9 June 2025

By Göran R Buckhorn

Harvard won all races at the 158th Harvard-Yale Regatta, which was held on the Thames River in New London, Connecticut, on Saturday, 7 June. As the knowledgeable HTBS readers know, this is the oldest collegiate athletic competition in the USA, which started in 1852.

The 158th regatta actually started on Friday, when the Crimson took The James Snider Cup, the Combination Race (4th Varsity Eight), winning the 2-mile race by 5 seconds. (Harvard: 9:16.5; Yale: 9:21.5).

Saturday’s regatta started as a wet affair when the crews were racing in rain during the 2-mile 3rd Varsity Race. Harvard won by 7 seconds (Harvard (9:17.9; Yale 9:25.0), taking The New London Cup. The result was not surprising as Harvard had taken gold medals earlier in the season in the 3rd Varsity Race at the Eastern Sprints and IRA National Championships.

The second race of the day was in the 2nd Varsity, for The F. Valentine Chappell Trophy. This 3-miler was won by the Crimson by close to 20 seconds (Harvard 15:03.5; Yale 15:23.4). At the Eastern Sprints, Harvard won a gold medal in the 2nd Varsity and a silver medal in the IRA National Championships.

The last competition – commonly known as “The Race” for 4 miles – was in the 1st Varsity, which Harvard won convincingly by 14 seconds (Harvard 21:23.5; Yale 21:37.7). This was the second straight year Charley Butt’s Crimson crew took The Sexton Cup. This is also the second year for Mike Gennaro as coach of the Bulldogs after Steve Gladstone, then 82, stepped down after 13 years as the Craig W. Johnson ’68 Head Coach of Heavyweight Crew in 2023. However, Gladstone’s retirement was short-lived as he took on the head coaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2024.

Harvard also took The Hoyt C. Pease and Robert Chappell Jr. Trophy, which is presented to the crews who win two or more of the 3rd Varsity, 2nd Varsity and 1st Varsity races. After the 158th 1st Varsity race, Harvard has a total of 97 wins and Yale has 60.

Going through the rosters for Harvard’s 3rd Varsity, 2nd Varsity and 1st Varsity, there were altogether 15 crew members who came from abroad. It will be interesting to see what the future looks like for Harvard’s rowing program when the political powers that be are trying to stop foreign students from coming to study at Harvard.