LEONIA, N.J. – The brisk breezes buffeting Overpeck County Park in New Jersey set the stage for the annual clash between the lightweight crews of Yale, Penn and Columbia Saturday morning. Yale secured wins in the 3V and 4V, but at racing's end it was Penn who walked away with the Dodge and Colgan Cups. 
 

• The three 3V crews were the first to meet the biting winds this morning, locking into the stake boats at 9:00 a.m. From the start, Yale took a commanding lead, gaining about a length on the field by the first 500 meter mark. The Quakers clung on though, not losing contact with the Bulldogs, and though it would appear to be a two-race contest, the Columbia Lions were not far back. Near the 1000m mark, the Quakers made a move to challenge Yale's lead, battling the Bulldogs for each seat as much as the two crews battled the crosswind in this portion of the course. With just 500m to go, Penn had cut Yale's lead to but a few seats, and it became anyone's race. The crews sprinted ferociously, going stroke for stroke through the line. To those watching on the dock, it was evident only in the last few seconds who emerged victorious – Yale, by four seats. 
   
•  This exciting finish was followed by a tough JV race that began at 9:20 a.m. Penn had a strong start, taking the lead on Columbia, who was followed by Yale. As the three crews settled in, Yale made a move on the Lions, closing the gap to about half a boat length with Penn still up on the field. The positions remained this way until the final 500m, where the Bulldogs mustered together to move on Columbia, cutting the lead to just a seat. However, this was not enough to overtake the Lions, or Penn, who remained a length ahead by the finish line to take the win. 

• The varsity race for the Dodge Cup began just 20 minutes later and mirrored the JV race. The Quakers were quick off the start, taking a length on the other two crews by the 250m mark. Through the first 1250m, the Bulldogs and Lions exchanged blows, with Columbia up about half a boat length and the Bulldogs holding on. In the final 500m, Columbia expanded its lead to open water on Yale, with Penn holding a similar margin over the Lions to win the 2024 Dodge Cup.
  
  "Today was not the race we were hoping for, but there are still plenty of opportunities left in the season. We're excited to get back to Derby and continue to improve," said senior Michael Steinthal, Y150 Commodore and five-seat of the varsity eight.

• The final race of the morning featured a tight two-boat duel between the Yale and Penn fourth varsity eights. The crews took off from the start at 10:00 a.m. and remained dead level through the first few hundred meters. The Bulldogs soon found their stride and took seats on Penn, gaining nearly a length on the Quakers. Penn held on fiercely, though, gathering together for a move around the midway point to cut the Yale lead by three seats. The Bulldogs responded in turn, swinging hard to take back those seats, and more, stretching the lead to a full length by the 1500m mark. Yale capped off the race with a decisive sprint, taking an open water advantage on the Quakers by the finish line. 

 
Despite the strong performances by the Yale 3V and 4V, Penn took home the 2024 Colgan Cup for overall team points with victories in the varsity and JV.
 
The Y150 will go on the road again next week to face Dartmouth for the Durand Cup.
 
Here are the official results from this morning:
 
1V
Penn 6:01.8
Columbia 6:05.8
Yale 6:12.8
 
2V
Penn 6:04.7
Columbia 6:10.1
Yale 6:10.7
 
3V
Yale 6:19.4
Penn 6:20.1
Columbia 6:25.4
 
4V
Yale 6:41.5
Penn 6:44.2
 
Here are the lineups for the four Bulldog boats:
 
1V
Cox       Magdalena Moore / Winthrop, Wash.
Stroke   James Casemore / Farnham, England
7           Andrew Griesinger / Princeton, N.J.
6           Nolan Kaputa / Princeton, N.J.
5           Michael Steinthal / Greenwich, Conn.
4           Itai Almogy / Palo Alto, Calif.
3           Andres Garcia-Chacon / Coral Gables, Fla.
2           Constantine Polychronopoulos / London, England
Bow      John Cahill / Los Angeles, Calif.
 
2V
Cox        Jackie Weyerhaeuser / Minneapolis, Min.
Stroke    Angus Stevenson / London, England
7            Max Blacksten / McLean, Va.
6            Martin Vakoc / Prague, Czech Republic
5            Ago Ghiso / Chicago, Ill.
4            Dylan Oberst / Greenwich, Conn.
3            Andy Yang / Los Angeles, Calif.
2            Enrico Pradines / Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.
Bow       Will Konopka / Philadelphia, Penn.
 
3V
Cox        Fanny Zhang / Ossining, N.Y.
Stroke    Ryan Vaughn / Moraga, Calif.
7            Blake Weyerhaeuser / Minneapolis, Min.
6            Andrew Terkildsen / Lake Forest, Il.
5            Devin Seli / Woodbridge, Conn.
4            Raph Clark / South Hamilton, Mass.
3            Michael Linquata / Berwyn, Penn.
2            Alexander Judelson / Manhattan, N.Y.
Bow       Eddie Cavallin / Washington, D.C.
 
4V
Cox        Pearl Mallick / Dartmouth, Mass.
Stroke    Paden Nichols / Des Moines, Wash.
7            Andrew Coli / Mountain View, Calif.
6            Harry Waters / Old Greenwich, Conn.
5            Eli Simon / Woodside, Calif.
4            Brandon Fernandez / Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.
3            Maxwell Raabe / Old Greenwich, Conn.
2            Clay Hard / New York, N.Y.
Bow       Jonny Auh / Scottsdale, Ariz.