Princeton University Athletics
Showdown Saturday For Top-Ranked Crews; Men's Lights Seek Out Platt Cup
April 14, 2006 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
April 14, 2006
There are certain regular-season weekends that just have a little extra something to them. When you have two top-ranked programs facing off against the teams that ended their Eastern championship dreams last year, that easily becomes one of those weekends. When you factor in that one of those programs is trying to do something no Tiger crew has done since 1957, well, it becomes a Showdown Saturday for Tiger crew.
Men's Heavyweight
The Compton Cup was first raced for in 1933 between the crews of Princeton, Harvard and M.I.T. Princeton won the race, and then claimed the next three afterwards. Prior to the 1937 race, the Compton Cup knew no other home but Princeton.
Since 1937, it has made its way back to Princeton all of nine times.
The Harvard Crimson has dominated the Compton Cup, winning 54 times and each of the last four. Of course, Harvard has also dominated the overall landscape of men's heavyweight rowing, winning each of the last three Eastern Sprints and IRA national championships. The Crimson proved to be the only boat faster than Princeton in 2005, pushing Princeton to a second-place finish in their three showdowns of the year, including the Compton Cup.
Harvard enters the weekend ranked fifth in the nation and is coming off its first loss in 24 races, a close loss at No. 4 Brown. Princeton enters the weekend undefeated and the top-ranked program in the country, just the same way it did prior to the Compton Cup last season. Then Harvard came to Lake Carnegie and pulled off a victory.
"I think the guys are more mature this year," head coach Curtis Jordan said. "They were pretty whipped up last year for the Harvard race. I don't have a sense that we will go up there this year and not race well. I think we will race hard and race fast. If we don't win, it won't be because of our mistakes, it will be because Harvard has a very good team."
If Princeton can defend its No. 1 ranking and pull out a win at Harvard, it will do something that no Tiger crew has done in 49 years. The last time Princeton won the Compton Cup on the Charles River was 1957; since then, Harvard has won 28 of 28 showdowns with Princeton and MIT on its home course. "They have always had good crews," Jordan said. "It's their home course, and it gives them the extra edge in a tight race."
The last time Princeton raced on the Charles was in the fall, when the Tigers became the first collegiate crew since 1983 to win the Head of the Charles. While Jordan says it will have no impact on Saturday's race, it does give Princeton a unique opportunity to complete a very impressive sweep on the Harvard home course.
The competition is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m.
Women's Open
The No. 1 Princeton open women have won 29 consecutive races, including all seven this season. Running that streak to 31 will take a major effort from the Tiger women, who will face two of the top programs in the country on Lake Carnegie this weekend.
The No. 4 Yale Bulldogs and the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers will compete with Princeton in six races this weekend, beginning with the second novice race at 9 a.m. The first varsity race, which will determine the winner of the Eisenberg Cup, will begin at 10:20.
Princeton has won 17 straight Eisenberg Cups, but it was Yale who finished first at the 2005 Eastern championships, stunning the favored Princeton crew.
"We are well aware that Yale is the defending Eastern champion and one of the top crews in the country," head coach Lori Dauphiny said. "It's great to have races like this, with three top boats going at it. The coxswain has to really be alert, and not just focused on one opponent. Three boats gives it a little more feel like a championship race than just a two-team race."
Princeton has been very impressive thus far, defeating all seven of its opponents by more than nine seconds so far. Of course, that won't mean anything tomorrow, nor will it during the Eastern and NCAA championships.
"We know our ultimate goals are Easterns and the NCAA championships," Dauphiny said. "Each race is a stepping stone to those goals. We have had some really strong performances this season, but he still have a long way to go."
Open Women's Schedule
9:00 - Second Novice
9:20 - First Novice
9:40 - Third Varsity A
10:00 - Second Varsity
10:20 - First Varsity
10:40 - Third Varsity A
Men's Lightweights
Head coach Greg Hughes understands the landscape of Eastern lightweight rowing. Unlike the men's heavies or open women, there aren't a couple of powers that dominate the scene. The 2005 Eastern final finished with four boats crossing the finish line within one second of each other.
"There is a significant amount of parity in our league," Hughes explained. "Every week, our races are tight, and we have the opportunity to learn how to win each time. "
Princeton split its first two races of the season, falling at Navy before winning its home opener against Georgetown. The Tigers were off last weekend, which allowed them to focus on its first two performances and work on any issues that came up.
"We had the chance to work hard without needing to go anywhere for a competition over the weekend," Hughes said. "The Georgetown win was nice. It allows us to know we have speed and the things we did in the winter were right. On the same hand, winning a race at the beginning of April isn't the same as winning one at the end of May, and we know Navy and Georgetown will only get faster, so we need to do the same."
This weekend's competition for the Platt Trophy, which will begin at 11:20 a.m. with the first varsity race, will bring Cornell and Rutgers to Lake Carnegie. Cornell was part of that pack of four at the Eastern final, where it finished third, and the Big Red has claimed each of the last two Platt Trophies. Both Cornell and Rutgers are part of that large pack of teams that Hughes knows can win a race any weekend.
"It's tough, because every team is going to take its lumps at some point during the season," Hughes said. "Our guys are competitive and resilient. They came back after the Navy loss and raced well."
Princeton last win the Platt Trophy in 2003.
Men's Lightweight Schedule
11:20 - First Varsity
11:40 - Second Varsity
12:00 - First/Second Freshmen
12:20 - Third Varsity/Combo
Women's Lightweight
The women's lightweight team is off this weekend, but it will compete at home each of the next two weekends against Georgetown (4/22) and No. 1 Radcliffe (4/29).