ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's rowing team travels to Pennsauken Township, N.J., this weekend for the 2026 Ivy League Women's Rowing Championship at Cooper River Park, with heats scheduled for Saturday, May 16, beginning at 4 p.m. and finals slated to start at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 17. Both days of racing will be streamed live domestically on ESPN+ and internationally on Stretch Internet.

Cornell enters the Ivy League Women's Rowing Championship stronger than a year ago, with improvement across the roster from freshmen through upperclassmen. At Women's Sprints two weeks ago, the 1V8+ finished within four seconds of Harvard in the heat — a margin that also included Dartmouth and Penn — a result that showcases how close the Big Red have come to the top of the conference.

"The team is a lot stronger than when we were here last year," said Steve Coppola, the Staley Head Coach of Women's Rowing. "When we've had good conditions, we've been able to run with everyone. We're really hoping for a clean run of the course throughout Ivies."

The 1V8+ enters having shown flashes of a significant increase in speed throughout the spring. The 2V8+ brings a new lineup into this weekend's championship, with Coppola expecting a different performance from the reshuffled combination. The 3V8+, led by senior coxswain Hannah Woodhull, features a core of freshmen and sophomores who are poised to play a role in the program's future. Among the 4+ crews, the 3V4+ enters the weekend looking to build on its bronze medal finish at Women's Sprints.

"The 3V4+ medaled at Sprints," Coppola said. "Hoping they can do that again this weekend."

Cornell is led by senior captains Isabella Capelli and Josie Moskowitz, whose steady leadership has kept the program focused and accountable throughout the season.

"The best part about our seniors is that they all stepped up this year and found ways to lead the program in their own way," Coppola said. "They didn't need to be a captain to lead. It was a sign of the unity of the class that they were able to find ways to contribute at all levels and in all aspects of the program."

With favorable conditions, featuring sunny-to-partly cloudy skies and temperatures hovering between the high 70s and low 80s, Coppola has set a clear and straightforward goal for the weekend.

"The goal is to set some season PRs in each boat," Coppola stated. "We can't worry about what anyone else is doing unless we start there."

Three trophies will be presented at Sunday's awards ceremony. The team champion trophy goes to the program with the best finish in the 1V8+ Grand Final. The team points trophy is awarded to the program with the highest cumulative point total across all boats. The NCAA automatic qualifier trophy is presented to the team with the highest point total across the 1V8+, 2V8+, and 1V4+.

In order to advance to the Grand Final on Sunday, Cornell will need to place in the top three of all of its heats on Saturday. The last-place-finishing crews in each heat will compete in the Petite Final.

Sunday's racing begins at 8 a.m. with the 3V4+ Grand Final, where Cornell has already secured a spot in the championship final alongside Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Dartmouth. The Big Red have also entered a non-scoring 4V4+. Finals for the remaining five events follow through 9:30 a.m., with an awards ceremony scheduled for 10:40 a.m.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON'S HEATS SCHEDULE
Subject to change
3V8+ HEATS
Top 3 to Grand Final, Last to Petite Final
4 p.m. — Heat 1 (Harvard, Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell)
4:10 p.m. — Heat 2 (Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Brown)

1V8+ HEATS
Top 3 to Grand Final, Last to Petite Final
4:20 p.m. — Heat 1 (Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia, Cornell)
4:30 p.m. — Heat 2 (Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Penn)

2V8+ HEATS
Top 3 to Grand Final, Last to Petite Final
4:40 p.m. — Heat 1 (Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell)
4:50 p.m. — Heat 2 (Penn, Yale, Brown, Columbia)

1V4+ HEATS
Top 3 to Grand Final, Last to Petite Final
5 p.m. — Heat 1 (Penn, Yale, Brown, Cornell)
5:10 p.m. — Heat 2 (Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard)

SUNDAY'S FINALS SCHEDULE
8 a.m. — 3V4+ Grand Final (Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell 4V4+)
8:10 a.m. — 2V4+ Grand Final (Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Harvard)
8:20 a.m. — 3V8+ Petite Final (Last-place-finishing boat from two heats)
8:30 a.m. — 3V8+ Grand Final (First third-place-finishing boats from two heats)
8:40 a.m. — 1V4+ Petite Final (Last-place-finishing boat from two heats)
8:50 a.m. — 1V4+ Grand Final (First third-place-finishing boats from two heats)
9 a.m. — 2V8+ Petite Final (Last-place-finishing boat from two heats)
9:10 a.m. — 2V8+ Grand Final (First third-place-finishing boats from two heats)
9:20 a.m. — 1V8+ Petite Final (Last-place-finishing boat from two heats)
9:30 a.m. — 1V8+ Grand Final (First third-place-finishing boats from two heats)
10:40 a.m. — Awards Ceremony

LINEUPS
To be announced