The Eastern Sprints is the annual rowing championship for the men's Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) in Northeast USA. (Since 1974, the "Women's Eastern Sprints" has been held as the annual championship for the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC) league.)
The teams include all of the Ivy League schools as well as others such as Georgetown University, Syracuse University, U.S. Naval Academy, MIT, BU, Rutgers, Northeastern, and Wisconsin. In the fall of 2006, The George Washington University and The College of the Holy Cross were given a two-year provisional bid to join the league; both schools are now full members of the league.
Since 1981, the Quinsigamond Rowing Association (QRA) has invited the winner of the Worcester City Championships to compete in the varsity eight events at the Eastern Sprints. The College of the Holy Cross has secured this invitation since 1996.
The race is held at Regatta Point on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA in mid to late May. In general, crews compete in a trial heat in the morning, followed by a final (grand, petite, or 3rd level) in the afternoon. Each race is a 2000m race including up to six crews.
Since 1946, the Rowe Cup has been awarded to the college whose heavyweight men's crews score the highest combined total number of points in the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman races. Harvard has won the cup the most number of times (27). Princeton has the 2nd most Rowe Cup victories with 9 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2015, 2016).
Since 1961, the Jope Cup has been awarded to the college whose lightweight men's crews score the highest combined total number of points in the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman races. Harvard has won the cup 22 times. Princeton has won 15 times. The current holder is Yale University.
Since 2009, the Joke Cup has been awarded to the college whose third varsity lightweight men's crew won its race at Eastern Sprints. The Joke Cup is a reward for the third varsity non-Jope Cup qualifying crew that performs the best at the Sprints. It is awarded in secret, given from crew to crew at an undisclosed location. Harvard won the Joke Cup in its inaugural year, 2009. Yale won the cup in 2011, Cornell in 2010, 2012, and 2015. Navy in 2013, and Columbia in 2014. After the third varsity eight became a Jope Cup event for the Kilpatrick Trophy in 2015, the Joke Cup is now passed between fourth varsity eights.
| Boat | Time | School | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight Varsity 8+ | 5:23.619 | Yale | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Lightweight Varsity 8+ | 5:35.420 | Princeton | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Second Varsity Heavyweight 8+ | 5:33.550 | Harvard | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Second Varsity Lightweight 8+ | 5:40.765 | Harvard | 2023 | Heat 2 |
| Third Varsity Heavyweight 8+ | 5:37.222 | Yale | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Third Varsity Lightweight 8+ | 5:46.708 | Cornell | 2023 | Heat 1 |
| Freshman Heavyweight 8+ | 5:35.980 | Harvard | 2001 | Grand Final |
| Freshman Lightweight 8+ | 5:47.150 | Navy | 2007 | Heat 2 |
| Fourth Varsity Heavyweight 8+ | 5:38.913 | Harvard | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Fourth Varsity Lightweight 8+ | 5:53.769 | Cornell | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Fifth Varsity Heavyweight 8+ | 5:40.079 | Dartmouth | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Fifth Varsity Lightweight 8+ | 5:50.360 | Navy | 2023 | Grand Final |
| Rank | University | Times Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Harvard | 29 |
| 2. | Yale | 13.5 |
| 3. | Brown | 7 |
| 4. | Penn | 5.5 |
| 5. | Navy | 5 |
| 5. | Princeton | 5 |
| 7. | Cornell | 4 |
| 8. | Wisconsin | 3 |
| 9. | Northeastern | 2 |
| 10. | Dartmouth | 1 |
| 10. | MIT | 1 |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Wisconsin |
| 1947 | Harvard |
| 1948 | Harvard |
| 1949 | Harvard |
| 1950 | MIT |
| 1951 | Yale |
| 1952 | Navy |
| 1953 | Navy |
| 1954 | Navy |
| 1955 | Penn |
| 1956 | Cornell |
| 1957 | Cornell |
| 1958 | Yale |
| 1959 | Harvard |
| 1960 | Cornell |
| 1961 | Navy |
| 1962 | Penn/Yale |
| 1963 | Cornell |
| 1964 | Harvard |
| 1965 | Harvard |
| 1966 | Harvard |
| 1967 | Harvard |
| 1968 | Harvard |
| 1969 | Harvard |
| 1970 | Harvard |
| 1971 | Navy |
| 1972 | Northeastern |
| 1973 | Northeastern |
| 1974 | Harvard |
| 1975 | Harvard |
| 1976 | Harvard |
| 1977 | Harvard |
| 1978 | Yale |
| 1979 | Yale |
| 1980 | Harvard |
| 1981 | Yale |
| 1982 | Yale |
| 1983 | Harvard |
| 1984 | Brown |
| 1985 | Harvard |
| 1986 | Penn |
| 1987 | Brown |
| 1988 | Harvard |
| 1989 | Harvard |
| 1990 | Harvard |
| 1991 | Penn |
| 1992 | Dartmouth |
| 1993 | Brown |
| 1994 | Brown |
| 1995 | Princeton |
| 1996 | Penn |
| 1997 | Princeton |
| 1998 | Penn |
| 1999 | Princeton |
| 2000 | Brown |
| 2001 | Princeton |
| 2002 | Wisconsin |
| 2003 | Harvard |
| 2004 | Harvard |
| 2005 | Harvard |
| 2006 | Princeton |
| 2007 | Harvard |
| 2008 | Wisconsin |
| 2009 | Brown |
| 2010 | Harvard |
| 2011 | Harvard |
| 2012 | Brown |
| 2013 | Harvard |
| 2014 | Harvard |
| 2015 | Yale |
| 2016 | Yale |
| 2017 | Yale |
| 2018 | Yale |
| 2019 | Yale |
| 2020 | No Race |
| 2021 | No Race |
| 2022 | Yale |
| 2023 | Yale |
| Rank | University | Times Won |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Harvard | 30 |
| 2. | Princeton | 16 |
| 3. | Cornell | 11.3 |
| 4. | Yale | 10 |
| 5. | Penn | 5 |
| 6. | Dartmouth | 3 |
| 7. | Columbia | 2 |
| 9. | Navy | 1.3 |
| 9. | MIT | 1.3 |
|}
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Yale |
| 1939 | Harvard |
| 1940 | Harvard |
| 1941 | Harvard |
| 1942 | Princeton |
| 1946 | Harvard |
| 1947 | Harvard |
| 1948 | Princeton |
| 1949 | Cornell |
| 1950 | Yale |
| 1951 | Penn |
| 1952 | Penn |
| 1953 | Princeton |
| 1954 | MIT |
| 1955 | Penn |
| 1956 | Princeton |
| 1957 | Princeton |
| 1958 | Harvard |
| 1959 | Harvard |
| 1960 | Harvard |
| 1961 | Harvard |
| 1962 | Cornell-MIT-Navy |
| 1963 | Cornell |
| 1964 | Cornell |
| 1965 | Cornell |
| 1966 | Harvard |
| 1967 | Cornell |
| 1968 | Harvard |
| 1969 | Harvard |
| 1970 | Harvard |
| 1971 | Harvard |
| 1972 | Harvard |
| 1973 | Princeton |
| 1974 | Harvard |
| 1975 | Harvard |
| 1976 | Penn |
| 1977 | Harvard |
| 1978 | Harvard |
| 1979 | Yale |
| 1980 | Harvard |
| 1981 | Princeton |
| 1982 | Harvard |
| 1983 | Princeton |
| 1984 | Yale |
| 1985 | Princeton |
| 1986 | Princeton |
| 1987 | Yale |
| 1988 | Harvard |
| 1989 | Harvard |
| 1990 | Yale |
| 1991 | Harvard |
| 1992 | Cornell |
| 1993 | Dartmouth |
| 1994 | Dartmouth |
| 1995 | Harvard |
| 1996 | Princeton |
| 1997 | Harvard |
| 1998 | Princeton |
| 1999 | Princeton |
| 2000 | Columbia |
| 2001 | Yale |
| 2002 | Yale |
| 2003 | Princeton |
| 2004 | Navy |
| 2005 | Harvard |
| 2006 | Cornell |
| 2007 | Dartmouth |
| 2008 | Cornell |
| 2009 | Princeton |
| 2010 | Princeton |
| 2011 | Harvard |
| 2012 | Harvard |
| 2013 | Harvard |
| 2014 | Cornell |
| 2015 | Cornell |
| 2016 | Yale |
| 2017 | Cornell |
| 2018 | Columbia |
| 2019 | Penn |
| 2020 | No Race |
| 2021 | No Race |
| 2022 | Yale |
| 2023 | Princeton |
The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country. Like the other Ivy League colleges, Harvard does not offer athletic scholarships.
Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States. The first intercollegiate race was a contest between Yale and Harvard in 1852. In the 2018–19 school year, there were 2,340 male and 7,294 female collegiate rowers in Divisions I, II and III, according to the NCAA. The sport has grown since the first NCAA statistics were compiled for the 1981–82 school year, which reflected 2,053 male and 1,187 female collegiate rowers in the three divisions. Some concern has been raised that some recent female numbers are inflated by non-competing novices.
The Harvard–Yale Regatta or Yale-Harvard Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the men's heavyweight rowing crews of Harvard University and Yale University. First contested in 1852, it has been held annually since 1859 with exceptions during major wars fought by the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Race is America's oldest collegiate athletic competition, pre-dating The Game by 23 years. It is sometimes referred to as the "Yale-Harvard" regatta, though most official regatta programs brand it "Harvard-Yale."
Harry Parker was the head coach of the Harvard varsity rowing program (1963–2013). He also represented the United States in the single scull at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Stephen C. Gladstone, or Steve Gladstone as he is better known, is one of the premier rowing coaches in the United States. He currently coaches at Yale University. Previously, he coached at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also served as athletic director.
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is Peter Pilling.
Todd Kennett is a coach of the Division I Collegiate heavyweight rowing program at Cornell University. In 2006 and 2008, his lightweight varsity boat program captured both the Eastern Sprints Regatta and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships ("IRA").
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) governs intercollegiate rowing between varsity men's heavyweight, men's lightweight, and women's lightweight rowing programs across the United States, while the NCAA fulfills this role for women's open weight rowing. It is the direct successor to the Rowing Association of American Colleges, the first collegiate athletic organization in the United States, which operated from 1870–1894.
The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 33 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams. Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or "Mids". They participate in the NCAA's Division I, as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (men), Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges, Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (men), Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (men) and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Navy is also one of approximately 300 members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Michael Louis Vespoli is a former American rower and rowing coach. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Vespoli USA, Inc., a boat manufacturer in New Haven, Connecticut, that makes shells for rowing teams and individual rowers. Vespoli was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
Joseph Walter Harris Wright was a famed Canadian rower, municipal politician, and all-round athlete who had success in a variety of sports in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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The Brown University men's rowing team represents Brown University in men's intercollegiate rowing and is the oldest organized intercollegiate sport at the university. Since its revival in 1949, the Brown University rowing program has become one of the most successful collegiate rowing programs in the world, winning men's and women's national titles, as well as championship titles at the world-famous Henley Royal Regatta in London. In addition, the program has produced 32 Olympic rowers.
The Ralph T. Jope Cup is a rowing award presented to the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) in 1963, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is awarded annually at the Eastern Sprints to the member college whose lightweight crews score the highest total points in the varsity, junior varsity and first freshman races under a scoring formula developed by the EARC coaches.
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Ken Dreyfuss is an American coxswain. He captained and coxed the 1969 Penn heavyweight crew that broke Harvard's six year winning streak and went on to win three consecutive team championships at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1975 World Rowing Championships, the 1975 Pan-American Games, and the 1976 Summer Olympics.
