Princeton University Athletics
Long Journey, Short Trip Lands Top-Ranked Open Crew At NCAA Championships
May 24, 2006 | Women's Rowing - Open
May 24, 2006
PRINCETON - Princeton started the 2006 season atop the national rankings in open crew. It set a program record with 14 wins, blitzed the field to claim the Eastern crown and will enter this weekend's NCAA Championship regatta in the same spot, as the No. 1 team. The Tigers will also be the local favorite, as they'll compete at nearby Mercer Lake, but they'll also be in a competition with the finest crews in the nation.
The Tigers, who claimed all 24 first-place votes in the latest Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing, haven't finished second in a race since the 2005 NCAA grand final, when California edged the Tigers out in the final 1000 meters to claim the national title.
And since Cal recently completed a perfect season with a Pac 10 title, Princeton head coach Lori Dauphiny isn't sure why her team is ranked number one.
"To me, they're the number one team," Dauphiny said of a California squad that will enter the NCAA championships ranked second nationally. "They're the defending champions, they're undefeated and they haven't shown signs of a flaw this year. USC and Washington State have stayed close to them. Notre Dame is fast. There are a lot of good teams out there."
She knows Princeton is one of those good teams. It's been a long trip to these championships for several members of the first varsity crew, but it's been one that has put the Tigers in striking distance for the NCAA title.
Two members of the boat, Caroline Lind and Kate Bertko, have been in this boat for every NCAA championship since 2003, when both were freshmen. Captain Devan Darby and Jackie Zider joined those two as sophomores, and Kristin Haraldsdottir and Genevra Stone joined them last year. The final three members of the boat are Carrie Kruse, Andreanne Morin and coxswain Elizabeth Agnew. (All three boatings can be found at the bottom of this release) Twelve full teams were invited to the NCAA championships, while four at-large varsity eights will also compete. The teams, which will bring a first varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four, are Brown, California, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Princeton, Stanford, Tennessee, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale. Teams with only one varsity eight boats are Boston University, Minnesota, Southern California and UCLA.
There are two major NCAA titles that teams compete for. The first goes to the winner of the first varsity eight competition. That showdown begins Friday morning at 8 a.m. with a trio of heats. The top three teams in each will advance to Saturday's semifinals, while the remaining squads compete in a repechage for the remaining places.
There will be two semifinal races, beginning Saturday at 10:30 a.m., to determine the six boats in the grand final and the six in the petite final. The grand final, and the final race of the competition, will be held Sunday at noon.
A second championship will be given to the team with the most overall points. Despite finishing second in the 2005 first varsity final, Princeton finished fifth in this competition last year. The Tigers have finished second once (1997) and have never won the team title. That is a legitimate goal this season, as Dauphiny was able to move members from the talented novice boat, which also won gold at Eastern Sprints, into the second varsity and varsity four.
"The second varsity boat is untested, but they've been coming together in practice and gaining speed," Dauphiny said. "The same thing is true with the four. This is the best team I've had to take at NCAAs. It compares to some of those early 1990s teams, when I was the freshman coach."
Those comparisons predate NCAAs, but they don't predate Princeton dominance. The Tigers' last national championship came in 1995, and they had won titles in 1993 and 1994 as well. Since the NCAA took over the meet in 1997, Princeton hasn't won a national title, although it is one of the few teams to be invited every year.
Princeton traveled to nearby Mercer Lake on Wednesday and will practice on the course Thursday. While Dauphiny was excited to have a home crowd for the championship meet, she knows that the course itself won't be an advantage.
"We're like everybody else," she said. "This is our first time racing on it."
Full information on the weekend's NCAA championships, including the weekend racing schedule, directions and local information, can be found here. More notes on the Princeton squad, including this weekend's lineup and full season results, can be found below.
2006 Princeton Crew Notes
That Winning Feeling • Princeton set a program record with 14 dual victories this season. The previous Princeton record was 12 wins, which the Tigers earned three times (1997, 2000 and 2003).
We're Going Streaking • Princeton has won 36 consectutive dual races, dating back to the season-opening race in 2004. Since Ohio State topped the Tigers on March 27, Princeton hasn't lost a race and has won 21 straight Ivy League races.
A Perfect 10 • This is Princeton's 10th undefeated season in open crew and the second under head coach Lori Dauphiny.
First to First • Princeton entered the 2006 season as the No. 1 ranked team in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing and has never lost that spot. In the most recent poll, Princeton had all 24 first-place votes.
We Are The Champion • Princeton claimed the 2006 EAWRC championship May 14 by completing the Cooper River course in 6:50.2. Brown finished second in 6:58.1, nearly eight full seconds behind Princeton.
Second Coming • Princeton nearly won its first NCAA title in the 1V last season, but fell by two seconds to California. The Tigers led after 1500 meters and finished in 6:22.80, but Cal rallied for a winning time of 6:20.74.
Sixth Sense • Six members of the 2005 1V boat that won the NCAA silver medal are part of the 2006 1V boat. They are Kate Bertko (`05 bow, '06 bow); Devan Darby (`05 5th, '06 5th); Kristin Haraldsdottir (`05 3rd, '06 7th); Caroline Lind (`05 stroke, '06 stroke); Genevra Stone (`05 4th, '06 2nd); and Jackie Zider (`05 6th, '06 6th).
Four Score • Of those six members of the last two Princeton 1V boats, four were also part of the 2004 Princeton grand finalist: Kate Bertko, Caroline Lind, Devan Darby and Jackie Zider. Both Bertko and Lind were in the 2003 1V boat as freshmen.
Familiar Finale • Princeton has been invited to every NCAA championship regatta since the meet began in 1997. Its best finish came in the first year, when the Tigers placed second to Brown.
Golden Touch • Princeton's only NCAA championship boat also came in 1997, when the second varsity boat claimed its grand final.
Top Of The World • Princeton's last national championship came in 1995, prior to the sport becoming an NCAA competition. Led by current Cornell men's heavyweight coach Dan Roock, Princeton topped Washington to win the title by less than one second.
Home Sweet Home • Princeton has only raced in two states this year, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The only time Princeton crossed state lines was to race on the nearby Schuyllkil River in Philadelphia. Eastern Sprints was in Camden, N.J.
Gender Equity • Both the Princeton open crew and the Princeton men's heavyweights have been ranked No. 1 every week of the 2006 season. The men also won the Eastern title last weekend and will compete for an IRA national championship next weekend.
This Weekend's Boatings
FIRST VARSITY
Coxswain: Elizabeth Agnew So. • Darien, Conn. • Darien Stroke: Caroline Lind Sr. • Greensboro, N.C. • Phillips Academy Seat #7: Kristin Haraldsdottir So. • Rochester, Minn. • Mayo Seat #6: Jackie Zider Sr. • San Francisco, Calif. • St. Paul's Seat #5: Devan Darby Sr. • Virginia Beach, Va. • Princess Anne Seat #4: Andy Morin Sr. • Westmount, Que. • Phillips Exeter Seat #3: Carrie Kruse Jr. • West Simsbury, Conn. • Simsbury Seat #2: Genevra Stone Jr. • Newton, Mass. • Winsor School Bow: Kate Bertko Sr. • Oakland, Calif. • Bishop O'Dowd
2006 Results
3/25 Princeton, Brown, Michigan First of three 7:00.94/1 Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers, G'town First of four 6:21.8
4/8 Princeton, Radcliffe, Cornell First of three 7:11.7
4/15 Princeton, Yale, Virginia First of three 6:15.1
4/22 Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn First of three 6:18.3
4/29 Princeton, G.W., Tennessee, UMass First of four 6:44.7
5/14 EAWRC Sprints (Camden, NJ) First, Grand Final 6:50.18
SECOND VARSITY
Coxswain: Erinna Chen Sr. • College Point, N.Y. • Hunter Stroke: Danielle Villoch Jr. • Miami, Fla. • Carrollton Seat #7: Katrina Wechselberger Sr. • Mill Bay, B.C. • Brentwood College Seat #6: Alison Fishman Fr. • Dallas, Texas • Episcopal Seat #5: Annie Gayman Fr. • Seattle, Wash. • Garfield Seat #4: Gwynedd Rzegocki So. • Seattle, Wash. • Holy Names Academy Seat #3: Emily Downing Fr. • Bellevue, Wash. • International Seat #2: Michelle King Fr. • Lyme, Conn. • Old Lyme Bow: Abigail Chambers Jr. • New York, N.Y. • Spence School
2006 Results
3/25 Princeton, Brown, Michigan Second of three 7:27.54/1 Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers, G'town First of four 6:21.8
4/8 Princeton, Radcliffe, Cornell First of three 7:11.7
4/15 Princeton, Yale, Virginia First of three 6:15.1
4/22 Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn First of three 6:18.3
4/29 Princeton, G.W., Tennessee, UMass First of four 6:44.7
5/14 EAWRC Sprints (Camden, NJ) First, Grand Final 6:50.18
VARSITY FOUR
Coxswain: Margaret Arbuthnot Jr. • Washington, D.C. • Woodrow Wilson Stroke: Mary Leemputte So. • Lake Forest, Ill. • Loyola Academy Seat #3: Savannah Sachs So. • Lincoln, Mass. • Phillips Exeter Seat #2: Caitlin McGrath Fr. • Westport, Conn. • Lauralton Hall Bow: Carolyn Wood Jr. • Beaverton, Ore. • Southridge
2006 Results
3/25 Princeton, Brown, Michigan First of three 8:26.94/1 Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers, G'town First of four 7:33.6
4/8 Princeton, Radcliffe, Cornell First of two 8:14.4
4/15 Princeton, Yale, Virginia First of three 7:27.9
4/22 Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn First of three 7:23.1
4/29 Princeton, G.W., Tennessee, UMass First of four 7:53.6
5/14 EAWRC Sprints (Camden, NJ) First, Petite Final 8:17.56