Princeton University
Eastern Women's Sprints
Reloaded Open Women Claim Eastern Bronze Medal
May 13, 2007 | Women's Rowing - Open
The 2007 Princeton open crew season has been one of reloading after a dream season in 2006. And while it was probably too much to ask for a repeat of its golden performance at those Eastern championships, the current Tiger women ended a strong day of racing with a bronze medal at the 2007 EAWRC championships on Cooper River in Camden, N.J.
Princeton, which qualified for the grand final by topping Dartmouth in the third semifinal heat, held its third seed in the final race of the day. Yale won the crown and the 2007 Ivy League title in a time of 6:28.60, while Brown took second in 6:32.26. With three Ivy rivals racing for the final spot on the medal stand, Princeton pushed past both fourth-place Radcliffe and fifth-place Dartmouth to claim third in 6:35.62.
The second varsity barely missed a spot on the medal stand, finishing fourth in a time of 6:52.40. Brown won the race in 6:39.95, while Radcliffe edged Yale for second. Yale's third-place time of 6:49.10 was enough to push Princeton just outside of the medal range. The results of the varsity 4 were similarly unfortunate for Princeton, which couldn't find a medal spot inside the Brown-Radcliffe-Yale grouping. This time, the Bulldogs claimed the gold in 7:28.83, while Brown's third-place time of 7:42.51 was less than two seconds faster than Princeton's time of 7:44.2. The Tigers topped fifth-place Syracuse and sixth-place Northeastern by more than 18 seconds apiece.
The varsity 4B placed second in its grand final, earning silver in a time of 7:57.15. Radcliffe won gold in 7:52.74, while Yale's time of 8:03.17 finished behind Princeton. The Tigers did earn the top medal in the novice four, as their time of 7:52.48 routed the field. Syracuse finished second, well behind in a time of 8:10.12.
Princeton will now await NCAA bids. The Tigers, who won the 2006 national title at nearby Mercer Lake, will hope to defend that crown from May 25-27 at Oak Ridge, Tenn.