ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell men's heavyweight rowing team closes out its regular season on Cayuga Inlet this weekend with a two-day homestand, hosting Oregon State on Friday, May 1, before welcoming Penn and Holy Cross on Saturday, May 2. Saturday's Madeira Cup and Wray Trophy races, along with the Holy Cross races, will be streamed live on ESPN+.

This weekend serves as a final tune-up before the Eastern Sprints Championship on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., on Sunday, May 17, as Cornell will race multiple times over consecutive days to sharpen its race plan heading into the postseason.

"It is the last regular season weekend, the last good test before Eastern Sprints," said Todd Kennett '91, the Spirit of '57 Director of Rowing and head coach of Cornell men's heavyweight rowing. "It makes for a lot of racing and gives a good chance to help set a good race plan into action for the Sprints."

Cornell, ranked 13th in the 1V8+ and 3V8+, 12th in the 2V8+ and 13th in the Ten Eyck standings with 148 points, enters this weekend after placing third in all four events at the Carnegie Cup on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J., last Saturday, as Princeton swept all four races and Yale finished second across the board.

"We showed we can be in the fight, but we also saw clearly where we are giving away speed," Kennett said. "The goal now is to tighten that up — carry speed out of the start, settle into a base that is both efficient and aggressive, and be ready to respond when races develop."

Friday's action against Oregon State opens at 2:50 p.m. with the 3V8+ and 4V8+, with the 2V8+ and 1V8+ following. The Beavers are ranked 25th in the 1V8+ and 24th in the 2V8+ in the latest IRCA/IRA Coaches Poll. Cornell's 5V4+ will race against Penn at 3:50 p.m. Friday.

Saturday's main event gets underway at 8:50 a.m. with Cornell and Penn squaring off for the Madeira Cup and Wray Trophy. The Madeira Cup is awarded to the winner of the 1V8+, while the Wray Trophy is decided on points across the top three varsity races. The 4V8+ opens the card at 8:50 a.m., with the 3V8+, 2V8+ and 1V8+ to follow.

Penn enters ranked eighth in the 1V8+ and 2V8+ and fifth in the 3V8+, while sitting sixth in the Ten Eyck Team Points standings with 213 points. The Quakers have beaten Yale this spring and pushed both Harvard and Princeton.

"Penn is very good this year," Kennett said. "They have beaten Yale and have been right there with both Harvard and Princeton. They row with aggression and have built a lot of belief from their results so far."

The Quakers have won each of the last two Madeira Cup races, halting a three-race Cornell winning streak that spanned 2019, 2022 and 2023. Penn's last time winning three consecutive Madeira Cups came during a stretch where it won seven straight titles between 1995 and 2001.

Cornell will then turn around for a late-morning session against Holy Cross, beginning at 11:10 a.m. with the 4V8+. The Crusaders are ranked 21st in the 1V8+ and 19th in the 2V8+ and 3V8+.

Kennett said the focus this week has been on translating last weekend's competitive showing into cleaner, more consistent execution.

"We have spent time this week finding a slightly lower, more effective, and powerful rhythm at base pace," he said. "We continue to grow and have made some effective changes in the boats, so we have a great test coming."

FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE VS. OREGON STATE
Subject to change
2:50 p.m. — 3V8+/4V8+
3:20 p.m. — 2V8+
3:40 p.m. — 1V8+
3:50 p.m. — 5V4+ vs. Penn

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE VS. PENN
Subject to change
8:50 a.m. — 4V8+
9:10 a.m. — 3V8+
9:30 a.m. — 2V8+
9:50 a.m. — 1V8+

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE VS. HOLY CROSS
Subject to change
11:10 a.m. — 4V8+
11:20 a.m. — 3V8+
11:30 a.m. — 2V8+
11:40 a.m. — 1V8+

LINEUPS
1V8+: Jack Walker (coxswain), Abe Litvak (stroke), Iasonas Exarchou, Finn Hayes, Tony Klar, Carl Lewis, Ward Dobeck, Noah Kanefsky, Constantino Oberto-Calleri (bow).

2V8+: Sofie Cole (coxswain), Marc Albrechtskirchinger (stroke), Walid Ghamra, Joost Schirm, Johhnie Moriarity, Nate Stoulil, Shane Gazdus, Morley Pendred, Justin Umbrasas (bow).

3V8+: Yoonu Park (coxswain), Joe Savell (stroke), Michael Goodall, Bennett Dodge, Xavier Wendt, Veeran Dhaliwal, Harrison Sremac, Michael Meneshian, Zachary Vorrath (bow).

4V8+: Marcus Decorato (coxswain), Donovan Moses (stroke), Owen Baumann, Iason Diogenous, Alexander Taylor, Lucas Singhal, Mason Gossage, Oles Spodin, Florian Offner (bow).

5V4+: Kevin Ha (coxswain), Marco Burrows (stroke), Alessandro Topa, James Larrabee, Findley Hartzell (bow).