Princeton University Athletics
Open Women Faces George Washington In Regular Season Finale
May 02, 2008 | Women's Rowing - Open
While three Princeton crews will complete the 2008 regular season on Lake Carnegie, the most anticipated race of the weekend could arguably take place on the Charles River, where the top two men's lightweight crews will face off for the Goldthwait Cup. No. 1 Yale, No. 2 Princeton and No. 8 Harvard will resume their historic rivalry Saturday morning, while the remainder of Princeton's rowing teams, all currently ranked in the national top five, will complete the season at home. Saturday's home racing schedule can be found here.
Women's Open
Coming off a sweep of Dartmouth and Penn, the No. 5 open women will take on unranked George Washington Saturday at Lake Carnegie. Princeton is currently 8-2 on the season and is hoping to finish the regular season on a strong note against the Colonials. The Tiger women will head to Cooper River in Camden, N.J., for the Eastern Championships May 18 and then will compete for their second NCAA title in three years May 30-June 1 in Sacramento.
Men's Heavyweight
Ranked fifth in the latest U.S. Rowing Collegiate Poll, the Princeton heavyweights will look to regain the Content Cup Saturday morning against No. 2 Brown at Lake Carnegie. Princeton is currently 6-1 on the season and posted a strong showing in the Copley Cup final at the San Diego Crew Classic, where it finished second to No. 1 Wisconsin but defeated No. 4 Harvard, No. 6 California and No. 8 Northeastern. Brown did not compete at the San Diego Crew Classic, but the Bears are undefeated in 2008 and ranked first in the latest EARC Heavyweight Poll, used for seeding at the Eastern championships.
Another anticipated race during the weekend will take place between the freshman eights, as Princeton is currently ranked second and Brown third in the recent EARC heavyweight poll.
The Content Cup, which dates back to 1994, has been split 7-7 over the last 14 years. Brown ended a three-year winning streak by Princeton last year with a 3.1-second victory.
Women's Lightweight
For an eight-year stretch between 1999-2006, either Princeton or Wisconsin left the IRA championships with the national championship. For seven of those years, the other teams walked away with a silver medal. The sport's two winningest programs haven't met in a dual regatta since 2005, but that will change Saturday morning at Lake Carnegie. Top-ranked and unbeaten Princeton will take on No. 6 Wisconsin at Lake Carnegie.
The Tigers own victories over No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Radcliffe, No. 4 Georgetown and No. 5 Central Florida, but there is always a little extra excitement for a meeting with Wisconsin. The Badgers are building off a strong performance at the Knecht Cup, where they reached the finals and fell to only Stanford and Radcliffe. Princeton head coach Paul Rassam has been pleased with the improvements of his entire squad and is looking for the Tigers to finish strong as they head into the postseason.
Men's Lightweight
Since a tight season-opening loss to No. 3 Navy, Princeton has swept four home races, including a win over two-time defending national champion Cornell. That stretch has moved the Tigers up to the No. 2 position in both the national rankings and the latest EARC LW men's rankings, which will determine the seedings for the 2008 Eastern championships (May 18 in Worcester, Mass.). Head coach Greg Hughes and his talented mix of youth and experience could take one more step up the rankings with a road victory against the top-ranked Bulldogs and the No. 8 Crimson.
Princeton, which hasn't won the Goldthwait Cup since 1999, finished second to Harvard last year and second to Yale one season earlier. Since 2000, both Yale and Harvard have split the eight Goldthwait Cup competitions, but Princeton has put together one of its strongest teams of the decade and is a worthy challenger, even with top-ranked and unbeaten Yale in the field.
For seeding purposes at Easterns, several Princeton boats can take a step forward with a successful weekend. The Princeton freshman eight is currently ranked second, the second varsity eight is fourth and the third varsity eight is third. In each case, one boat ahead of the Tigers belongs to Yale. While all three squads are still preparing for the critical May 18 showdown, Saturday's regatta will be a good indicator of the Eastern favorites.
Of course, after eight years without the Goldthwait Cup, Princeton is also looking to return the H-Y-P trophy to the Shea Rowing Center.
Saturday's Home Racing Schedule
Princeton Heavyweight Men vs. Brown
9:00 a.m. Third Varsity
9:15 a.m. First Freshmen
9:30 a.m. Second Varsity
9:45 a.m. First Varsity
Princeton Lightweight Women vs. Wisconsin
10:00 a.m. First Varsity
10:15 a.m. Second Varsity
Princeton Open Women vs. George Washington
10:00 a.m. Coxswain Meeting
11:00 a.m. First Novice
11:15 a.m. Second Varsity
11:30 a.m. First Varsity