Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Knecht Cup
Players Mentioned
Women's Lights Make Strong Statement v. Loaded Field, Claim Knecht Silver
April 12, 2015 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
That statement was clear throughout the weekend: overlook this Princeton team at your own risk, especially the next time it shows up at Mercer Lake.
Princeton took on most of the top-ranked boats in the nation twice this weekend in the Knecht Cup regatta, and it established itself as one of the true contenders for championship gold. The fourth-ranked Tigers pushed reigning national champion Radcliffe throughout a thrilling 2,000 meters. Following multiple lead changes and a strong final push for both, Radcliffe held on to win the title in 6:49.14. Princeton was less than two seconds off the pace and earned silver in 6:50.69. That time topped third-ranked Boston University by about one second.
"We knew from the races we've had so far this season that we have strong base speed, so it was just about sharpening up different areas of our race plan to get ourselves ahead," sophomore Juliette Hackett said. "Moving from the heat to the final, we focused on being collected to boost our foundational speed, but also on taking seats with some strategically placed moves to strengthen the parts of our race that have been a bit weaker. We didn't let up on the accelerator from start to finish, allowing us to make the most of those moves and take seats back on the tight field."I felt our Sunday performance has been our best so far this season," Hackett added, "and I think we have definitively established ourselves as a force to be reckoned with in pursuit of the national championship, which is beyond exciting."
"That was a barn burner," head coach Paul Rassam said. "It was a great race. Coxswain Megan Mirabella called a great race out there and the athletes responded like a veteran crew despite having seven freshmen and sophomores in the boat."
The young talent handled the challenging moment in impressive fashion, and it will only add to their confidence when they return on June 1 to compete for the IRA national championship. There are still several races ahead for the Tigers, including the Eastern Sprints and the Class of 1999 Cup showdown with Radcliffe, but Princeton knows that the ultimate goal will be decided right back on Mercer Lake.
Rassam felt good about his full team performance. He put together a pair of fours from his second varsity boat, and both reached the grand final in the event. The top Tiger four claimed silver in 7:46.71, while the B boat finished the grand final in 8:01.39.
"[Assistant coach] Hank Zimmerman did a nice job of getting the fours ready to race in a short period of time and I look forward to seeing what we can produce in that category for IRAs," Rassam said.
Princeton also had a 'B' eight that took fifth in the petite final in 7:09.58, while a 'C' four finished its petite final in 8:20.13.
The Tigers will continue to challenge themselves next weekend, as they take on Radcliffe for the Class of 1999 Cup on the Charles River.
"The growth the boat has made over the short span of two weeks is very encouraging," Hackett said. "Being able to flip the result on BU and find ourselves on the favorable side of the tight margin is exciting because it means we are developing our ability to confidently execute in tight race situations.
"Moving forward, I think the key to our improvement is going to be holding ourselves to the standard we have set as a crew that challenges anyone we face," she added. "Through renewed focus on technical ability and mental toughness in all scenarios, I think we can not only challenge our competitors, but hopefully find ourselves a few seats ahead of them at the finish line."
V8 GRAND FINAL
1) Radcliffe 6:49.14
2) Princeton 6:50.69
3) Boston University A 6:51.59
4) Wisconsin 6:58.02
5) Boston University B 6:58.30
6) Villanova 7:02.58
V8 PETITE FINAL
1) Radcliffe B 6:59.46
2) Wisconsin C 7:03.09
3) Georgetown 7:04.67
4) Wisconsin B 7:06.15
5) Princeton B 7:09.58
6) MIT 7:10.81
V4 GRAND FINAL
1) Wisconsin A 7:41.02
2) Princeton A 7:46.71
3) Villanova 7:48.53
4) Wisconsin B 7:50.42
5) Boston University 7:55.22
6) Princeton B 8:01.39
V4 PETITE FINAL
1) Georgetown 7:47.12
2) MIT 7:56.71
3) Tulsa 8:06.64
4) Penn State 8:08.40
5) Rollins 8:12.93
6) Princeton C 8:20.13