Albert Cup/IRA Sarasota Invitational
Friday, March 27 - Saturday, March 28
Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota, Fla.)
Live Video | Live Results
SARASOTA, Fla. — In its first race weekend of the 2026 season, the Yale heavyweight crew team will kick off its journey at the IRA Sarasota Invitational in Sarasota, Florida.
Looking Back At 2025
- The Bulldog 1V boat finished in fourth place at the Eastern Sprints and fifth in the petite final at the IRA National Championships for an 11th-place national finish.
- The 2V finished fifth at the Eastern Sprints and sixth overall in the grand final at the national championships.
- The 3V crew earned a bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints and finished fifth overall in the grand final at the national championships.
In the Rankings
- The Bulldogs enter the season ranked No. 10 in the IRCA/IRA Preseason Coaches Poll, after opening last season at No. 5.
- In Sarasota, they will race against No. 1 Washington, No. 3 Harvard, No. 6 Brown, No. 7 Northeastern and No. 9 Stanford.
The Leader of the Fleet
- Senior Ben Heathcote has been elected to captain the Bulldogs this season.
- He worked his way to competing on Yale's first varsity boat in 2024-25 as a junior after finding great success on the 4V boat as a sophomore.
- Heathcote was one of several Bulldogs to be named an Empacher-IRCA Scholar Athlete in 2025.
- "Ben consistently demonstrates the hallmarks of great leadership—resilience, accountability and presence," said Mike Gennaro, Craig W. Johnson '68 Head Coach of Heavyweight Crew. "His tireless work ethic and composed, charismatic demeanor make him someone others naturally follow. I have no doubt that his leadership, along with the unity and strength of his senior class, will be a driving force for our program in the coming year."
Words from Coach Gennaro
"For the fourth straight year, our first race will be in Sarasota, Florida at Nathan Benderson Park against Brown, Northeastern, Washington, Harvard and Stanford," Gennaro said. "This has been an exceptionally productive and exciting way to begin the spring racing season. The squad has been working hard and making the most of the time we have had on the water this past month. We are all eager to line up and compete this weekend."
About the Regatta
- The Albert Cup, created in 2014, features a Yale vs. Brown matchup with alternating home sites.
- This marks the fourth-straight year Yale will open its season in Sarasota. In 2025, the Bulldogs raced against Brown and Northeastern.
About the Course
Nathan Benderson Park is one of the premier rowing venues in the United States, hosting major events such as:
- 2019 Under-23 World Championships
- 2018 World Rowing Masters Regatta
- 2017 World Rowing Championships
- Multiple NCAA Women's Rowing Championships
Schedule of Events
Friday March 27th (Heats)
- 3:00/3:10 PM - 3V
- 4:30/4:40 PM - 2V
- 5:20/5:30 PM - 1V (vs. Brown for the Albert Cup)
Saturday March 28th - Yale, Brown, Harvard, Northeastern, Washington, Stanford
- 10:50 AM - 3V Final
- 11:30 AM - 2V Final
- 12:10 AM - 1V Final
Boat Lineups
1V
Bow Einar Bjorvik / Bergen, Norway
2 Bailey Foster / Ross, Calif.
3 Max Peel / London, England
4 Ulrik Lohne / Lier, Norway
5 John Patton / Boston, Mass.
6 Angus Gray-Cheape / Oxford, U.K.
7 Ben Mead / Cambridge, England
Stroke Christian Reese / London, U.K.
Coxswain Ed Crosthwaite-Eyre / Bramshaw, U.K.
2V
Bow Felix Peerless / London, England
2 Jan Dziedzic / Warsaw, Poland
3 Max Gillard / London, England
4 Lawson Banks / Sydney, Australia
5 Nikolai Rybin / London, England
6 Ben Heathcote / London, England
7 Scott Moorcroft / Adelaide, South Africa
Stroke Aksel Wergeland / Bergen, Vestland, Norway
Coxswain Emerson Harris / Southport Island, Maine
3V
Bow Max Jeremijenko / Brisbane, Australia
2 Luca Toner / Auckland, New Zealand
3 Ben Ashman / Christchurch, New Zealand
4 Marton Hajdu / Szeged, Hungary
5 Drew Cavanaugh / Riverside, Conn.
6 Stewart Fuqua / Arlington, Va.
7 Daniel Wagner / Vienna, Austria
Stroke George Beer / Oxford, U.K.
Coxswain Aahana Mehta-Vasisht / San Mateo, Calif.
