BOSTON -- Sunday was a big day for Yale lightweight crew in Boston, as the Bulldogs capped the fall racing season with a first-place finish at the Head of the Charles. There were three Y150 eights entered in the lightweight eight, and Yale's winning crew -- coxed by senior Laurie Yousman – started seventh and bested second-place Cornell by 8.8 seconds and third-place Princeton by 12.5 seconds. The Bulldogs completed the three-mile course in 14:30.961.
 
While only one boat could come in first, the work of Yale's other boats played a huge role in getting bow #7 on the podium. The Bulldogs' other two eights placed 10th (15:04.394) and 13th (15:24.225). Yale also had a coxed four, which finished eighth (17:31.801) in that event and should qualify for next year's regatta.
 
"This was a total team effort," said Andy Card, Yale's Y150 Alumni Head Coach of Lightweight Crew. "It took nine to win gold medals, but 32 worked to get us there."
 
With two eights starting sixth and seventh, the Bulldogs' strategy relied on the two eights working in tandem, coordinating to give each other a clean run. That collaboration -- on a course that includes seven bridges to navigate -- highlighted strong performances across the board by each Yale boat.
 
"It was great to see," said Card. "The cooperation of the two coxswains -- Laurie Yousman with the 'A' boat and [junior] Clarisa Merkatz with the 'B' boat -- was pretty remarkable. [Assistant coach] Ned [DelGuercio] gave them a lot of good instruction on the course. Without the coxing team working together it could've been disastrous. But they're gamers and wanted to give it a go. Credit to the guys in bow #6, true teammates all. Our first-year coxswain Magdalena Moore and [sophomore] Akshay Khunte steered great courses with the 'C' boat and the lightweight four respectively. We had a lot of guys that raced for the first or second time for Yale today, a situation I'm sure other teams have as well. We are grateful just to be here and to race, so good to be back!"
 
The win was particularly meaningful for Yale's senior captain, Geoff Skelly, who is a native of nearby Needham, Mass. He was one of six Bulldogs who competed Sunday who had also competed in the 2019 Head of the Charles. Yale's top boat finished sixth in 2019.
 
"Captain Geoff Skelly has made it a point to do well at this event. Turns out his little sister had won the Charles previously and would tease him about being the only Charles champ in the family," said Card. "Sibling rivalry is a powerful motivator!"
 
In addition to earning the win, Yale also showcased its depth by being the only school with three eights and a four in lightweight competition. 
 
The Bulldogs now turn their attention to training in advance of next spring, when they return to competition with the Johnson Cup vs. Navy on Apr. 2 at Mercer County Park in New Jersey.