Sticking to its “bread and butter” race plan brought Cornell to the top at the 2007 IRA Championships in Camden, N.J., earlier this month. The Big Red beat Harvard by one second to win the title for the second consecutive year.

“After we lost the Eastern Sprints to Dartmouth, we knew we had parts of the race we needed to fix,” said Head Coach Todd Kennett of his lightweight eight. “We changed a few things so we could race more efficiently, rowing at a 35 for the body of the finals race.”

Coxswain Emily Baines also noted that adjustments with lineup and stroke rate made a difference preparing for IRAs. “We came off of Sprints pretty disappointed,” she said. “We were beaten but knew we had the strength and talent. Changes allowed us to focus more on technique and getting cleaner.”

Cornell advanced from the morning’s heat with confidence, knowing that unlike other teams, it had not expended extra energy with a sprint at the end of the race. Baines and her crew went into the final feeling optimistic, with their sights set on Dartmouth and Harvard.

“We knew we had to execute our race plan and not spin our wheels; that was the bread and butter,” said Kennett.

In the finals, Cornell was last off the starting line and maintained a significantly lower stroke rate than the rest of the field across the 500-meter mark. “We stayed focused,” said Baines. “We didn’t have to worry about the other crews around us, even though everyone else had a higher rate.”

Kennett followed the race from the shore, cycling among a cluster of anxious coaches. “Around the 700-meter mark, we started walking,” said Kennett. “Halfway put us in second place, and by the 1500-meter mark, we were in first. We aren’t known for our sprint, so we got a good six-seat-lead cushion before-hand. Both Harvard and Georgetown brought up their rates and raced really hard. We responded and brought it up to a 37.”

Cornell won the final with a time of 5:46.34. Harvard and Georgetown followed in a photo-finish for second place. Harvard pulled ahead by a mere 0.03 seconds in the end, for a time of 5:47.47.

Kennett and Baines agreed that the win was a satisfying conclusion to a long season. “It was a good way to go out,” said Baines. “It was extremely exciting that we could finish on top.”

Cornell will compete in the Henley Royal Regatta July 4-8 in England. The lightweight crew will make its third consecutive appearance at the event and its ninth appearance in program history.

“There is a little bit of pressure going in; we are going to be a target,” said Baines. “We will try to work out some small changes with our base pace in the next two or three weeks and hope to make it as far as we can.”