Lightweights Row to Petite Final Victories at Eastern Sprints
Written By: Columbia University AthleticsRelease: 05/10/2009
WORCESTER, Mass. — Rebounding from a sub-par morning of racing, the Columbia men's lightweight rowers struck gold at the Eastern Sprints when their first place in the Petite Final of the Varsity Eights clinched a trip to the Golden State, California, for the National Lightweight Championship in June. The Lion second varsity and freshman eights joined their varsity counterparts in the Petite Final winner's circles.
The mood after the morning heats at Lake Quinsigamond was one of gloom. The varsity lightweight eight, needing to finish in the top three to make the Grand Final, as it had done last year in one of the Sprints' major surprises, fell to fourth, well behind third-place Yale. The second varsity and freshman eights also took fourth in their heats.
But the Lion lightweights engineered a complete turnaround in the afternoon. Responding to more than 100 wildly cheering parents and alumni, Columbia's lightweights won all three of their Petite Finals, a superb reversal.
"There was a lot more fire in the afternoon," assistant lightweight coach Ed Golding noted. Head coach Scott Alwin, although not overwhelmed by the improved rowing, was certainly encouraged. After "a disappointing morning," he said, "it was a solid, but not great afternoon."
Alwin was cautious in praising his crews. "We don't want to be known as a program that [just] wins the Petite Final," he said. However, he couldn't contain his enthusiasm when speaking about the varsity lightweights.
Having missed the automatic bid to the National Championship that comes with a spot in the Grand Final, the varsity had just one opportunity to earn a trip to Sacramento — finishing seventh overall, or one beyond the six Grand Final crews; i.e., winning the Petite Final.
The Lions got off to a good start in the race, and pulled into a lead in the middle 1000 meters. In the final, Columbia puled away, although Penn reduced the margin at the end. "That was an ENORMOUS win," Alwin said.
The second varsity beat Dartmouth and Penn in its Petite Final, while the freshmen were very impressive in beating Navy, Penn, and MIT, leading the second-place Midshipmen by almost seven seconds! Golding said it was the crew's best race of the season.
Alwin cited the lightweights' showing as evidence of the program's improvement in the past two years. Still, there is a ways to go.
"We're fit and well-trained," he noted, "but fitness doesn't guarantee winning. We're still fine-tuning. We still need [to improve our] racing ability and rowing skill."
The Eastern Sprints concluded the seasons for the second varsity and freshman lights, but not the varsity eight. Thanks to their clutch Petite Final victory, they'll compete in the National Men's Lightweight Championship on the final day of the IRA Regatta, staged this year in Sacramento, Calif. It will be contested Saturday, June 6.
The results:
EARC (Eastern) Sprints Sunday, May 10, 2009 Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, Mass.
The Lightweights Varsity Eights - Petite Final 1. COLUMBIA, 6:10.806 2. Penn, 6:14.049 3. Dartmouth, 6:15.951 4. MIT, 6:17.062
Second Varsity Eights - Petite Final 1. COLUMBIA, 6:15.690 2. Dartmouth, 6:18.871 3. Penn, 6:25.768 Freshman Eights - Petite Final 1. COLUMBIA, 6:25.148 2. Navy, 6:31.914 3. Penn, 6:32.164 4. MIT, 6:32.861
Courtesy: Columbia University Athletics/Gene Boyars
