PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania lightweight men's crew is on the road to Ithaca, getting into its cup season on Saturday. Cornell will host the day of racing, with Harvard also joining the festivities on Cayuga's waters.
 
Several pieces of hardware will be on the line across the day's racing, headlined by the Varsity Eights race which will see Penn battle Cornell for the Matthews Trophy and Harvard for the Franklin Trophy. The Quakers and Big Red will also compete for the Leonard Cup, which is an overall team points trophy.
 
The Penn and Cornell Varsity Eights will row for the Matthews Trophy, while the Leonard Cup is presented to the team that accumulates the most points across the day's Eights races. Cornell swept both pieces of hardware last year in Ithaca, winning all four races and nipping the Quakers by two seconds in the Matthews Trophy race.
 
The Franklin Trophy was introduced last spring, with Harvard's 1V8 bringing it back to Boston with a 1.4-second win over the Quakers.
 
Race Schedule | Penn Boatings (PDF)
  8:30 a.m. – V4A (Penn vs. Cornell heavies)
  8:50 a.m. – 3V8
  9:10 a.m. – 2V8
  9:35 a.m. – 1V8 (Matthews Trophy/Franklin Trophy)
 
About the Matthews Trophy
Placed into competition in 1938, the Matthews Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Varsity Eights race in the dual regatta between the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University. It is named after James "Jim" Matthews, lightweight coach at Penn from 1927-42. From 1988-2024, before the Franklin Trophy was introduced, Harvard was a regular participant in the race but was not eligible to win the Matthews Cup.

About the Franklin Trophy
Named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Trophy was entered into competition in 2025 and is contested annually by the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University lightweight Varsity Eights.  The trophy was donated by the Friends of Pennsylvania Rowing and the Spirit of the 1960s.
 
About the Leonard Points Cup
Presented in honor of Penn's longtime lightweight rowing coach, Fred Leonard, the Leonard Points Cup is given to the winner of the majority of the Eights across on the day. This is only contested by Penn and Cornell.