Article courtesy of USRowing Communications staff. Read the original here.
Disclaimer: The following is a USRowing Coaches Poll and does not impact final selections for the IRA National Championship. The IRA selections are an independent process of these polls. Our Association highlights these polls as we aim to showcase the IRA programs that are ranked by their peers nationally.
PRINCETON, N.J.- University of California, Cornell University and Stanford University continued to top the men’s heavyweight eight, men’s lightweight eight and women’s lightweight eight USRowing Collegiate Coaches’ Polls, respectively.
California extended its hold on the top spot in the men’s heavyweight eight poll this week, earning 12 of 13 first-place votes. Coming off a victory over Brown University, Yale University claimed the other first-place nod and moved into second position in the poll. University of Washington, Harvard University and Princeton University rounded out the top five.
Cornell, which opens its season against the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard this coming weekend, remained atop the men’s lightweight poll, receiving all seven first-place votes. Princeton ranked second, followed by Columbia University, Harvard and Yale University.
Coming off a strong home win over Princeton on Saturday, Stanford continued as the top choice in the women’s lightweight poll, earning five of six first-place votes. Boston University earned the other first-place vote, moving into second position after opening its season with victories over open weight boats from Boston College and MIT. Princeton, University of Wisconsin and Georgetown University rounded out the top five.
Men’s Heavyweight Eight Poll
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | Previous Ranking |
| 1. | University of California at Berkeley (12) | 258 | 1 |
| 2. | Yale University (1) | 245 | 3t |
| 3. | University of Washington | 228 | 3t |
| 4. | Harvard University | 213 | 2 |
| 5. | Princeton University | 199 | 3t |
| 6. | Brown University | 187 | 7 |
| 7. | Northeastern University | 175 | 3t |
| 8. | Boston University | 153 | 9 |
| 9. | Dartmouth College | 144 | 8 |
| 10. | Syracuse University | 141 | 10t |
| 11. | Cornell University | 131 | 10t |
| 12. | University of Wisconsin | 117 | 12 |
| 13. | Stanford University | 96 | 13 |
| 14. | University of Pennsylvania | 91 | 14 |
| 15. | Columbia University | 67 | 17 |
| 16. | Georgetown University | 66 | 16 |
| 17. | George Washington University | 63 | 15 |
| 18. | United States Naval Academy | 55 | 18 |
| 19. | Florida Institute of Technology | 52 | 19 |
| 20. | Oregon State University | 14 | Not Ranked |
Others Receiving Votes: St. Joseph’s University, Drexel University, Hobart College, Santa Clara University and College of the Holy Cross.
Dropped Out: Drexel University
Voting Coaches: Greg Hughes (Princeton), Paul Bugenhagen (Hobart), Kyle Dowd (Vermont), Campbell Woods (Marist), Mike Irwin (St. Joseph’s), Todd Kennett (Cornell), Charley Butt (Harvard), Jim Barr (Holy Cross), Wyatt Allen (Dartmouth), Brendan Murphy (Trinity), John Pojednic (Northeastern), Jim Granger (FIT), and Mark Davis (GWU).
Men’s Lightweight Eight Poll
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | Previous Ranking |
| 1. | Cornell University (7) | 105 | 1 |
| 2. | Princeton University | 84 | 2 |
| 3. | Columbia University | 80 | 6 |
| 4. | Harvard University | 78 | 4 |
| 5. | Yale University | 74 | 3 |
| 6. | University of Delaware | 70 | 7 |
| 7. | University of Pennsylvania | 61 | 5 |
| 8. | United States Naval Academy | 60 | 8 |
| 9. | Dartmouth College | 44 | 9 |
| 10. | Temple University | 43 | 11 |
| 11. | Georgetown University | 40 | 10 |
| 12. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 34 | 12 |
| 13. | Mercyhurst University | 28 | 13 |
| 14. | University of California at Berkeley | 18 | 14 |
| 15. | Purdue University | 6 | 15 |
Others Receiving Votes: St. Joseph’s University, UCLA, and Washington State University
Dropped Out: None
Voting Coaches: Charles Huthmaker (Fairfield), Lee Rumpf (Georgetown), Billy Boyce (Harvard), Sean Healey (Dartmouth), Nich Lee Parker (Columbia), Andy Card (Yale), Shawn Bagnall (Navy)
Women’s Lightweight Eight Poll
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | Previous Ranking |
| 1. | Stanford University (5) | 59 | 1 |
| 2. | Boston University (1) | 45 | 4 |
| 3. | Princeton University | 43 | 3 |
| 4. | University of Wisconsin | 40 | 5 |
| 5. | Georgetown University | 39 | 8 |
| 6. | Harvard-Radcliffe | 35 | 2 |
| 7. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28 | 6 |
| 8. | University of Tulsa | 20 | 7 |
| 9. | University of California at Berkeley | 7 | 9 |
| 10t. | Pennsylvania State University | 1 | 10t |
| 10t. | Washington State University | 1 | Not Ranked |
Others Receiving Votes: None
Dropped Out: Bucknell University and Clemson University
Voting Coaches: Dusty Mattison (Wisconsin), Malcolm Doldron (Boston University), Claire Martin-Doyle (MIT), Kate Bertko (Stanford), Sarah Baker (Harvard-Radcliffe), Rodney Mott (Tulsa)