SARASOTA, Fla. - Northeastern competed in the IRA Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. at Nathan Benderson Park over the weekend. The Huskies faced off against four of the top ranked crews in the battle for the Benderson Cup.
Friday Racing:
Day one of Racing in Sarasota Florida included races from the 1V, 2V, and 3V between the number 5 ranked Yale, number 9 ranked Brown and number 10 ranked Northeastern.
Stroked by Pietro Brocca, the Huskies' first varsity boat got off to a strong start, taking an early lead and maintaining it through the 750-meter mark. Midway through the race, Brown gained the advantage. All three boats battled down the course, with Brown holding its lead in the second half while Yale made a late push in the last 500 meters to overtake Northeastern. In a close finish, Brown crossed first with a time of 5:45.39, followed by Yale with a time of 5:47.63 and Northeastern with a time of 5:49.15.
Stroked by Luke Hickling, Northeastern's second varsity boat had a clean and competitive start, staying even with the field. The Huskies fought hard in the second half to keep the race close. A strong sprint in the final meters led to an incredibly tight finish, with less than a six-seat separation between the three crews. Yale finished first (5:50.65), Brown second (5:52.25), and Northeastern third (5:53.16).
Stroked by Will Donovan, the Huskies' third varsity boat started strong, staying level with the field. Despite the challenging conditions faced by all crews, Northeastern remained within half a boat length of Yale and Brown. In the second half, the Huskies struggled to respond to their opponents' moves but rallied in the last 500 meters to close the gap. Yale took first place (5:57.29), followed by Brown (5:58.25) and Northeastern (6:05.96).
Saturday Racing:
The second day of racing in Sarasota, Florida, brought similar windy conditions, but all crews executed high-level racing and fierce competition. Saturday's races featured a five-lane showdown for the Benderson Cup, with Brown (No. 5th), Harvard (No. 3), Northeastern (No. 10), Washington (No. 1), and Yale (No. 5) competing.
Racing began with the third varsity eight, where all five crews surged off the start. Washington and Harvard established a strong lead around the 500-meter mark, while Northeastern battled down the course with Brown and Yale. Although trailing in the last 500 meters, sophomore coxswain Nick Walding rallied his crew into a powerful sprint, closing the gap and overtaking Yale in the final strokes.
Results – Third Varsity Eight:
1. Harvard – 5:39.80
2. Washington – 5:40.56
3. Brown – 5:47.24
4. Northeastern – 5:48.51
5. Yale – 5:48.75
In the second varsity eight, all crews had a fast start and maintained a high pace through the middle thousand meters of the race. Harvard and Washington began to pull ahead, but all five boats remained within a length. Northeastern made a strong push in the last 250 meters, finishing ahead of Brown and just 1.8 seconds behind Yale. Senior captain Braden Porterfield led the charge, securing the Huskies' fourth-place finish.
Results – Second Varsity Eight:
1. Washington – 5:36.42
2. Harvard – 5:38.46
3. Yale – 5:38.88
4. Northeastern – 5:40.78
5. Brown – 5:42.28
The final race of the day featured the first varsity eight, the fastest event of the regatta. The Huskies had a strong start, staying competitive with the top crews in the country. Harvard and Washington pulled ahead, while Brown, Yale, and Northeastern remained within a boat length of each other as they entered the second half. Brown made a decisive move at the 1,500-meter mark to pass Harvard, while the Huskies fought hard but couldn't break into the top four.
Results – First Varsity Eight:
1. Washington – 5:31.58
2. Brown – 5:32.77
3. Harvard – 5:33.05
4. Yale – 5:36.77
5. Northeastern – 5:39.87
Head Coach Alex Perkins on the weekend:
"The team competed well and raced hard this weekend against the top teams in the country. We were pleased with the progress in our lower boats and look forward to continuing to build the team depth of our program. We came to this event to compete at the top level and the team did just that. This experience will serve us well in our development this season."
The Huskies will return to Boston to race against Boston University on Saturday, April 5, on the Charles River for the Arlett Cup.
Lineups
First Varsity
Cox: Alex Stamas
S: Pietro Brocca
7: Alexander Willott
6: Kobe Miller
5: Brandon Mark
4: Julian Leonhardt
3: Aidan Murphy
2: Jakub Kyncl
B: Ed Lopas
Second Varsity
Cox: Wilson Glass
S: Luke Hickling
7: Krystof Janac
6: Braden Porterfield
5: Mark Kakoma
4: Elrond Kullman
3: Riley Putnam
2: Daniel Kelly
B: Gabriel Pfister
Third Varsity
Cox: Nick Walding
S: Will Donovan
7: Immanuel Dorneich
6: Michael Kourakos
5: Ned Botherway
4: Giovanni Santaniello
3: Adam Love
2: Evan Albers
B: William Van Nice
