WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The Yale varsity eight's long run of victories from the Head of the Charles to the Eastern Sprints ran out Sunday at the IRA National Championship. Columbia took home the national title, followed by Navy, Georgetown, Yale, Cornell and Princeton.

"In old time musketry when you hang-fire, you pull the trigger, and nothing happens. I felt that's what happened today—we gave the effort, but the boat speed wasn't there," said Andy Card, Yale's Y150 Alumni Head Coach of Lightweight Crew. "We're more disappointed with the performance than the place. Full credit to Columbia for being the best crew today. Still, what this varsity eight has accomplished all year has been exceptional. While this one stings a bit for us, it was a great day for the league, as the parity makes lightweight rowing so incredible."

Meanwhile, the second varsity eight responded well to a sixth-place finish in the preliminary heat by moving up two spots in the grand final to claim fourth ahead of Penn, Princeton and Georgetown. The Bulldogs were able to change their lineup and find speed to close the gap between them and winning Navy, who was followed by Cornell and Columbia.

To recap Saturday's results, Yale's varsity coxed four won the petite final to finish seventh in the coxed four event.

"The stewards of the IRA have reconfigured the format to include a lightweight second varsity eight," said Card. "I think all the athletes were really excited with the new format after witnessing tremendous competition across both the varsity and second varsity events."

The official results from this weekend can be found below. Yale's first and second varsity finishes earned the Bulldogs 40.5 points in the Team Point competition, trailing only Columbia (51) and Navy (51). Cornell also finished with 40.5 points.

Varsity Eight Grand Final
Columbia 5:56.348
Navy 5:58.306
Georgetown 5:58.942
Yale 6:01.374
Cornell 6:03.112
Princeton 6:06.758
 
Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
Navy 6:05.378
Cornell 6:07.880
Columbia 6:09.674
Yale 6:13.108
Penn 6:14.158
Princeton 6:17.516
Georgetown 6:21.106
 
Varsity Coxed Four Petite Final
Yale 6:40.796
Georgetown 6:42.828
Princeton 6:42.892
MIT 6:47.902
FIT 6:50.014
Penn 6:51.752
 
The Bulldogs now plan to return to the Henley Royal Regatta in late June and July, where they will enter the Temple Challenge Cup.