Yale tops Harvard in 156th Regatta

Yale’s heavyweight crew had a memorable weekend on the Thames River, winning three of four races, including the four-mile First Varsity race, to defeat Harvard in the 156th Yale-Harvard Regatta.

“I feel so happy for the guys. All the races were contested,” said Yale coach Steve Gladstone, who is retiring at the end of this season. “It really was a great day. Nothing more satisfying than seeing the people you have worked with and trained demonstrate their speed. What’s more satisfying than that? That is what we work for.”

Gladstone has led Yale to six straight wins over Harvard. The 2016 race was ruled a no-contest with Harvard winning an appeal after the Crimson’s boat sank. The six straight wins match the longest streak for Yale in the history of the Regatta, matching runs between 1921-26 and 1900-05. Prior to 2015, Yale had lost seven straight and 48 of the previous 56 races to Harvard.

Yale persevered through unusual weather conditions that consisted of sun and clouds, rain and choppy waters during the weekend. In speaking on the 1V Crimson boat, Gladstone noted, “Harvard never let go once. That is four long miles, and they were on it and after it all the way up the course.”

Gladstone acknowledged that in a long race, truly anything can happen, but the Bulldogs were poised and paced by an experienced coxswain in Harry Keenan.

“Going into the race, we knew we were just going to do our thing; stick to our race plan, be prepared to battle to the end. It was a long race, it hurts a lot, so mentally going in there and preparing for that,” said captain Fergus Hamilton on their preparation heading into the weekend.

It was a bittersweet day for not only Gladstone, who coached his final race at Yale before retirement, but also the senior class.

“It was Steve’s last race and I think we had that in the back of our minds all week. We really wanted to get this one for him,” noted Hamilton. “There was also a moment for the seniors as well when you know you’ll pass the rock for the last time and then you realize these are your last 20 strokes wearing a Y. It was definitely special, especially when you hear from your first year that you want to beat Harvard. No matter what results you get during the season, as long as you beat Harvard, you’ve had a successful season.”