The University of Pennsylvania heavyweight rowing team will compete for the Blackwell Cup against Yale and Columbia on April 17, as announced by the university. The event will take place on the Housatonic River in Derby, Connecticut, with Yale serving as host.
The Blackwell Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the Varsity Eights race among Penn, Yale, and Columbia. The cup was first contested in 1927 and commemorates George Engs Blackwell, a Columbia graduate from 1880. This year’s competition also includes the Colgan Cup for Second Varsity Eights crews, honoring Charles P. Colgan, a Penn Rowing captain from the class of 1950.
Yale leads historically in Blackwell Cup victories with 52 wins; Penn has won it 35 times and Columbia five times. Last year, Penn secured its first victory since 2002 by defeating Yale by over five seconds on the Schuylkill River. In contrast, Yale holds last year’s Colgan Cup after winning over Penn by nearly two seconds.
According to Wednesday’s IRCA/IRA national poll, Yale’s Varsity Eight is ranked sixth nationally while Penn stands at eleventh and Columbia at eighteenth. Saturday’s schedule begins with Fourth/Fifth Varsity Eights at 8:20 a.m., followed by Varsity Eights (Blackwell Cup) at 8:40 a.m., Second Varsity Eights (Colgan Cup) at 9:00 a.m., and Third Varsity Eights at 9:20 a.m.
Updates about Penn men’s heavyweight rowing can be found on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or through their official website.
