Dave Reischman felt the weight. The 54, and counting, years that have continually added to a laggard gain of mass.

‘It’s heavy,’ said Reischman, head coach of Syracuse’s men’s crew. ‘The Goes Trophy weighs about 150 pounds, with more plaques added under (to compensate for years after 1969).’

Aged with copper blemished to shades of brown, to Reischman, the historic cup is still a sign that fortune hasn’t faded, that his crew is as competitive as years before.

And despite the rowers who have left, who have graduated leaving behind legacies of wins, the No. 12 Orange still brought back the Goes Trophy for the third consecutive year Saturday, a first for SU. History accomplished, No. 12 Syracuse took home the cup against No. 12 Navy and No. 10 Cornell in a 1.5-second margin, the closest finish for the Varsity Eight this season.

The women’s Varsity Eight boats placed third and second at the Charles River Challenge in Boston this past weekend.

For the men, this was supposed to be a ‘rebuilding year,’ according to the critics, Reischman said. He and his crew refused to believe that, proving critics wrong at Ithaca, N.Y., even against teams hovering right around the Orange in the rankings.

‘We’re fortunate to have won it,’ Reischman said. ‘Fortunate enough to win one.’

Syracuse (5:40.9) bested Navy (5:42.4) and Cornell (5:48.6) for its 10th-consecutive cup win dating back to the 2006 season.

‘The crew was determined in every race to make their own way, to show that the program isn’t going to lose speed on their watch,’ Reischman said.

It was an opportunity that took 48 years for another shot; the Orange nearly fell again to Navy, which stripped SU of a historic three-peat in 1960.

Syracuse has won the Goes Trophy 10 times since competition for it began in 1955, making the three victories in a row even more notable.

Separated by only a seat or two, Navy challenged Syracuse’s lead down to the last 500 meters after Cornell had fallen behind. Yet the close race was similar to others Reischman has seen this season, opening in a scramble then relying on determination and grit to pull past an opponent’s rally.

But, what made the difference was the management of the crew’s weight of expectations. It wasn’t history that was on the crew’s mind, but composure.

‘We went expecting to race side-by-side for 2,000 meters,’ Reischman said.

Sophomore Tyson Bry was reminded of the historical aspect of the race. He was given a pamphlet from Reischman about the history of SU rowing, dating back to Syracuse’s first national championship against Cornell in 1904.

‘It was an inspirational story,’ Bry said.

But it didn’t get into his head.

‘Thoughts like that will do nothing other than make you more nervous and throw off the rhythm of the boat.’

The similarities from SU’s first national championship are there. From the freshman team that got away with a win, to the lower-ranked Varsity Eight that came back to win against Cornell.

The only difference this time was that the Orange didn’t need a comeback. After 700 meters, Cornell had fallen behind, finishing 17.7 seconds later than Syracuse.

The same mentality has yielded the Varsity Eight an undefeated cup season thus far, though things still aren’t perfect, especially at the starts.

‘We were a little scrambled in the first 500 meters and not quite as efficient getting the boat up and started,’ Reischman said.

Bry noticed the jumpy start but had a different reaction.

‘We started off to a 47 or 48 stroke rate, and we usually get up to 45,’ he said. ‘But that was good, to start of at a high stroke rate and then to settle down so we can get the boat up to speed.’

Yet, the crew as a whole won the Stagg Trophy for most overall points as well. Though initially disappointed in the Junior Varsity Eight due to their lack of composure and relaxation, Reischman was satisfied with two firsts and a second-place win.

‘In the grand scheme of things, this race gives the crew a little bit of confidence that we can go to big races and perform well,’ Reischman said, confidence that will help when the crew faces against a faster Navy and Cornell in the Eastern Sprints.

‘We know now that we can beat them, and there’s probably more to work on to improve, but the win is a good stepping stone, and we can move forward from there,’ Bry said.

After the race, Reischman expects the Orange may move up one position in the new USRowing Collegiate Poll rankings today, but he isn’t thinking about it too much, or about weight of history upon the crew.

Said Reischman: ‘We don’t talk a lot about winning or losing in this program, that takes care of itself.’

edpaik@syr.edu

Published on April 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm