vs
National Lightweight Championship (at IRA Regatta)
Varsity Lightweights Place Seventh in the Nation
6/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Lightweight Rowing
CAMDEN, N.J. — When the Columbia varsity lightweight eight reached the Grand Final of the Eastern Sprints last month, it had to get by a strong Georgetown eight to attain the final spot.
The Hoyas turned the tables Saturday June 7, edging Columbia for the third and final qualifying slot in the Grand Final of the National Lightweight Championship. The Lions rebounded with an impressive victory in the lightweight Petite Final to finish seventh.
In a tight opening heat, just seven seconds separating the first and last finishers, Columbia was 3.6 seconds behind Georgetown for third place. The Hoyas were timed in 5:49.700 for the 2000-meter Cooper River course, to Columbia's 5:53.321.
Columbia head coach Scott Alwin noted that the law of averages was against the Lions.
"We had beaten Georgetown twice this year," he said. "I think it's extraordinarily hard to beat someone three out of three." While Alwin was enthused by the progress his lightweights had made in Columbia's post-Sprints training in Vermont the past two weeks, he observed that Georgetown also seemed to have benefited from the layoff. "I think Georgetown really got more speed in the last three weeks."
Columbia may have been affected by the wait prior to its opening heat. The Bermuda high which hit the Philadelphia area with 95 degree temperatures precipitated a dense early-morning fog in the area. Boat launches, as well as the opening heats, were postponed 40 minutes by the fog obscuring the Cooper River.
Rowers in the men's lightweight heats, the day's first two races, were forced to stand around during that time. "We came out flat," Alwin noted. "We didn't have a spark."
The Lions rebounded in the Petite Final, winning by 3.8 seconds over the runner-up MIT, with Fordham third.
"I think that gave us hope for next year," the coach said. "They showed they can hang in there. We will have more drive and determination for next season."
The results:
National Lightweight Championship
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Cooper River, Camden, N.J.
Heat Two
1. Yale, 5:46.214
2. Princeton, 5:48.150
3. Georgetown, 5:49.700
4. COLUMBIA, 5:53.321
5. Purdue, scratched
Petite Final
1. COLUMBIA, 5:54.108
2. MIT, 5:57.779
3. Fordham, 6:01.832
The Hoyas turned the tables Saturday June 7, edging Columbia for the third and final qualifying slot in the Grand Final of the National Lightweight Championship. The Lions rebounded with an impressive victory in the lightweight Petite Final to finish seventh.
In a tight opening heat, just seven seconds separating the first and last finishers, Columbia was 3.6 seconds behind Georgetown for third place. The Hoyas were timed in 5:49.700 for the 2000-meter Cooper River course, to Columbia's 5:53.321.
Columbia head coach Scott Alwin noted that the law of averages was against the Lions.
"We had beaten Georgetown twice this year," he said. "I think it's extraordinarily hard to beat someone three out of three." While Alwin was enthused by the progress his lightweights had made in Columbia's post-Sprints training in Vermont the past two weeks, he observed that Georgetown also seemed to have benefited from the layoff. "I think Georgetown really got more speed in the last three weeks."
Columbia may have been affected by the wait prior to its opening heat. The Bermuda high which hit the Philadelphia area with 95 degree temperatures precipitated a dense early-morning fog in the area. Boat launches, as well as the opening heats, were postponed 40 minutes by the fog obscuring the Cooper River.
Rowers in the men's lightweight heats, the day's first two races, were forced to stand around during that time. "We came out flat," Alwin noted. "We didn't have a spark."
The Lions rebounded in the Petite Final, winning by 3.8 seconds over the runner-up MIT, with Fordham third.
"I think that gave us hope for next year," the coach said. "They showed they can hang in there. We will have more drive and determination for next season."
The results:
National Lightweight Championship
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Cooper River, Camden, N.J.
Heat Two
1. Yale, 5:46.214
2. Princeton, 5:48.150
3. Georgetown, 5:49.700
4. COLUMBIA, 5:53.321
5. Purdue, scratched
Petite Final
1. COLUMBIA, 5:54.108
2. MIT, 5:57.779
3. Fordham, 6:01.832
Tuesday, April 20
Thursday, March 28
Sunday, April 08
