PENNSAUKEN, N.J. — In its heat at Saturday's Ivy League Championship, the Dartmouth women's rowing varsity eight jumped out of the gate strong and wouldn't back down, defeating Harvard-Radcliffe to qualify for the V8 grand final for the first time since 2019. In an impressive effort, the Big Green were also within a few seconds of two of the nation's top crews in Brown and Yale.
 
Dartmouth's second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four all rowed on Saturday as well, advancing to their respective petite finals. All finals are set for Sunday.
 
"So happy for the V8 for cracking the grand final today and that they get to experience what a conference championship final is like tomorrow," said Dartmouth head coach John Graves.
 
In the end, Dartmouth posted a time of 6:40.609, compared to Harvard-Radcliffe's 6:47.540. Brown came in first in the heat (6:27.669) followed by Yale (6:31.617). The Big Green's time was the fifth fastest across the two heats, also ahead of Columbia (6:41.875) and Cornell (7:09.952) from the first heat.

Highlights from today's varsity eight race at the @IvyLeague Championship, as the V8 made the grand final for the first time since 2019!#GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/AGgnkNGYSG

— Dartmouth Women's Rowing (@DartmouthWRow) May 19, 2024

"We've talked a lot this year about the incredible standard in the Ivy League and how cool it is that we get to be a part of it," said Graves. "I know our student-athletes were so psyched to get a chance to lineup next to Yale, Brown and Harvard and they came off the water giddy about how fun it was to run with the crews for a little bit. For me, that's what it's all about — that admiration and respect that's fueling them to want to get better and continue to gravitate to that standard."
 
Dartmouth's second varsity eight posted a time of 6:58.743, just over five seconds behind Columbia (6:53.024), who earned a spot in Sunday's grand final.
 
Dartmouth's varsity four and second varsity four posted times of 7:56.829 and 8:21.765, finishing fourth in their respective heats.
 
The Ivy League Championship wraps up on Sunday morning with the finals, with racing set to begin at 8 a.m. on ESPN+. Along with the crews who competed Saturday, the Big Green will also race a third varsity eight and third varsity four Sunday.
 
Varsity Eight
Heat 2
1. Brown — 6:27.669
2. Yale — 6:31.617
3. Dartmouth — 6:40.609
4. Harvard-Radcliffe — 6:47.540
 
Lineup
Coxswain: Grace McInerney
8: Marlene Lauter
7: Daisy Dundas
6: Aine Ley
5: Olivia Hochberg
4: Charlotte Pulkkinen
3: Alexa Schlembach
2: Jenna Martin
B: Caroline Phipps
 
Second Varsity Eight
Heat 2
1. Princeton — 6:36.014
2. Brown — 6:38.478
3. Columbia — 6:53.024
4. Dartmouth — 6:58.746
 
Lineup
Coxswain: Marin Clare Hadley
8: Arianna Stamatoyannopoulos
7: Emma Hochberg
6: Sofia Tyler
5: Cece Plass
4: Haley Leversedge
3: Morgan Kendall
2: Alex Ba
B: Emma Borchers
 
Varsity Four
Heat 2
1. Yale — 7:14.585
2. Brown — 7:17.582
3. Harvard-Radcliffe — 7:39.724
4. Dartmouth — 7:56.829
 
Lineup
Coxswain: Aarushi Jain
4: Lis Madigan
3: Sasha Anderson
2: Kat Lynch
B: Annika Colberg
 
Varsity Four B
Heat 2
1. Brown — 7:29.869
2. Yale — 7:32.822
3. Penn — 7:36.245
4. Dartmouth — 8:21.765
 
Lineup
C: Madi Shaer
4: Katherine Figura
3: Audrey Craighead
2: Emma Troost
B: Samantha Paisley