Some things are just better to hold on to. Men’s Rowing captured the Seneca Cup for the third year in a row last weekend, beating regional power Hobart in what has become a one-sided contest. The Raiders first Varsity Eight clocked in at 4:28.6 on sunny Lake Moraine while Hobart trailed with a time of 4:30.6. Colgate also downed the Statesmen in the Second Varsity Eight race, besting Hobart by exactly five seconds with a finish of 4:41.4. After the two triumphs, Colgate dedicated two boats at Glendening Boathouse.

The women notched a similar feat, as they dominated a double dual against the University of Connecticut and the University of Buffalo last Friday. Winning six of their seven races, the Raiders never lost to UConn and only faltered to Buffalo in the second Varsity Eight. In the dual races with UConn, the First Varsity Eight made a strong statement to the Huskies with their time of 6:54.58 over UConn’s 7:02.83. The Huskies learned throughout the day that the Raiders would not relent, as the Second Varsity Eight blew by the Huskies with a time of 7:17.2, over 21 seconds better than UConn’s finish of 7:38.0. To finish the sweep, the Novice Four recorded a time of 8:19.0, five seconds better than UConn’s 8:24.8.

Colgate’s next challenger, the Buffalo Bulls, barely fared better against the red-hot Raider women. The first Varsity Eight race was heavily contested, with the Raiders pulling through with a time of 7:22.7 over Buffalo’s 7:24.6. Colgate’s only defeat of the day came in the second Varsity Eight race, as the Bulls handled the Raiders easily with a time of 7:41.2 over Colgate’s 7:55.9. The Varsity Four defeated Buffalo with a time of 7:56.6, as did the Novice Four with a time of 9:06.6.

Next week, the men will continue to build up their profile for the IRA Championships at the Patriot League Challenge in Worcester, Massachusetts. Entering the day as favorites along with powerful Holy Cross and defending champion Lehigh, the men look to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish. The women also travel to Worcester for their Patriot League Challenge, hoping to improve on their strong third-place finish from last year.