Yale

Andy Card, who was named head coach in 1990, has developed Yale's lightweights into one of the most consistently fast and deep squads in the nation. Starting with a 1V national championship that first year, he has led the Bulldogs to the biggest wins in collegiate rowing: the Sprints, the IRA, the Charles and Henley Royal Regatta. The Bulldogs have won the Jope Cup for Sprints team supremacy five times in the last 12 runnings. All of Yale’s Jope Cup wins have come under Card’s leadership, an indication of the pride Yale takes in the performance of its entire fleet.

Card was named EARC and Ivy League coach of the year in 2022. That was a banner year for Yale, as the varsity crew won the lightweight eight at the Charles, all the regular spring season Cups and the Eastern Sprints. Notable too was the six-event sweep of the Goldthwait Cup regatta between Yale, Harvard and Princeton on Lake Carnegie. At Henley, where Yale entered two eights in the Temple Cup, it was Yale ‘A’ that took the University of Washington Huskies down to the wire in a thrilling race that exhausted both crews. Historically, Yale was the first lightweight crew to win the Temple Cup (2000), and is the only lightweight squad that has made two Temple finals.

Highlighted by Jope Cup wins in 2016, 2019 and 2022, recent years under Card have been marked by many team accomplishments. Yale's 1V went undefeated in the regular season and captured the EARC Sprints championship in 2022. During the 2019 campaign, the 2V, 3V and 4V each went undefeated in the regular season. The first varsity took the silver medal at the EARC Sprints, alongside silver medals in the 2V, 3V and 5V4, as well as gold in the 4V. These successes led Yale to earn the Jope Cup for overall team points. 

The Bulldogs' 2024 season was highlighted by a Vogel Cup win against Harvard and Princeton, including wins in the 2V, 3V and 4V4+. The Bulldogs also took home the Van Amringe team points trophy versus Navy. The third varsity eight had an undefeated regular season and earned the bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints.

The 2016 Bulldogs won the Jope Cup and the Ivy League Championship. The varsity eight then went on to win the silver medal at the IRA Championship and reach the semi-final of the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta.

The early part of Card's career at Yale included 1V national championships in 1990, 2002 and 2005. The team also won the Jope Cup in 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2008 (tie), 2012 and 2013. In 2000 the 1V won the Temple Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta, the first lightweight crew to ever do so.

In addition to all the team success, Card’s program also does a remarkable job preparing the very best athletes for international competition. Current Bulldog Timmy Parsons competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials (where he placed third in the lightweight double) and U23 World Rowing Championships (where he finished seventh overall in the lightweight men's single sculls). In the summer of 2016, Y150 commodore William Van Fossen ’17 and captain Austin Velte ’16 were selected to the USA U23 LM4-. In 2015, Matt O’Donoghue ’14 and Brendan Harrington ’14 were selected to compete for the United States at the Pan American Games, and Velte qualified for the U23 team by winning the trial in the LM2x. In the summer of 2014, there were five Y150 men who were selected to U23 and Senior National Teams. Joseph Hanlon '14 and Andrew Hakanson ’11 were selected to the USA LM8+. O'Donoghue and Joshua Mann ’14 raced in the USA U23 LM4- across from Matthew Segal ’16, who had been named to the U23 LM4- for Team Canada.

These international appearances follow the success of Thomas Swartz ’13 and Rhodes Scholar recipient William Zeng ’11, each of whom were selected to the Oxford Blue Boat. Their Yale training served them well, as they won their seat races against heavyweight teammates to earn a place among the top boat. Swartz and his crew won the 2014 edition of the race by 11 boat-lengths over Cambridge. 

Card began his varsity head coaching career in 1990 by leading the Yale lightweights to an undefeated season and first place at the EARC Sprints and the National Championship before traveling to the Henley Royal Regatta in England. During the 1991 and 1992 seasons, the Elis won two additional Harvard-Yale-Princeton races, marking the first time since 1930-1932 that Yale had captured three straight Goldthwait Cups. Card's JV crews have won the Sprints seven times and have also been to Henley. The trip to Henley in 2001 saw the Yale 2V make it to the semi-final of four crews in the Temple Challenge Cup before losing, going farther than four EARC varsity lightweight crews in the draw.

Card has had coaching success on the international level as well. At the 1993 World Rowing Championships at Roudnice, Czech Republic, Card's U.S. Lightweight 4- won the gold medal, the first gold medal ever for the United States in that event. Card helped coach the USA Men's Lightweight 8+ to a Worlds silver in 1998 and America's first gold medal since 1973 at St. Catharine's in 1999.

A 1985 graduate of Princeton, Card rowed on three Eastern Sprints Championship crews. While serving as captain in his senior year, the varsity eight went undefeated and won both the Eastern Sprints and Kennedy Cup (2V HWT IRA). In addition, he represented the Tigers on trips to Henley in 1983 and 1985. Prior to attending Princeton, he had no competitive rowing experience. 

Card also served as the Princeton freshmen lightweight coach for two seasons (1986 & 1987) following his graduation. Both years the Tiger freshmen went undefeated and took Eastern Sprint titles.