After months of winter training, the Lightweight crew team’s spring season got started with a series of difficult losses against the University of Delaware and Princeton University.
According to Head Varsity Lightweight Coach Giuseppe Lanzone, the team had a very successful winter training leading up to the season.
“Every single individual is very hard working, and everything that I have thrown at them training wise, they have accomplished,” Lanzone said.
The team’s first 2,000 meter race was against Delaware on March 22 on the Potomac. The team had a total of three boats: two varsity and one novice. In the first varsity race, Georgetown lost to Delaware in a relatively close race by a little over 10 seconds. Georgetown’s time was 6:00.29.
In the second race, the Hoyas’ second varsity boat was in race with with two other Delaware boats and finished second by a mere 0.97 seconds. The novice boat raced hard in the third race, but struggled and lost to Delaware as they finished with a time of 6:33.20.
This past weekend, the team traveled to Princeton, N.J. for the Fosburgh Cup to race against the Princeton Tigers. Again, all three teams were unable to win any of the races. The first varsity boat finished with a time of 6:37.80. The second varsity boat, as well as the novice boat, both struggled in their respective races.
Despite the struggles that the team has faced at the beginning of the season, Lanzone believes they can turn it around.
“I believe that boats gain speed as the season goes on and we are making sure we are improving,” he said.
While the season hasn’t exactly started out with a bang, with five races left, there is a lot of time for improvement. Georgetown’s biggest race of the season will come on May 18 in Worcester, Mass., where they will race in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints. If they are able to place in the top seven, they will qualify for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
With a long season ahead and a team that seems to be improving, it seems to be too early to write off the Lightweight team just yet. They will look to right the ship when they travel to New Haven, Ct. to face the Yale Bulldogs this Saturday.
