The IU rowing team competed in the Dale England Cup on Saturday at Lake Lemon in Bloomington, looking for a three-peat at the event. Thanks to a strong start by the varsity eight boats, No. 16 IU claimed its third-straight cup victory.
Standing in IU's way for the three-peat were Michigan State and University of Notre Dame. While neither team was ranked coming into the day, both received votes in the polls.
“Michigan State and Notre Dame are great crews,” IU Head Coach Steve Peterson said. “For us to walk away with the Dale England Cup for the third year in a row is great."
Neither the Spartans nor the Irish could compete with the Hoosiers, who won every race on the day.
The 2019 Dale England Cup started with the first varsity eights. IU won by six seconds as Notre Dame came in second and Michigan State in third. The margin of victory increased slightly in the second varsity eight, with the Hoosiers winning by eight seconds. Michigan State finished second in the 2V8.
Hoosier dominance continued in the varsity four, which they won the race by almost 14 seconds. Notre Dame finished in second, 22 seconds ahead of Michigan State.
The largest margin of victory came in the novice eight, with IU winning the race by 25 seconds. The gap between second and third was large as well, with Notre Dame taking second over Michigan State by 22 seconds.
IU finished in first with 72 points. Notre Dame placed second for a third-straight year with 48 points and Michigan State had 42 points in third.
Race conditions were rough with rain and wind throughout Saturday.
"Conditions were challenging for all crews,” Peterson said. “I think our athletes handled it well. I think the lead up to this race, we had some good practice where they were dealing with some of the weather, so I think that all plays into it.”
The Hoosiers finish their regular season action next Saturday at the Longhorn Invite in Austin, Texas. They will see Notre Dame again, along with Iowa, who they raced against last weekend. They will also face No. 4 University of Texas, No. 10 University of Virginia, No. 11 University of Southern California, No. 18 Oregon State University and a University of Oklahoma team that’s the first left out of the rankings.
The Longhorn Invite will be IU's final race before the Big Ten Championships, giving it two more opportunities to improve its resume and get an invite to a sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Championships.
