Princeton University
The Platt Cup: Cornell
Players Mentioned
Undefeated, Top-Ranked Men's Lights Retain Platt Cup With Win At #4 Cornell
April 16, 2011 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
The top-ranked Princeton men's lightweight crew remained undefeated on the 2011 season with its first road victory of the year. The Tigers defeated fourth-ranked Cornell by about one length to retain the Platt Cup on the Cayuga Inlet.
The two programs split the four races during the morning regatta. Cornell opened the day with victories in the third varsity and freshman eight competitions, while Princeton closed with wins in second varsity and varsity eight races.
The Princeton varsity eight stayed perfect on the year by winning its race in 5:47.1, while Cornell provided a strong challenge and placed second in 5:50.2. With the victory, Princeton moves to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 within the Ivy League. The race featured two teams receiving at least one first-place voted in the latest USRowing national poll; Princeton has been ranked No. 1 throughout the season and held eight of 11 first-place votes, while Cornell was third with one first-place vote.
"Retaining the Platt Cup was no easy task," said head coach Marty Crotty. "In tailwind conditions and a course that has two turns, we wanted to get off the line well and we did. We had to work very hard for the margin we got early, so I was happy to see the guys fend off several moves from Cornell in the second half of the race."
Princeton has now won the Platt Cup 35 times in this regatta that dates back to 1967, while Cornell has won nine. The Tigers, who have won 25 of their last 26 regular season races, have won three straight Platt Cup regattas. This regatta featured two of the premier programs in the sport, as both Princeton and Cornell have combined for four of the last five Ivy League titles.
The Princeton 2V also earned a tight win over Cornell, as it finished in 5:52.9 to win by 2.5 seconds. Cornell took the third varsity in 6:10.1, while Princeton finished in 6:21.7. The Cornell freshman eight also earned a victory in 5:59.6, while Princeton finished in 6:02.2.
"The 2V, which has been a second-half crew, showed they can be aggressive early as well," Crotty said. "They grabbed a nice eight-seat advantage early and that was how it finished.
"The freshman race was very tight for 1250 before Cornell slipped away," Crotty added. "Cornell is the team to beat at the freshman level, and losses hurt, but I'm happy to see that we're in range."
Following this weekend, Princeton will head south to the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to take on Penn and Georgetown for the Wood-Hammond Cup.
Varsity EightPrinceton 5:47.1
Cornell 5:50.2
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:52.9
Cornell 5:55.4
Third Varsity Eight
Cornell 3V 6:10.1
Princeton 6:21.7
Cornell 2F 6:34.5
Freshman Eight
Cornell 5:59.6
Princeton 6:02.2
Princeton Crew Lineups
Princeton vs. Cornell
Ithaca, N.Y.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
First Varsity - The Platt Cup
Cox - Michael Perl
Stroke - Robin Prendes
7 - Steve Cutler
6 - Gianthomas Volpe
5 - Christian Klein
4 - Hugh Kohl
3 - Nicolas Bax
2 - Tyler Nase
Bow - Nick Donald
Second Varsity
Cox - Erin Rosenbaum
Stroke - Connor Edel
7 - Gordon Eccles
6 - Alex Rubert
5 - Barrett LaChance
4 - Taylor Freeman
3 - Dan Nickel
2 - John Votta
Bow - Derek Porter
Third Varsity
Cox - Alex Manfull
Stroke - Erik Savage
7 - Kevin Cox
6 - Carter Greenbaum
5 - Thomas Owlett
4 - Jim McGlone
3 - Jacques Singer-Emery
2 - Zach Romanow
Bow - Nathan Swaney
First Freshmen
Cox - Anna Nilles
Stroke - Paul Shea
7 - Owen Gaffney
6 - Nader Al-Naji
5 - Scott Tinsman
4 - Alec Buckenheimer
3 - Charles Waldron
2 - Greg Kazarian
Bow - James Kwan