PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's lightweight crews opened the cup season on Saturday, hosting Cornell on the Schuylkill River with the Matthews Trophy and Leonard Cup on the line. Harvard also competed in Saturday's racing and the Franklin Cup was introduced, presented to the winning crew in the Varsity Eights race between the Crimson and Penn.
 
Penn lost the inaugural Franklin Trophy, but the Matthews Trophy and Leonard Cup will stay on Boathouse Row as the Quakers defeated the Big Red in the Varsity Eights race as well as two of the other three races contested on Saturday morning. It marked the second time in three years the Red and Blue have won the Matthews Trophy, after not winning it once from 1990 to 2022.

Final Results (Row2K.com) | Penn Boatings (PDF)
 
Varsity Eight
While the fourth-ranked Quakers' 1V8 lost the inaugural Franklin Trophy—falling to the top-ranked Crimson by 1.4 seconds—they did bring the Matthews Trophy back to Boathouse Row by just six-tenths of a second over third-ranked Cornell. It was a great final race to the day, as the three boats were separated by just two seconds at the finish line.
  Harvard 5:31.6
  Penn 5:33.0
  Cornell 5:33.6
 
Second Varsity Eight
Rowing as guests in this face (as well as the 3V8), the Crimson took first place by five seconds. The Quakers were second, a little less than three seconds ahead of the Big Red.
  Harvard 5:39.1
  Penn 5:44.2
  Cornell 5:47.0
 
Third Varsity Eight
The Quakers were victorious in this three-boat race, downing the Big Red by three seconds and the Crimson by nine.
  Penn 5:43.9
  Cornell 5:46.8
  Harvard 5:52.7
 
Fourth Varsity Eight
The first race of the day was a two-boat affair and set the tone for what was a great day of racing on the Schuylkill. In the end, the Big Red were victorious by a little more than two seconds.
  Cornell 5:52.5
  Penn 5:54.7
 
Up Next
Penn continues its cup racing season next Saturday, April 12, when the Quakers host Yale and Columbia on the Schuylkill River. The Marcellus Hartley Dodge Cup will be on the line in the Varsity Eights race, and the three crews will also compete for the Colgan Cup for total team points on the day.