Drexel men’s varsity eight holds off La Salle to three-peat at the Dad Vail Regatta

It’s hard getting to the top. It’s even harder staying there, but the Drexel men’s varsity eight made it look easy with its first-place finish in the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta grand final Saturday on the Cooper River in Pennsauken.

After a tight back-and-forth to start the race, Drexel pulled away in the final 500 meters to claim the title for its third consecutive win, topping La Salle for a repeat of last year’s top two results. Drexel also won the overall men’s title, claiming the Jack Bratton Trophy with 172.5 points.

Posting a time of 5 minutes, 52.48 seconds, Drexel pulled off the first three-peat since Temple in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Dad Vails. La Salle finished in 5:55.67.

“For us, it’s going about our own business and then putting it all together on race day,” coach Matt Weaver said. “It’s a testament to the teams and the alums that have really passed down a great culture here and [director of rowing Paul] Savell. With that, it really sets us up well to do things year in and year out.”

With four local schools in the men’s grand final, Drexel was competing not just against La Salle, but against Temple, which took third in 5:55.75, and St. Joseph’s, along with Western Ontario and Rutgers, something senior John Little said made the victory a little sweeter for the Dragons.

“It can be pretty clear-cut that it feels amazing,” Little said. “Knowing that when we get on that river Monday, we are the fastest team on there.”

Despite the previous wins, Little said the feeling of winning the Richard O’Brien Trophy never gets old. Instead, each win makes them hungrier for the next.

“This is just the race that we have in our calendar every year,” Little said. “This is what we work for. This is what makes us a Philly school. Dad Vail is really dominated by Philly teams, and we try to keep that domination year after year.”

» READ MORE: At the Dad Vail Regatta, Cabrini women’s rowing is preparing for one final race

But the men weren’t the only ones to pull off a win. The women’s varsity eight won its the grand final with a time of 6:54.01. It beat Fordham by three seconds to bring home the Evelyn Bergman Trophy. The Dragons women finished third overall, with Georgetown taking first on a river Dragons women’s coach Katie Lane considers “a second home.”

Senior Julianna Rogers said the culture the team has built around Dad Vail is what allows Drexel to remain a consistent competitor, despite the turnover between rowers graduating and newcomers entering the program.

“It’s a day for the men and women come together and really root for each other,” Rogers said. “And the alumni have really kept it as our race, and they really kept that tradition alive.”

Despite Weaver and Lane being first-year head coaches, Weaver said the work Savell did in years prior made the transition smooth for everyone.

“Coach Savell leading the men’s women’s programs previously set us up both really well to continue to success,” Weaver said. “Super grateful to him. I think the team culture again from the alums of years past to Coach Savell being the common thread there, it’s been really easy for us to transition over.”

With both teams on top, Lane said she hopes to see these results for years to come.

“It shows a lot of depth on the program for sure. We know that Drexel has deep roots within the Philadelphia rowing community,” Lane said. “We’re continuing to build on the success that Drexel has had and also just bringing some new energy into the program.”

For complete results of the final day of racing, visit the Regatta Timing page on dadvail.org