The No. 3 Y150 crew came back strong this weekend after last week’s loss to Georgetown by sweeping all five races — all by a margin of more than four seconds — in Saturday’s Dodge Cup against Columbia and Penn held at Orchard Beach Lagoon, N.Y. This puts the Bulldogs back on the winning track and ready to take on Dartmouth in the Durand Cup next weekend.
Captain Daniel Ensslen ’09 expressed optimism about Saturday’s results.
“We had a good showing at all levels against Columbia and Penn this weekend highlighted by the stellar performance of our second freshman eight,” he said. “They showed great grit and determination and overcame some very fierce conditions to get their first win of the season.”
The rough course presented a challenge to the Yale crew. It rained throughout the winding course, and the crew fought to maintain body temperature, head coach Andrew Card said.
“The course is straight, but tricky,” he said. “The challenge on this course is to steer straight at a target that’s 1.25 miles away. The water was flat, thankfully, but the rain was driving and cold.”
The results of the race speak for themselves. The varsity eight, with a time of 5:57.3, bested Penn’s 6:02.1 and Columbia’s 6.04.8. The second varsity crew performed equally well in their first win of the season with a time of 6.05.8 to Columbia’s 6:10.6 and Penn’s 6:22.1. The third varsity won over Penn by a margin of more than 15 seconds, 6:26.0 to 6:41.6.
The freshmen kept with their teammates. The first freshman eight won with a time of 6:06.3 to Columbia’s 6:11.2 and Penn’s 6:22.8. The second freshman eight bested Penn, 6:46.8 to 7:03.7.
Looking to the next race, Card said the team will continue to work hard.
“We have two crews that have given us great races the last few years — Dartmouth in the morning and Cornell in the afternoon,” Card said. “This is always a challenging weekend for us, but we are happy to have a doubleheader. There is nothing like a real race for testing your speed, and we look forward to it.”
Ensslen added, “As we look forward we will continue to try and improve on our fitness and technique and prepare ourselves for some challenging races this coming weekend.”
Yale will host a doubleheader on Saturday, racing Dartmouth in the morning and Cornell in the afternoon.