Princeton University
Class of 1987 Trophy: Brown w/ Michigan
Players Mentioned
Eighth-Ranked Open Women Split Top-10 Showdown; #3 Brown Retains '87 Trophy
March 28, 2015 | Women's Rowing - Open
SEASON PREVIEW
The eighth-ranked Princeton open women split its season-opening races against a pair of Top 10 opponents during a gusty Saturday morning on Lake Carnegie. Third-ranked Brown retained the Class of 1987 Trophy, but the Tigers upset sixth-ranked Michigan by more than six seconds.
This is the second straight Class of 1987 Trophy for Brown, which followed a run of six straight victories for Princeton. However, there is very close precedent to believe that Princeton can reverse this decision when it matters most; less than two months after losing this race to Brown last season, the Tigers went wire-to-wire over the Bears to win their second straight Ivy League championship.
"Brown is a strong team and today was a tough loss," senior co-captain Faith Richardson said. "Every boat is different but I have no doubt that the boat and this team will improve. The lineup we put out today definitely has a lot of potential, everyone in the boat is a very aggressive racer and every time we get out on the water we improve. I think we are going to have to work hard to make up eight seconds but I also know that everyone in the boat will do everything they can to do it."
Brown won four of the five morning races, including each of the three NCAA Championship format ones (V8, 2V, V4). The varsity eight race, which featured a strong, gusty headwind, was won by Brown in 7:14.4. Princeton couldn't make up the ground to catch its Ivy rival, but it top sixth-ranked Michigan by open water.
After a brutal winter that left Lake Carnegie unusable for a significant period of time, Richardson understood that her team would face a challenging start. She liked the way Princeton competed, and she is very confident in her team's ability to continue gaining speed.
"The late start on the water was a not ideal, no doubt, and the conditions today were challenging but I think on the whole the team handled them well," she said. "The team has done nothing but work hard this year and I think there is a certain confidence that comes with that. No one is afraid of hard work and everyone knows if we want to win as a team, we are going to have to work hard for it and I think everyone is ready to get to work."
The Brown second varsity won in 7:10.4, which topped Princeton's second-place time of 7:18.2. The Tiger 2V did defeat Michigan by more than 11 seconds, though the varsity four finished third in its race (8:40.9).
Princeton earned a win from its third varsity, which finished in 7:29.2 to defeat Brown by 3.2 seconds.
The Tigers will continue their Ivy League season next Saturday morning when they head on the road to take on Columbia.
"The spring tests limits, you learn something new about yourself everyday," Richardson said. "You have to be willing to go hard and then as soon as you hit your max, you have to figure out a way to go even harder. There is nothing like spring racing and there is nothing like being a member of this team in the spring."
Varsity Eight
Brown 7:14.4
Princeton 7:22.3
Michigan 7:28.9
Second Varsity Eight
Brown 7:10.4
Princeton 7:18.2
Michigan 7:29.6
Varsity Four
Brown 8:26.0
Michigan 8:37.2
Princeton 8:40.9
Varsity B4/C4
Brown B 8:02.0
Princeton B 8:09.5
Michigan B 8:14.3
Princeton C 8:54.9
Third/Fourth Varsity
Princeton 7:29.2
Brown 3V 7:32.4
Princeton 4V 8:15.1