Yale Athletics

In the first at-home regatta of the 2025 season in Derby, Connecticut, the Yale heavyweight crew team battled cold rain, heavy wind and choppy waters on the Housatonic River — and came away with wins in four of their five races against Dartmouth.

However, despite dominating across most of the day with commanding victories, the Bulldogs saw the coveted Olympic Axe — an annual varsity eight race headlining the regatta between the teams — slip away, for the first time in the trophy’s 21-year history. 

“The 2V, 3V, 4V, and 5V all won their races against Dartmouth, and I am thrilled for those crews,” Yale’s Heavyweight Coach Mike Gennaro said to the News. “The 1V’s 2-second loss to an impressive Dartmouth crew was a great race with a tough result. That being said, I am confident in the work our 1V did this past week, [and] I think their race yesterday was a step forward from the two races that crew had last week in Florida.”

During the race, the Big Green took the lead early, powering through the course relentlessly. 

By the five-minute mark, Dartmouth had successfully extended its lead despite an increased show of intensity from the back of Yale’s boat. By the six-minute mark, Yale closed the gap with Dartmouth, matching them stroke-by-stroke. Only a few inches remained between the two crews’ bows.

As the two teams crossed the finish line neck-and-neck, no obvious celebrations were seen from either team. After careful review, it was determined that Dartmouth had — for the first time in the event’s history — successfully edged out the Bulldogs, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:10.30 to Yale’s 6:12.40.

“Yale has been the class of the Ivy League and East Coast rowing, so it’s big step for us to be able to bring that trophy home for the first time in 21 years,” said Wyatt Allen, who serves as the head coach of Dartmouth’s heavyweight crew team, to Dartmouth Sports following the historic win over the Bulldogs.

The loss, however, marked the lone blemish on an otherwise commanding day for Yale.

Early that morning, the fifth varsity team had opened the day at 8 a.m. sharp with a dominant performance, clocking in at 6:35.70 — nearly nine seconds clear of Dartmouth’s 6:44.10. The Bulldogs’ fourth varsity followed shortly at 8:20 a.m. with a commanding win of its own, surging to the finish line with a time of 6:26.10, a full 10 seconds ahead of the Big Green’s 6:36.00.

An hour later, after the varsity defeat, Yale’s second varsity boat responded emphatically, pulling away from Dartmouth to win by seven seconds, 6:12.60 to 6:19.40.

The Bulldogs then capped the day with their fastest showing yet — a blistering 6:06.90 from the third varsity crew, besting Dartmouth’s 6:11.80 and securing Yale’s fourth victory of the morning.

On the morning’s racing, Gennaro expressed that he remained “pleased” with the team’s performance coming off a difficult day of racing during last week’s season-opening Sarasota 2K Invitational, where all five varsity boats were bested on the second day after a previously strong showing.

“Coming off the results from last week, this was an important week of practice,” Gennaro wrote to the News. “It is always difficult to make evaluations and adjustments after a loss, and I think the entire squad did a great job of staying focused and on point this week leading up to the competition yesterday.”

At 10 a.m., during the annual presentation of the Olympic Axe, Dartmouth could be seen hoisting up their new silver hardware. With the Big Green’s historic win, the Olympic Axe now leaves Derby, Connecticut — its home for more than two decades — for the first time.

Next week, the Bulldogs will head west to compete at the California Invitational in Redwood City on Saturday, April 12.