The Cornell men’s heavyweight rowing team, ranked 13th nationally, will face No. 12 Boston University in a dual meet at Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs, New York, this Saturday, April 9. Both teams are traveling for a one-day event that begins with races scheduled from 1:30 p.m.
This matchup is considered important for national rankings as both programs are closely matched. Todd Kennett, the Spirit of ’57 Director of Cornell Rowing and Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Heavyweight Rowing, said, “BU and Cornell, on paper, are really close. Recent rankings and results have a large number of teams falling within several seconds of each other. Boston University and Cornell are two of the six, along with crews like Yale, Northeastern and Penn. This will be a very important race for us.”
Cornell enters the weekend after losing to Harvard in the Robinson Cup last Saturday but showed signs of improvement during that contest against one of the top crews in the country. Kennett said about Harvard’s performance: “Harvard is one of the best we have competed against. Our guys had solid efforts, but we are not yet ready for the skill and power that Harvard provided. All our boats posted times that were solid in comparison to what we’ve done in practice.” He also addressed technical challenges faced by his crew: “Most of our breakdowns came in the middle of the third 500,” Kennett said. “We worked hard early on and our technique faltered as we tired. That little breakdown is so important. Just a few percent difference is what makes good into great or good into slow.” Preparation has been hampered by cold temperatures and high winds affecting training conditions.
Kennett scouted Boston University recently and remains optimistic about his team’s progress: “I was very encouraged by a number of the athletes who seemed very focused on what could change and improve,” he said.
Cornell Big Red Men’s Rowing – Heavyweight is affiliated with Cornell University and competes in the Ivy League according to the official website. The program features Big Red as its mascot according to its official website, operates as a collegiate rowing program according to its official website, and is based in Ithaca, New York according to its official website.
Saturday’s races will not be streamed online; fans can attend at Fish Creek located at 543 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs.
