ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell varsity eight were voted the Lightweight Crew of the Year and head coach Chris Kerber was celebrated as Lightweight Coach of the Year when the 2019 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Postseason Awards were recently announced. The Big Red won the IRA lightweight crown, the program's seventh national title since 2006.

After an unbeaten race season, Cornell capped its campaign by earning the national crown with a time of 5:44.426. The victory was a bounce-back after the varsity eight was relegated to the petite final at Eastern Sprints, marking their only loss of the 2019 season.

Kerber earned the Coach of the Year nod from his peers after helping his crew to regroup after a disappointing finish in Worcester and focus on the road ahead. The eight came out strong in the heats and never looked back. His lightweight four also medaled at IRA, earning bronze in a tightly contest Grand Final. The award is his fourth national IRA Coach of the Year award since 2014.