Yale Athletics

Racing on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, the Yale Bulldogs squared off against Ivy League foes from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia in a three-way rivalry.

In a weekend of triumph and upset, the Yale heavyweight crew team narrowly missed defending its Blackwell Cup title in the first varsity eight. Still, they delivered commanding performances across the board at the annual regatta.

The Bulldogs captured wins in the second, third and fourth varsity eight boats — but could not hold off a surging Penn crew in the first varsity event. With a time of 6:07.70, Penn’s top boat crossed the finish line nearly five seconds ahead of Yale’s 6:13.00. Columbia trailed behind at 6:25.80. 

The result marked a significant shakeup in a series long dominated by the Bulldogs. Last year, Yale’s first varsity defeated Penn by a comfortable six-second margin at Overpeck Park in Leonia, N.J.

This year, however, the Quakers capitalized on home-course familiarity and consistent speed over the 2,000-meter stretch, flipping the script in a rivalry that dates back nearly a century. The Blackwell Cup, first contested in 1927, was established in memory of George Engs Blackwell, a Columbia College graduate from the class of 1880. It is presented annually to the winner of the varsity eight contest among Yale, Penn and Columbia.

Saturday’s upset also came despite recent rankings that had favored the Bulldogs. In the latest IRCA/IRA national coaches poll released last week, Yale’s first varsity eight was ranked seventh in the country, three spots ahead of Penn. The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges seeded the Elis fifth and the Quakers seventh in its first poll of the season.

Still, the Bulldogs asserted their strength in the rest of the day’s events. 

In the second varsity eight — a race that doubles as the contest for the Colgan Cup — Yale posted a 6:06.60 finish, edging out Penn’s 6:08.50 in a high-intensity duel down the course. Columbia followed with a time of 6:33.00. The win continues Yale’s streak in the event and secures the Colgan Cup for another year.

Yale’s third varsity continued the momentum, holding off a determined Penn boat to finish in 6:15.90 — just three seconds ahead of the Quakers’ 6:19.00. In the morning’s opening race, the Bulldogs’ fourth varsity boat set the tone with a commanding 6:11.70 finish, outpacing Penn’s fourth varsity and fifth varsity crews by 13 and 30 seconds, respectively.

The Bulldogs will look to bounce back next weekend as they return to their home waters at Gilder Boathouse to host Cornell and Princeton on Saturday, April 26.