NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - In a milestone victory, the Rutgers University lightweight crew won the Durand Cup on Saturday for the first time since 1978 by outlasting the Dartmouth Big Green and the Yale Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs had won the Durand Cup each of the last 11 years until the Scarlet Knights were able to knock them off on the Raritan River on Saturday.

In the day's first race, the Bulldogs outlasted both Rutgers and Dartmouth for a win in the third varsity eight race. Yale (7:05.0) finished first in front of second-place Rutgers (7:08.7) and six seconds ahead of third-place Dartmouth (7:11.0).

Rutgers' second varsity eight boat finished third to Dartmouth and Yale, in that order. The Scarlet Knights won the day's final race in convincing fashion on the 2,000 meter course on the Raritan River.

In a battle for the Durand Cup, RU pulled away while Dartmouth and Yale battled for second place. The Scarlet Knights won the Cup by finishing with a time of 6:30.0. The Big Green and the Bulldogs were separated by just two seconds for runner-up honors; however, RU won the race going away.

The Scarlet Knights made a statement in their final regular season competition of the year and they will be back on the water on when they travel to Worcester, MA to take part in the EARC Sprint Championships on Sunday, May 21.