The University of Pennsylvania men’s lightweight rowing team brought the Wood-Hammond Trophy back to Boathouse Row after defeating Princeton in the Varsity Eights race on April 18. Penn has now won the trophy the last three times it has competed for it on Lake Carnegie, marking a first in program history.
The event featured several races, with Penn taking an early lead in the Varsity Eight and maintaining it throughout. The Quakers finished with a time of 5:39.1, ahead of Princeton’s 5:40.9 and Georgetown’s 5:45.2.
In other events, Penn led early in both the Second and Third Varsity Eight races but was overtaken by Princeton before the finish line. In the Second Varsity Eight, Princeton finished at 5:42.8 while Penn clocked in at 5:46.4 and Georgetown at 5:53.0. The Third Varsity Eight saw Princeton winning with a time of 5:54.9 compared to Penn’s 5:58.5 and Georgetown’s 6:04.5.
The Fourth Varsity Eight followed a similar pattern, with Penn leading initially but ultimately finishing behind Princeton by just over half a boat length; times were recorded as Princeton at 6:00.2 and Penn at 6:02.6.
Looking ahead, Penn is set to host Navy on the Schuylkill River next Saturday where they will compete for both the Callow Cup in the Varsity Eights race and the Class of 1919 Trophy across all races.
