Yale Athletics

Following an arduous training period over spring break, the men’s heavyweight crew team headed to Florida to open their season at the Sarasota 2k Invitational this past weekend. 

A two-day endeavour, Friday heralded a slew of victories for the oarsmen. The second varsity squad cut ahead of Brown and Northeastern to secure first-place with a 5:50.65 timing, a trend that was quickly followed by the team’s third and fourth varsity boats, which clocked winning finishing times of 5:57.29 and 5:59.24 respectively. 

The first varsity boat made a strong showing for the coveted Albert Cup, but fell just short of Brown by 00:02.24, resulting in a second-place finish.

On Saturday, the rowers appeared in a second effort at the invitational. The varsity eight ended in fourth place ahead of Northeastern, behind Washington, Brown and Harvard. The second varsity squad similarly landed in third behind Washington and Harvard, while the third and fourth varsity boats placed last in their respective races. 

“Any time we line up to race, the objective is to win,” wrote Head Coach Mike Gennaro to the News. “But throughout these regular season races, there are plenty of opportunities for growth. As we work [through the] first few, we will be evaluating, adjusting and striving to improve as we near the three championship races at the end of the season.” 

According to Gennaro, the team has been especially gearing up for the Eastern Sprints Championships, the I.R.A. National Championships, and the 158th Yale v. Harvard Regatta, all of which take place in May and June. 

Pointing to the team’s commitment to the indoor winter training period and over spring break — during which the oarsmen remained on campus to train twice a day on a near-daily basis — Gennaro highlighted the team’s evident commitment to approaching these upcoming contest, a sentiment echoed by Captain Harry Geffen ’25. 

To Geffen, the out-of-season training period will only continue to come to fruition in the races ahead. 

“The period between November and January is particularly challenging,” said Geffen in an interview with the News. “[You’re] training over the holidays. When you return to campus, you can’t go out on the water. But I think this period has been the best I’ve ever seen. [The guys] have been logging more miles than I’ve seen [before], and really stepping up to push each other.”

The Bulldogs will race against Dartmouth this Saturday for the Olympic Axe at their very own Gilder Boathouse in Derby, Connecticut.