Yale Athletics

The Yale lightweights returned to the Housatonic River this past Saturday, securing victories in the second and third varsity boat races against Dartmouth. However, the coveted Durand Cup ultimately slipped away in the first varsity race.

In near-perfect conditions, the day began with a strong showing in the second varsity contest. The Bulldogs took a half-length lead, which they extended to a winning time of 5:56.0 against the Big Green. Their performance was followed by the varsity eight, who made a powerful effort to keep up with Dartmouth’s pace but fell short, finishing with a time of 5:55.13, compared to the victorious 5:48.09.

“We’re very happy with today’s racing, but there’s always more to work on, and the season is still far from over. We can’t wait to get back to work at Gilder tomorrow,” Alexander Judelson ’26 of the third varsity eight said to Yale Athletics.

The Durand Cup is named in honour of Yale lightweight oarsman and coach Loyal Durand III. It was established in 1955, and Yale defended the cup for over a decade until Dartmouth broke the Bulldogs’ streak in 2024.

The third varsity eight wrapped up the day with a win, securing a quick open-water lead to edge out Dartmouth by over 13 seconds.

Y150 will take on Harvard and Princeton at the 103rd HYP Regatta in Princeton, NJ, in the battle for the Vogel and Goldthwait Cups next weekend.

REETI MALHOTRA
Reeti Malhotra is a first-year student in Silliman College. She covers Cops and Courts and Men's Crew for the News. She also writes for WKND. Beyond the newsroom, she engages in Yale's undergraduate theatre scene and is a first-year liaison for Cinemat. A prospective Political Science and English major, she is originally from Singapore.