Princeton University Athletics
Heavyweights Eye Content Cup In Showdown Of Top-10 Programs
April 29, 2010 | Heavyweight Rowing
| Saturday Racing Schedule | |
| Third Varsity | 9:00 a.m. |
| First Freshman | 9:15 a.m. |
| Second Varsity | 9:30 a.m. |
| First Varsity | 9:45 a.m. |
It's been a while since the Princeton heavyweights have raced on Lake Carnegie, and it's been a wild ride since the April 3 victory over Georgetown.
After winning back the most historic trophy in collegiate rowing, the Childs Cup, over Columbia and Penn, the Tiger heavies headed to the Charles River for a showdown with No. 4 Harvard. The race was tight for more than 1100 meters, but everything changed dramatically when the Princeton rudder broke. The boat lost control, crashed into the Crimson 1V and never finished the race.
Last weekend, Princeton was in a tight battle with both Yale and Cornell for the Carnegie Cup. Yale won the race on its home course, while the Tigers held off a Cornell team that had just defeated No. 5 Syracuse one week earlier.
Princeton has bounced around the national polls this season and made it as high as No. 5, but last week's loss dropped the Tigers to their current ninth position. A win Saturday morning over the third-ranked Brown Bears would undoubtedly send Princeton back up the rankings heading into the postseason, though it will be a daunting challenge for the home squad in its regular season finale.
Brown is ranked third nationally and is undefeated on the season, including wins over current No. 4 Harvard and No. 5 Yale. The Bears hold an all-time 9-6 advantage in this series and have won each of the last three Content Cup regattas. A victory would clinch the top seed for Brown at the EARC Championships, which will be held May 16 in Worcester, Mass.
While the first varsity race will determine the Content Cup winner, the morning regatta will be a final test for several boats looking to peak as it heads toward the postseason. One race to watch will be the second varsity showdown, as Brown comes in ranked first in the EARC and Princeton ranks third. The Tigers' only loss came two weeks earlier at Harvard and enters this weekend with a 6-1 record. Last weekend, the Princeton 2V won by a mere three feet against Cornell.
The Princeton freshman eight will also be looking to complete a strong season. That boat enters the weekend as the fourth-ranked boat in the latest EARC seedings.