Princeton University
Columbia, Tennessee and Virginia
#1 Open Crew Tops NCAA Champ, Completes Only Second 13-Win Season
April 30, 2011 | Women's Rowing - Open
With a sweep of three teams in Saturday's varsity eight race, including defending NCAA champion Virginia, the top-ranked Princeton open crew made a little history for itself in completing a perfect regular season. For only the second time in program history, the Tigers won more than 12 races in a season; now they turn their attention on a pair of far bigger honors.
Princeton, which has been ranked first nationally since the second poll of the season, won each of the three varsity eight races Saturday morning in a regatta that included No. 5 Virginia (the only other team to be ranked first this season), No. 19 Tennessee and Columbia. The varsity eight win ends Princeton's regular season with a 13-0 record and a 7-0 mark against the Ivy League.
Princeton looked dominant in its varsity eight win, completing the 2000-meter course in 6:51.1 for a winning edge of more than 12 seconds. Virginia took second in 7:03.4, while Columbia placed third in 7:05.4. The trio of wins extends Princeton's regular-season win streak to 27, including every race over the last two seasons.
The Princeton second varsity, which will play a key role when the Tigers compete for their first NCAA championship in four weeks, also completed a perfect regular season. They had a far closer competition, though, as Princeton's winning time of 7:06.0 was only three seconds faster than Virginia. Both boats cleared the field, as third-place Columbia didn't finish until 7:35.
Virginia picked up its lone win among the NCAA Championship format races in the varsity four with a winning time of 8:01.5, while the Tigers took second in 8:12.5. The Tigers topped Tennessee by 4.5 seconds in the V4A.
The Princeton third varsity won its race in 7:17.6, 10 seconds faster than second-place Virginia, while the Tigers' second varsity four placed fourth in 8:34.7.
While head coach Lori Dauphiny and her staff can be pleased with the perfect regular season, they all know that won't mean anything when the best boats in the East line up May 15 on Cooper River for the EAWRC Championships. The Tigers were undefeated last season, but they lost a thrilling battle with Yale in the grand final for both the Eastern and Ivy League title. Dauphiny knows that the likes of Yale and Brown will be among the many challengers looking to knock off Princeton in two weeks for the Eastern title.
Varsity Eight
Princeton • 6:51.1
Virginia • 7:03.4
Columbia • 7:05.4
Tennessee • 7:08.1
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton • 7:06.0
Virginia • 7:09.0
Tennessee • 7:35.0
Columbia • 7:42.5
Varsity Four
Virginia • 8:01.5
Princeton • 8:12.5
Tennessee • 8:17.0
Columbia • 8:29.7
Third Varsity Eight
Princeton • 7:17.6
Virginia • 7:27.6
Columbia • 8:06.8
Second Varsity Four
Virginia 'A' • 8:00.6
Virginia 'B' • 8:06.3
Tennessee • 8:11.4
Columbia • 8:26.1
Princeton • 8:34.7