UD men's crew team makes history with victory over Harvard

12:04 p.m., April 8, 2015--The University of Delaware men’s crew club team made history on April 5, defeating Harvard University for the first time ever.

"For the seniors in this boat; this is your last opportunity, don't be the crew who almost did it,” the team’s coach, Chuck Crawford, said prior to the race. “Make sure it gets done and you will never be forgotten.”

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The UD Fightin’ 150s hit the water on Princeton’s Carnegie Lake to take on both Harvard and Georgetown crews on April 5.

The second varsity lightweight eight set the tone for the day of racing as they finished 5.2 seconds ahead of Harvard and over 17 seconds ahead of Georgetown. 

The first varsity lightweight eight followed suit as they led the No. 2 ranked Harvard crew from wire to wire, finishing 2.7 seconds ahead. 

The varsity eight and second varsity eight victories mark the first time that any Delaware varsity crew has beaten a Harvard varsity crew in a dual race. 

"The race against Harvard, then ranked No. 2 according to U.S. Rowing polls, was a monumental victory for Delaware crew," said Joe Mohnack, team president. “The win puts our club team in the mix with the most elite varsity rowing programs in the country.”

The freshman eight, third varsity eight and freshman four crews also rowed competitive races, finishing second, second and fourth, respectively.

The Delaware lightweights will not race this weekend but look forward to facing MIT on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia on April 18. 

In the most recent U.S. Rowing poll released April 8, the UD lightweight men's varsity eight is ranked third, behind top-ranked Cornell University and Columbia University and ahead of Princeton, MIT and Yale.

The full race schedule and other information can be found on the team webpage, and a video about the team is available on the UD YouTube site. 

For the most up to date race results and to keep with UD men’s crew training, follow the team on twitter @delawarecrew. 

Photo courtesy of Judith Mohnack