Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Day Three
Heavyweight Men Complete 2011 Season With Three Grand Finalists
June 04, 2011 | Heavyweight Rowing
Head coach Greg Hughes wanted his team to end the 2011 IRA national championships with each of his three boats racing for gold. While the Princeton varsity eight, second varsity eight and freshman eight each missed the medal stand, having all three in their respective grand finals showed the continued development of this tradition-rich program.
"I say that the IRA is on Thursday and Friday, and the national championship is on Saturday," second-year head coach Greg Hughes said. "You want to come and compete for a national championship. I know it's been a while since we've had a chance to do that at the varsity level. We had the chance today, and that was a thrill. I'm really proud of the guys for getting back to that position."
Princeton had not been in the grand final since 2007, but it made its return Saturday in perfect conditions at Cooper River. Washington was the dominant boat in the final, getting out early and winning in 5:30.62. Harvard edged California for second, while Princeton finished sixth in 5:38.50.
"That was just an awesome race, just straight across," Hughes said. "Obviously Washington just threw it out there, but there were five boats behind just duking it out. We were in the mix. I thought the guys had a gutsy race."
The Princeton second varsity completed a wild weekend with a fourth-place finish in its grand final. After needing a repechage just to reach the semifinals, Princeton qualified for the grand final through a tough Friday battle. If anybody figured the team would be spent, they miscalculated the reserve in the Tiger 2V. While Washington, Harvard and Wisconsin were the strongest trio, Princeton finished in 5:50.09 and held off both Cornell and California by less than one second.
"They had a great day," Hughes said. "That was a fantastic race for them. A great effort by them, and the freshman eight as well."
The freshman eight overcame a rocky start to move past Boston University and place fourth in its grand final in 5:41.71. California won in 5:36.13, more than two seconds faster than Washington.
Varsity Eight Grand Final
1 Washington 5:30.62
2 Harvard 5:33.30
3 California 5:33.41
4 Wisconsin 5:34.04
5 Brown 5:36.90
6 Princeton 5:38.50
Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
1 Washington 5:36.97
2 Harvard 5:38.53
3 Wisconsin 5:46.49
4 Princeton 5:50.09
5 Cornell 5:50.79
6 California 5:50.79
Freshman Eight Grand Final
1 California 5:36.13
2 Washington 5:38.36
3 Harvard 5:39.81
4 Princeton 5:41.71
5 Boston University 5:42.01
6 Brown 5:45.37