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/ Men's Rowing - Lightweight
/ Men's Rowing - Lightweight
Men's Lightweights Hope To Continue Upward Movement, Eye Golden Finish
March 25, 2009 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
Since taking over the program he proudly competed for as an undergraduate, men's lightweight crew coach Greg Hughes has seen an upward swing for Princeton. That swing peaked last season with a No. 1 national ranking midway through the season and a silver medal at Eastern Sprints.
Now in his fourth season, Hughes is well aware that in lightweight rowing, momentum doesn't automatically carry year to year. It doesn't even carry week to week. The depth in the league forces each team to come back with a new dedication, and Hughes believes that will be there once again with this team.
“The great thing about this sport is that hard work plays the biggest part in your success,” said Hughes, who has led Princeton to at least one medal at either Easterns on Nationals in each of his three seasons. “You can have guys in championship boats coming back, but it's a new team and you do have to start from scratch somewhat.”
That start came in the fall and continued through winter training, both of which Hughes felt good about.
“I was pleased with the fall,” he said. “I think we raced well and I think we developed well. Our team is deep, so we have been messing around with some combinations. We have a good senior class in general, and each of them have had their best workouts this winter.”
Two of those seniors are Tom Paulett and Justin Teti, both of whom were in the varsity boat that knocked off national champion Cornell last season to win the Platt Cup and followed up with a win over Harvard and Yale to win Princeton's first Goldthwait Cup since 1999. They were also there in the IRA grand final, when the Tigers made a gutsy push for its first national championship since 1998 before getting caught in the final 500 meters.
They are among a senior class that Hughes has proudly watched develop into both strong rowers and leaders. And while Paulett and Teti seem to be safe picks to be in the varsity eight this season, many of the other seats are up for grabs, which is exactly how Hughes likes it.
“I think it's a good thing because it creates an environment of competition,” Hughes said. “You can't get complacent, so we know these guys are going as fast as we need to go. I view every day we train as a selection day. Developing boats is a year-long process.”
That process will include members of the sophomore class, who experienced the highs and lows of a rocky freshman season. The novice eight beat the likes of Cornell and Georgetown and fell to Navy, Harvard and Yale. In the Eastern final, the novice finished sixth. Hughes hopes there were lessons learned and that several of the sophomores can push for an experienced season in one of the top two boats.
“That's what your freshman year in college is all about,” Hughes said. “We have two or three kids knocking on the door of the varsity boat. We need to use the early races this season to figure out what we need to figure out.”
There are no easy weeks in men's lightweight rowing, and Princeton's schedule proves it. In the Princeton Chase last fall, the top five teams included Georgetown, Navy and Cornell, each of whom Princeton will face in the first three weeks of the season. The season begins this weekend with The Fosburgh Cup regatta with Georgetown, which begins at 10 a.m. and will have the varsity eight competition at 11.
Of course, Princeton finished second in the Chase, and Hughes believes that his team is ready and dedicated to keeping the upward movement of the program going for one more season.
He may not know exactly what the team will look like when postseason racing rolls around, but he knows it will be looking for gold.
Now in his fourth season, Hughes is well aware that in lightweight rowing, momentum doesn't automatically carry year to year. It doesn't even carry week to week. The depth in the league forces each team to come back with a new dedication, and Hughes believes that will be there once again with this team.
“The great thing about this sport is that hard work plays the biggest part in your success,” said Hughes, who has led Princeton to at least one medal at either Easterns on Nationals in each of his three seasons. “You can have guys in championship boats coming back, but it's a new team and you do have to start from scratch somewhat.”
That start came in the fall and continued through winter training, both of which Hughes felt good about.
“I was pleased with the fall,” he said. “I think we raced well and I think we developed well. Our team is deep, so we have been messing around with some combinations. We have a good senior class in general, and each of them have had their best workouts this winter.”
Two of those seniors are Tom Paulett and Justin Teti, both of whom were in the varsity boat that knocked off national champion Cornell last season to win the Platt Cup and followed up with a win over Harvard and Yale to win Princeton's first Goldthwait Cup since 1999. They were also there in the IRA grand final, when the Tigers made a gutsy push for its first national championship since 1998 before getting caught in the final 500 meters.
They are among a senior class that Hughes has proudly watched develop into both strong rowers and leaders. And while Paulett and Teti seem to be safe picks to be in the varsity eight this season, many of the other seats are up for grabs, which is exactly how Hughes likes it.
“I think it's a good thing because it creates an environment of competition,” Hughes said. “You can't get complacent, so we know these guys are going as fast as we need to go. I view every day we train as a selection day. Developing boats is a year-long process.”
That process will include members of the sophomore class, who experienced the highs and lows of a rocky freshman season. The novice eight beat the likes of Cornell and Georgetown and fell to Navy, Harvard and Yale. In the Eastern final, the novice finished sixth. Hughes hopes there were lessons learned and that several of the sophomores can push for an experienced season in one of the top two boats.
“That's what your freshman year in college is all about,” Hughes said. “We have two or three kids knocking on the door of the varsity boat. We need to use the early races this season to figure out what we need to figure out.”
There are no easy weeks in men's lightweight rowing, and Princeton's schedule proves it. In the Princeton Chase last fall, the top five teams included Georgetown, Navy and Cornell, each of whom Princeton will face in the first three weeks of the season. The season begins this weekend with The Fosburgh Cup regatta with Georgetown, which begins at 10 a.m. and will have the varsity eight competition at 11.
Of course, Princeton finished second in the Chase, and Hughes believes that his team is ready and dedicated to keeping the upward movement of the program going for one more season.
He may not know exactly what the team will look like when postseason racing rolls around, but he knows it will be looking for gold.
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