BOSTON — The Cornell men's heavyweight rowing team opened its fall season Sunday afternoon at the Head of the Charles Regatta, with its Championship Four placing fifth of nine and its Championship Eight finishing 22nd of 37. It was the Big Red's first Championship Eights appearance at the regatta since 2019.

The fifth-place finish in the Men's Championship Fours improved on last year's result, when Cornell's top four placed seventh. Racing from bow 5, the four was stroked by junior Finn Hayes and coxed by sophomore Marcus Decorato. It crossed in 15:54.328, 29.928 seconds behind winner Princeton (15:24.400). Washington took second in 15:34.133 and California third in 15:48.360.

Cornell trailed Penn by 4.957 seconds at the Weld Boathouse split. It was faster than the Quakers over each of the final two segments and finished 2.486 seconds behind fourth-place Penn. The Big Red finished 9.867 seconds ahead of Princeton's second boat (16:04.195) and placed fourth among the eight crews racing under the College – Championship designation.

In the Men's Championship Eights, the Big Red crew, coxed by junior Jack Walker and stroked by sophomore Noah Kanefsky, started from bow 30. It finished in 13:59.363, ahead of nine crews that had started in front of it. Holland Acht won the event in 13:32.835. Harvard was the top collegiate crew, 0.558 seconds back in second, and Cambridge placed third.

Cornell finished 11th among the 20 crews racing under the College – Championship designation. It was 0.907 seconds behind Boston University's top eight and finished ahead of Wisconsin (14:02.829), Georgetown (14:09.997) and Columbia (14:23.960).

Two members of the eight raced in Cornell's Championship Fours at last year's regatta. Walker, who coxed the Big Red's 'B' four to an eighth-place finish in 2025, steered the eight. Senior Abe Litvak, who stroked the seventh-place 'A' four a year ago, rowed in the 2 seat.

Cornell will return to the water Saturday, Oct. 31, when it welcomes Dartmouth and Syracuse for a scrimmage on Cayuga Inlet.

CORNELL'S BOATINGS
Championship 4+: Marcus Decorato (coxswain), Finn Hayes (stroke), Johnnie Moriarty, Nathan Stoulil, Xavier Wendt (bow)
Championship 8+: Jack Walker (coxswain), Noah Kanefsky (stroke), Constantino Oberto-Calleri, Harry Bernard, Ward Dobeck, Carl Lewis, Tony Klar, Abe Litvak, Justin Umbrasas (bow)

MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP FOURS RESULTS
Princeton 'A', 15:24.400; Washington, 15:34.133; California, 15:48.360; Penn, 15:51.842; Cornell, 15:54.328; Princeton 'B', 16:04.195; Canottieri Varese, 16:06.743; Wisconsin, 16:10.837; Columbia, 16:30.325

MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP EIGHTS RESULTS
Holland Acht, 13:32.835; Harvard, 13:33.393; Cambridge, 13:36.084; Washington, 13:37.294; Princeton, 13:38.178; Dartmouth, 13:38.609*; USTC – Sarasota, 13:39.055; Northeastern, 13:42.589; Leander, 13:42.788; California, 13:42.792; Yale, 13:47.803; Oxford Brookes, 13:51.413; Penn, 13:53.189; Oxford University, 13:53.228; Princeton 'B', 13:54.053; Brown, 13:55.880; Cambridge 'B', 13:56.924; Yale 'B', 13:57.051; Harvard 'B', 13:57.082; Northeastern 'B', 13:58.127; Boston University, 13:58.456; Cornell, 13:59.363; A.S.R. Nereus, 14:00.236; Wisconsin, 14:02.829; Dartmouth 'B', 14:02.895; Brown 'B', 14:06.868; Georgetown, 14:09.997; Boston University 'B', 14:10.880; La Salle, 14:19.343; Columbia, 14:23.960; New Zealand, 14:25.426; UCD Boat Club, 14:26.455; Holy Cross, 14:26.489; Pôle France Aviron, 14:28.343; Minerva, 14:38.751*; Western Ontario, 14:42.044; Brock, 14:54.572
* - Includes five-second penalty