By James Duffy, deputy sports editor
After beating out the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) to claim the Burk Cup on April 2, the Northeastern University (NU) men’s rowing team fell short in the Arlett Cup to Boston University (BU) on April 9.
Opening the 2016 season against Penn, the Huskies won their 25th Burk Cup, the first victory since 2013. In the varsity eight race, NU came out of the gate strong and built on their lead throughout the race, outpacing Penn by seven seconds, 5:43.9 to 5:50.9.
The second varsity boat also took down the Quakers. After trailing by seven seats halfway through the race, the Huskies eventually overcame Penn and posted a time of 5:46.9, five seconds ahead of Penn.
Penn managed to edge NU in a close varsity four race, winning by just more than a second, but the Huskies brought home the coveted Burk Cup nonetheless.
“There’s no doubt that this has historically been a great rivalry marked by very competitive racing between the two teams, and there’s also a history of Penn and Northeastern trading races throughout the Championship segment of the season,” said Northeastern head coach John Pojednic in an email to The News. “There’s a sense of satisfaction that comes from winning a cup race, but come Monday morning, it’s back to the drawing board.”
Going back to the drawing board resulted in a more disappointing outcome the next time out, as the Huskies lost to BU in the Arlett Cup.
The two crews have raced for the cup every year since 1978, but the No. 9 Terriers edged out the No. 7 Huskies, and were victorious for the second straight year.
BU managed a sweep in the varsity four race as their top three boats finished before the Huskies came in. NU posted a time of 7:11.3, seven seconds slower than the fastest BU boat but just a second off of third place.
The second varsity eight managed a win, but the varsity eight boat fell a second behind in the final race of the day, conceding the cup to BU.
“I think we approached the Penn race with a good blend of excitement and urgency. I don’t think we brought that same approach into the BU race – at least in the varsity eight race,” Pojednic said after the loss. “That being said, our second varsity eight rowed an exceptional early season race – they raced for Northeastern like Huskies should.”
The Huskies will look to get back in the win column next weekend when they take on Brown University for the Dreissigacker Cup.
“They have the potential to be a really good team but they need to start believing that and allow some positive momentum to take over,” Pojednic said. “It’s important that we come out and fight for 2,000 meters against a very good Brown crew.”
Photo courtesy Zack Williamson, Northeastern Athletics
