Columbia
Yale/Penn
Heavyweight Rowing Wraps Up Blackwell Cup Regatta
4/18/2026 10:03:00 PM | Heavyweight Rowing
The Lions sent four boats to the Housatonic to wrap up another weekend of action
DERBY, Conn.— Columbia heavyweight rowing competed in four races at the Blackwell Cup Regatta against Yale and Penn on the Housatonic River on Saturday morning. Penn's varsity eight edged Yale in a photo finish to claim the cup, while the Lions placed third.
The varsity eight, the second race of the morning, featured a tight battle early with little separation among the three crews. Yale began to create distance midway through the race, while Columbia held second position at the 1,000-meter mark. Penn made its move in the final third, surging past the Lions and continuing its sprint to overtake Yale at the line. The Quakers secured the victory by 0.4 seconds. Columbia posted a time of 5:52.6.
Columbia's second varsity eight finished third with a time of 6:09.4, trailing Penn and Yale. The third varsity eight also placed third, clocking in at 6:10.8, 18 seconds behind the winning Bulldogs.
The fourth varsity eight took third, finishing behind Penn and Yale but ahead of Penn's fifth varsity eight. The Lions crossed the line in 6:12.2.
The Blackwell Cup is awarded annually in competition among the three programs in memory of George Engs Blackwell, a Columbia graduate from the Class of 1880. The Blackwell family placed the cup into competition in 1927.
Lineups
First Varsity Eight (KCRA)
Cox: James Palanca, Tim Gutsev, Grant McCurdy, Charles Cartisser, Daniel Robbins, Adam Pushner, David Vyhnal, Nathanael Abrials, Colton Millar
Second Varsity Eight (Lion Pride)
Cox: Cornelia Streeter, Mateja Mitrovic, Victor Popovic, Conor Parks, Barney Russell, August Michels, Tai Renner, Nick Gonzalez, Charles Boldt
Third Varsity Eight (Lavine)
Cox: Lucy Roberts, Thomas Woodgate, Nick Smyth, Christopher Zermeno, Alessandro Lee, Kyle Grose, Alex Nickolov, Matias Bliss-Carrascosa, Archie White
Fourth Varsity Eight (Runsdorf)
Cox: Alex Castellini, Michael Tzitzikakis, Nemanja Petrovic, Will Mathes, Peter Woodville, Harry Halper, David Thompson, Sam Wilson, Henry Beer
Up Next
The Lions are back in action next weekend in Fairlee, Vermont. Columbia will race against BU, Dartmouth, and Georgetown on Saturday and Sunday.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia Rowing, follow @CULionsRowing on X and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com
Players Mentioned
