Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
IRA Championships
Heavyweight Crew Claims Silver Medal At IRA National Championships
June 04, 2005 | Heavyweight Rowing
June 4, 2005
CHERRY HILL, N.J. - The No. 3 Princeton heavyweight crew put forth another superior effort Saturday at the IRA national championship grand final. It was good enough to beat every team, including second-ranked California, except the defending champion and top-ranked Harvard Crimson.
The Tigers finished the varsity eight grand final in 5:32.94, just behind the Crimson's winning time of 5:31.68. While it was a disappointment to not finish as the national champion, the Tigers had to feel good about topping a field of strong crews, including the second-ranked Bears (third, 5:35.90) and the always strong Washington Huskies (5:37.70).
The other eight-man crew for Princeton in a grand final was the novice eight. The Tigers finished fifth in that race at a time of 5:59.94. California won the race exactly 10 seconds ahead of Princeton.
The pair w/o cox and the 4 w/o cox both placed sixth in their respective grand finals, while the second varsity eight placed third in its petite final in 5:55.4.
The IRAs conclude a highly successful season for the heavyweights, which spent part of the season ranked No. 1 and never lost a race to any crew besides Harvard. Princeton will return seven of its nine members from the varsity eight (including the cox), and will gain from a novice eight that was competitive all season against a strong group of novice Ivy boats.