CHERRY HILL, N.J. – With three crews ranked in the top five nationally, there was little doubt the Ivy League Championship would provide some exciting racing. No. 3 Yale, No. 4 Princeton and No. 5 Brown certainly delivered, battling throughout the championship, all finishing with 74 points. Princeton, though, earned the overall team points title by virtue of its win in the varsity eight grand final, which also earned the Tigers their fifth straight Sally P. Shoemaker Trophy as the Ivy League champion.
Nevertheless, it was a very strong day for the Bulldogs, who won four (second varsity eight, third varsity eight, second varsity four, third varsity four) of the six grand finals. Yale's varsity eight and varsity four also both won medals, finishing third in the grand finals.
"Four golds and two bronze medals is a good day by any standard, but when it happens in the fastest league in the country right now, it is very impressive," said
Will Porter, The Friends of YWC Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We have battled flu and injury this spring, and I am really proud of how we hung in there to compete."
There will very likely be more racing ahead for the Bulldogs, who should hear their name called when the at-large selections to the NCAA Championship are announced on Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT on NCAA.com. The NCAA Championship is set for May 27-29 in Sarasota, Fla.
In the varsity eight grand final, Princeton, which posted a time of 6:11.703, grabbed the lead at the start and held off a late push from the Bulldogs and Brown. The Bears finished just two-tenths of a second ahead of Yale 6:13.730 to 6:13.930 to claim second.
"The entire 1V raced at a high level in the final," Porter said. "They took a step forward as a crew today. There is more ahead for them."
The Bulldogs captured the second varsity eight grand final for the first time since 1988. Yale had a winning time of 6:16.256, more than two seconds faster than second-place Brown.
The third varsity eight also cruised to victory, posting a time of 6:29.01 which was nearly four seconds faster than second-place Brown.
"Our 2V would not be denied. They took charge of that final and never looked back," Porter said. "The 3V did the exact same. Both of those crews have been the class of their fields all year. For both of those crews to go undefeated and win the Ivy title is remarkable."
The Bulldogs started the afternoon session strong by winning the third varsity four grand final with a time of 7:31.118, more than three second faster than Brown. Yale also won the second varsity four in 7:03.276, nearly three seconds faster than second-place Princeton.
"I was really happy for the 3V4 and 2V4," Porter said. "They fought hard for those wins."
Yale's depth was evident throughout the championship.
"Every YWC athlete won a medal today," Porter said proudly.
At the conclusion of the championship the All-Ivy teams were announced. Captain
Claire Dirks, who stroked the varsity eight, earned first team honors for the Bulldogs.
"Claire really stepped up in the V8 final," Porter said. "She is a special athlete."
Lucy Edmunds and
Emmeline Laurence were selected to the second team.
YALE BOATINGS
Varsity Eight
Bow:
Maya Meschkuleit, So., Mississauga, Canada
2.
Veronica Wall, Jr., Ashburton, New Zealand
3.
Margaret Hedeman, Jr., Concord, Mass.
4.
Lauren Carey, So., Harrogate, England & Cape Town, South Africa
5.
Maddie Moore, Fy., Naples, Fla.
6.
Emmeline Laurence, Jr., Greenland, N.H.
7.
Lucy Edmunds, Jr., North Yorkshire, Great Britain
Stroke:
Claire Dirks, Sr., Toronto, Ontario
Cox:
Aparajita Chauhan, Sr., Seattle, Wash.
Second Varsity Eight
Bow:
Mette Køchs-Nielsen, Jr., Aarhus, Denmark
2.
Christina Bourmpou, Fy., Thessaloniki, Greece
3.
Anna Scott, Jr., Denver, Colo.
4.
Mia Levy, Fy., Des Moines, Iowa
5.
Phoebe Campbell, Sr., North Molton, Great Britain
6.
Hanna Winter, So., Lubeck, Germany
7.
Nicole Martinez, Fy., Asuncion, Paraguay
Stroke:
Katie King-Smith, Sr., Oxford, United Kingdom
Cox:
Esha Bhattacharya, So., San Ramon, Calif.
Varsity Four
Bow:
Christiana Congdon, Jr., Stonington, Conn.
2.
Sophie Houston, So., Sydney, Australia
3.
Charlotte Fennell, Jr., Amersham, England
Stroke:
Marie Ramm, Fy., Birkereod, Denmark
Cox:
Grace Menke, So., Sarasota, Fla.
Second Varsity Four
Bow:
Anna Matthes, Jr., Belmont, Mass.
2.
Clare Naughton, Jr., Burlington, Mass.
3.
Violet Barletta, Fy., Boston, Mass.
Stroke:
Hannah Johns, Jr., Longmeadow, Mass.
Cox:
Alin Pasa, Sr., Westport, Conn.
Third Varsity Eight
Bow:
Kate Edwards, So., Seattle, Wash.
2.
Clementine Perry, Jr., Wellesley, Mass.
3.
Olivia Schnur, Fy., Greenwich, Conn.
4.
Olivia Clark, Jr., Wellington, New Zealand
5.
Avril Walters, Fy., Addlestone, Great Britain
6.
Lily Eales, Fy., Sydney, Australia
7.
Eva Hofmans, Fy., Dunedin, New Zealand
Stroke:
Lillie Ketterson, Sr., Boston, Mass.
Cox:
Sofía Garcia, Fy., Concord, Mass.
Third Varsity Four
Bow:
Anna Bettigole, Fy., Boston, Mass.
2.
Erin Bettigole, Fy., Boston, Mass.
3.
Sophia Craver, Fy., Princeton, N.J.
Stroke:
Aliza Fisher, Jr., Bethesda, Md.
Cox:
Hailey Edelman, So., Syosset, N.Y.
