NEW YORK — Columbia lightweight and heavyweight rowing both competed in races on Saturday.

The heavyweight team had its home opener against Rutgers for the Collins Cup. The Lions swept both races by a wide margin at Overpeck Park.

Columbia won the trophy for the 17th consecutive year. The Lions now hold an 18-3 record over the Scarlet Knights since the debut of the race. The Collins Cup was a gift of Kevin and Helen Collins, both of whom are Rutgers graduates. Kevin Collins also holds a graduate degree from Columbia.

The lightweight team raced against Princeton and Georgetown in the National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational. The Lions dropped all three races to Princeton. However, Columbia picked up a pair of first-place finishes in the second and third varsity eight against Georgetown.

"Princeton raced exceptionally well today," lightweight head coach Nich Lee Parker said. "Congrats to them for their win in the Campbell Cup.

"We had some tight racing with Georgetown. It was great for the 2V and 3V to come away with wins. We've had a few back-and-forth with the varsity vs Georgetown and we expect more great racing when we see them again at the Sprints."

The lightweight team is back in action next weekend for the WIT Cup on Saturday and Subin Cup on Sunday. The heavyweight team heads to Philadelphia, Pa. for the Childs Cup with Penn and Princeton on Saturday..

For the latest on Columbia Rowing, follow @CULionsRowing on Twitter and Instagram, and at the web at GoColumbiaLions.com

Heavyweight Rowing vs. Rutgers

First Varsity Eight

Columbia: 5:50.14
Rutgers: 6:07.49

Second Varsity Eight

Columbia: 6:03.93
Rutgers: 6:32.88

Lightweight Rowing vs. Princeton

First Varsity Eight

Princeton: 5:41.7
Columbia: 5:46.9

Second Varsity Eight

Princeton: 5:48.2
Columbia: 5:53.9

Third Varsity Eight
 
Princeton: 5:58.6
Columbia: 6:02.2

vs. Georgetown (final times to follow)

First Varsity Eight

2nd place

Second Varsity Eight 

1st place

Third Varsity Eight

1st place