MIT beat Olympians; Tomorrow Brown Friday
American crews faired well in the second day of racing at Henley Royal Regatta on Thursday. Twelve of the 16 U.S. entries won, advancing to race again in the next round of their brackets.
    The Brown freshmen raced from behind to win their race in the Temple Cup against Queen’s University, Belfast. Queen’s raced first off the line and to the barrier before Bruno reeled them in, took a small lead and defended it to the line against a strong last attact.
    The Brown pair, rearranged along with the varsity eights on account of injury also won. So Brown University now has five men’s crews racing on Friday at the year’s Henley Royal Regatta. Both the varsity and JV eights begin racing in the Ladies Plate, in which a Brown Alumni/NYAC crew stacked with former world and Olympic champions is also entered.
    The Princeton lightweights decided the outcome in the first few strokes of their Temple Cup race with a ferocious start that left Newcastle University behind. “It was a fast start and we got away cleanly,” said coxswain Dave Cleveland. “We went into it thinking we wanted to have a good start and get into it as best we can.” The Tigers equaled the course record to the Barrier, but even by then the Princeton crew that won the IRA national championship in June clearly had the race in hand.
    Sculler Gevvie Stone, rowing in Cambridge (Mass.) Boat Club colors had an similarly dominant performance in her first race of the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.
    Belmont Hill continued their march through the bracket of the Princess Elizabeth Cup with a win over King’s College School, Wimbledon. Bel Hill seems to be on course to face Eton, who continued to set records in their race and appear the overwhelming favorites in their side of the bracket.
    MIT grabbed a slight lead against Molesey and raced it all the way down the course in the best racing of the day. Olympic champion brothers Greg and Johnny Searle rowed in the extremely experienced Molesley boat, and the MIT crew knew it.
    “I was scared that they were walking back into us,” admitted MIT bowman Lucas Goodman immediately after the race. “All I could think about was that two of those guys were in the ‘92 pair that had that ridiculous sprint.” (see it here).  Henley Royal Regatta continues through the weekend. Full Schedule and Results.

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