Princeton University Athletics
Heavy Men Look For Grand Finish At Eastern Championships; Gilson Profiled
May 13, 2010 | Heavyweight Rowing
EARC INFORMATION (including schedule)
Head coach Greg Hughes has long praised the Eastern Sprints for its unpredictably and racing excitement. This Sunday, he will lead a Princeton heavyweight team that could factor into both the unpredictability and excitement of the EARC championships, which will be held on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
One year after a disappointing 13th-place showing at Easterns, Princeton has moved back into the mix of contenders for both the EARC and Ivy League championships. The Tiger 1V went 4-4 on the season, although two of its losses came following a break to its rudder cable, and will be seeded fifth for the Eastern championships. Princeton will compete at 11:24 in the second of three heats and will face Harvard, Cornell, Navy, Penn and MIT. The top two finishers will make it to the 5:01 grand final, which will determine both the EARC and Ivy League champion.
Princeton will see four teams it raced already this season, beginning with the second-seeded Harvard Crimson. That was the opponent Princeton crashed into after 1150 meters on April 17; the Tigers' rudder snapped, sending the boat out of control and into the Crimson crew. Harvard was able to stay on course and finish to win the Compton Cup, while Princeton was stuck watching MIT come from behind to ultimately take second in the race.
While the Crimson will be the strong favorite to advance from the second heat, Princeton will try to repeat its performances this season against Cornell and Penn. The Big Red is seeded eighth overall and finished 2.7 seconds behind Princeton on April 24 in the Carnegie Cup race in New Haven. Princeton also owns a win of 8.6 seconds over Penn; the Tigers and Navy have yet to meet this season.
Princeton is looking for its first Eastern championship since 2006 and its first medal since placing third in 2008.
Three other heavyweight boats will also be looking for a spot on the medal stand Sunday. The highest-ranked team is the second varsity, which is seeded fourth and will compete at 11 a.m. in a heat with Wisconsin, Columbia, Navy, Georgetown and Rutgers. The 2V grand final will be at 4:19 p.m. The third varsity is seeded sixth and will race at 8:50 against Yale, Wisconsin, Boston University, Dartmouth and Holy Cross; with only 11 teams in the varsity eight field, the top three finishers in each heat will race at 1:55 for the grand final.
The Tiger Class of 2013 will make its Eastern debut as the fifth seed and will compete at 9:48 a.m. against Cornell, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Northeastern and George Washington. The top two finishers will make the grand final at 3:07 p.m.
One of the seniors looking to end his career on top will be captain Michael Gilson; he talked with GoPrincetonTigers.TV earlier this season. A brief profile can be found below.
