Cornell Sweeps Saturday Morning Races to Secure 23rd Goes Cup Title

Story by Lauren Williams
Photos by Lauren Williams and John Nicholson

  Liverpool, N.Y. --  Syracuse was the home team but Cornell's Big Red owned the course, sweeping the races over the Orange and the Navy Midshipmen Saturday  morning in fast conditions on Onondaga Lake and its outlet. The No. 9 Big Red varsity eight's win defended the Goes Trophy title and the sweep gave Cornell the Stagg Cup for total points. Navy finished second in all but the second varsity eight race.

            One of the biggest traditions in the history of the Orange rowing program, SU, Navy and Cornell, have battled for the Goes Trophy for the past 60 years. The win was Cornell's 23rd.

“If you look at the names on the trophy, it’s sort of rotated around between the three schools regularly,” Syracuse head coach Dave Reischman said. “It’s always, always solid racing and tough competition.”

           

Morning of Fast Racing

           

            The varsity eights kicked things off for the morning with the Big Red taking the lead early and the No. 12 Midshipmen following closely behind. The No. 13 Orangemen struggled to keep up with the quick pace Cornell set and fell behind by a boat length. Cornell finished the race strong stopping the clock at 5:38.6 narrowly beating Navy who finished in 5:39.5. Syracuse covered the course in 5:49. 

            “I think we were putting in a lot more than were getting out,” SU four oar Aleksandr Staprans, said. “We were putting in a lot of effort and not quite getting the return that we wanted. [We wanted] just a bit more impulse, like from catch to finish, and getting as much speed as possible.”

            Navy hoped to keep the races close, head coach Rob Friedrich said..

            “Cornell is ranked higher than both of us and we’ve been gaining speed over the past couple of weeks,” Friedrich said. “We wanted to put up our best race today and I think we did. Our varsity made it very tough on Cornell and almost caught them at the end.”

            Syracuse’s 2V battled Navy for second place. The Orange answered every challenge from the Midshipmen. Cornell set the pace right off the stake boats, opening a boat length-and-a-half. The Big Red held the lead to the finish to recording a time of 5:47.0. The Orange crossed the line in 5:51.5, while Navy followed in 5:53.4.

"A tough day for us on Onondaga Lake," Reischman said. "Cornell and Navy are really strong programs. They did a great job today, so hats off to them. We didn't feel in the varsity eight quite as clean in our execution as last week (against Wisconsin.) We didn't settle down and move the boat like we were capable of.”

Honoring Rob and Sue Edson

            The morning included a dedication ceremony for two boats that honor Rob and Sue Edson. Rob worked Syracuse’s as chief financial officer and a senior associate director of athletics. While at Syracuse, he oversaw men’s soccer, as well as, the men’s and women’s rowing programs before becoming the athletic director Onondaga Community College. In 2013, Rob dies suddenly leaving behind his wife, Sue, and his two children Thomas and Tracey.
 

            “It’s quite overwhelming,” Associate Athletics Director for Communications, Sue Edson, said. “Doing this today just means the world to me. The people are what make the institution. The student athletes I get to work with, the coaches, the administrators, having our family here, it’s a really special thing.”

On to the next

Next week, the Orangemen hit the Charles River in Boston, Mass. to take on No. 8 Boston University and No. 18 Columbia for the Conlan Cup. Syracuse has won the cup 15 times within the last 26 years but the last time was in 2012.