Princeton University
IRA Regatta
Men's Lightweights Edged Out In IRA Semis, Rally To Win Petite Final
June 02, 2007 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
The Princeton women's lightweight crew edged top-seed Wisconsin in the IRA national final, but it was upstart Bucknell who finished first to claim the national championship on the final day of the collegiate racing season. Both Princeton men's programs had solid performances, but neither was able to grab gold in the biggest races of the IRA championships at Cooper River in Camden, N.J.
MEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT
The most intense semifinal heats of the whole weekend were arguably Saturday's men's lightweight showdowns, as nine to ten teams entered the morning with hopes for a national championship. Only six would get to race for it, and Princeton was edged out of that competition. In a challenging semifinal heat with defending national champion Cornell, Princeton placed fourth and was sent into the petite final. The Tigers finished its semifinal in 5:56.274, less than three seconds behind third-place and last grand finalist Yale.
Princeton went on to win its final race of the season, claiming the petite final in a time of 5:53.874. That time topped Penn by more than three seconds. Cornell went on to win the national title by more than a second over Harvard.
WOMEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT
After finishing second to top-seeded Wisconsin at the 2007 Eastern championships, most fans likely felt that the national championship would come down to both schools. The Tigers and Badgers did engage in a tight finish, which the Orange and Black won by less than a second, but that came after Bucknell had already clinched its first national title. Bucknell won the crown in 6:36.096, topping Princeton's time of 6:39.543 and Wisconsin's time of 6:40.500. While the Tigers had targeted the top spot on the medal stand, a second-place finish is still a strong rise from the fourth-place showing in 2006. The women's lightweights did pick up a gold medal in the varsity four; Princeton's winning time of 7:26.749 defeated Wisconsin by more than six seconds.
MEN'S HEAVYWEIGHT
The 2006 IRA national title was a battle between East and West, as California edged Princeton for the gold medal. Princeton did well in its semifinal heat to qualify for another grand final, but the younger squad was not quite ready to challenge for this championship. Instead, the 2007 title would come down to a battle of western rivals, with top-seeded Washington (5:33.165) holding off Stanford (5:34.125) for the title. Princeton placed sixth in the grand final in a time of 5:43.419.
A handful of other heavyweight boats made grand finals, including the novice eight. California took the freshman competition in 5:40.886, while Brown, Washington and Harvard assumed the next three spots. Princeton finished fifth overall in 5:51.790, more than eight seconds faster than sixth-place Yale. The freshman four boat barely missed a spot on the medal stand, as its time of 6:38.886 was approximately one second behind bronze medalist Boston University. California won another novice gold by finishing in 6:28.986.
The open four grabbed a silver medal with a 6:31.315 performance in its grand final. Washington won the race in 6:26.449, but Princeton held off Northeastern, California, Cornell and Syracuse for the silver.
Two crews didn't make their grand finals. The varsity pair won its third-level final in 7:17.192, while the second varsity eight placed sixth in the third-level final in 6:04.649.
For a complete listing of all IRA championship races and times, click here.