Lightweight Rowing Opens 2026 Season with NCLI on Saturday

Saturday, March 28

Leonia, N.J.

10:00 A.M.

Columbia

National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.

Lightweight Rowing Opens 2026 Season with NCLI on Saturday

3/27/2026 12:20:00 PM | Lightweight Rowing

The Lions will race three boats

LEONIA, N.J. — Columbia lightweight rowing will begin its 2026 season on Saturday at Overpeck Park in the National Collegiate Lightweight Invite for a third straight campaign. The Lions' 1V8 crew will be competing for the Campbell Cup in the morning and the WIT Cup in the afternoon.

Last season in the NCLI at Lake Carnegie, the Columbia varsity eight fell to Princeton to give the Tigers the Campbell Cup. Columbia also finished behind Navy, as the Midshipmen retained the WIT Cup. Columbia's second varsity eight picked up the lone win of the event, coming through with a dominant victory over Cornell and Navy.

Campbell Cup
Established in 2017, the Bill Campbell "67" Cup honors Columbia Trustees' Chair William V. Campbell for his lifetime commitment to Columbia University and its athletics program. Campbell, the former captain and head coach of Columbia Football, was one of the most passionate supporters of Columbia and Ivy League athletics, His leadership and dedication to Columbia are unparalleled. In recognition of his devotion and contributions to Columbia Athletics, Campbell's uniform number 67 has been retired in perpetuity throughout the Columbia Athletics program.

WIT Cup (Whatever It Takes)
The WIT Cup was put into rotation by Columbia's Class of '98 and was originally awarded to the winner of the varsity eight race featuring Columbia, Navy and Rutgers. The trophy had been out of commission since 2006, when the Scarlet Knights disbanded its lightweight rowing program, but was revived in 2014, with Columbia earning initial possession of it for three consecutive years before Navy got into the win column in 2017 at home on the Severn River. Since it was put back into rotation, the Lions lead 5-4.

Schedule

Freshman/Novice Four vs. Dartmouth and Gordon - 10:30 a.m.

2V8 vs. Princeton - 10:42 a.m.

1V8 vs. Princeton (Campbell Cup) - 11:06 a.m.

2V8 vs. Navy and Penn - 4:06 p.m.

1V8 vs. Navy (WIT Cup) - 4:42 p.m.

Lineups

First Varsity Eight

Cox: Adi Timblo, Josh Wang, Barnett Pesin, Owen Geiger, Owen Anawalt, George Pesin, Sam Allen, Paul Josenhans, Arin Jaff

Second Varsity Eight

Cox: Jane Park, James Dodman, Diego Lasso, Andrew Blelloch, Ben Sommer, Nitin Rao, Tony Valentino, Patrick Finnerty, William Gokey

Freshman/Novice Four

Cox: Tina Cho, Dillon Chen, Liam Bauchspies, Conner Mattox, Ross Claytor

Up Next

Columbia travels to New Haven, Connecticut, on April 11 for the Dodge Cup against Yale and Penn.

About Overpeck Park

Located in Leonia, New Jersey, Overpeck County Park is an 811-acre county park in Bergen County, with major sections in Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck, surrounding Overpeck Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River. Spectators can enter the park from the Challenger Road entrance by following directions to the Overpeck County Park Amphitheatre. If parking near the team launch site, race viewing is best seen from the western shore about a 15 minute walk from the parking area.

Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia Rowing, follow @CULionsRowing on X and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com