LEONIA, N.J. — All three of the Columbia rowing teams were in action on Saturday. The heavyweight and lightweight crews opened their 2024 season at home at Overpeck Park. The women's crew raced at Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey as part of the Doc Hosea Invitational.
 
The heavyweights went head-to-head with Dartmouth in an Ivy League varsity eight clash. The 2,000 meters were tightly contested but Dartmouth squeaked out the win, crossing the line just 1.5 seconds ahead of the Lions. The second varsity eight race was also won by the Big Green in an open-water decision.
 
The lightweight varsity eight competed against MIT and Princeton as part of the National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational. MIT took a 2.1-second lead after 500 meters but the Lions closed within 1.2 seconds at the 1,500-meter mark. Ultimately, MIT pushed ahead down the stretch and won by 3.3 seconds. Princeton won the other race in open water by 6.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the second and third varsity eights took to the water with each other in a heat that also included MIT. The 3V boat took the win by more than nine seconds over the 2V.
 
Down in Camden, New Jersey, the women's team competed alongside crews from Penn, Northeastern, George Washington, Navy, Delaware, Temple, Rutgers, Clemson, Rhode Island and Villanova in the Doc Hosea Invitational. Columbia's varsity eight took second in their morning heat and then earned fifth out of the six boats that qualified for the final. The second varsity eight also took second in their morning heat and took third in the final. The third varsity eight won their morning heat and also took bronze in the final.
 
The Lions are all home next Saturday at Overpeck Park. The heavyweights will race Rutgers for the Collins Cup, while the lightweight team races Navy for the WIT Cup. The women's team is also racing against Navy.

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