Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Class of 1999 Cup: Radcliffe
Players Mentioned
Women's Lights Upset Reigning Champ Harvard To Reclaim Class Of 1999 Cup
April 18, 2015 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
The Princeton women's lightweight rowing team made a big statement last weekend during the Knecht Cup regatta. The Tigers followed that up with an even bigger one Saturday morning, and they clearly announced themselves as major players in the championship race this season.
Third-ranked Princeton won its first Class of 1999 Cup since its 2011 Eastern Sprints championship season by one second over second-ranked Radcliffe, the reigning Sprints and IRA national champion. Even more impressively, the Tigers took it to the Crimson on the Charles River with a winning time of 6:31, while Radcliffe took second in 6:32.
"The race went really well, we were able to execute it exactly as we planned," senior co-captain Julia Wendt said. "Our starts have been strong throughout the season, and today was no exception. We pulled out in front of Radcliffe by about half a boat length with our start and maintained the lead for the entire race. We did a good job of remaining collected when Radcliffe made their moves and pushed back with effective moves of our own. In addition, our sprint at the end felt very synchronized and powerful which allowed us to inch up a few more seats at the end.
"This was a hard fought race by both boats and our win was due to a culmination of many things rather than any single point," Wendt added.
"It's been four years since we won this race," head coach Paul Rassam said. "To do it against the defending national champs feels incredible. I can't tell you how happy I am for our senior captains. They had never won this race until today. The boat executed a very nice piece. They led from the gun."
Wendt was thrilled to know that the Class of 1999 Cup would be at Princeton when she eventually trades her oar for a diploma.
"This is the first time since I've been at Princeton that we have taken home the Class of 1999 Cup, and the feeling is almost indescribable," Wendt said. "For me and my senior co-captain Rebecca Kreutter this win is a display of all the hard work and dedication we've put into the team over the last four years. Our team has both the speed and the right mental attitude to do extremely well during the rest of the season, as we take a stab at being the next national champions."
Last week, Princeton fell by one second to Radcliffe in the final of the Knecht Cup, but the Tigers defeated several other national contenders, including Boston University, Bucknell and Wisconsin. With the win this weekend, the only major contender that Princeton hasn't defeated is top-ranked Stanford; the Tigers lost to the Cardinal in the 2015 season opener at the San Diego Crew Classic, but they expect to get another opportunity June 1st in their own backyard (Mercer Lake) for the 2015 IRA grand final.
The Princeton 2V also had an opportunity to race and finished in 6:49, eight seconds behind the winning Radcliffe boat. There was also a 3V race that was very close through 500 meters, when Radcliffe caught an overhead crab that damaged the boat. Princeton finished the race after the referee didn't stop the boat, and then the pair lined up for a short race upstream, which the Crimson won.
Princeton will head to Georgetown next weekend to compete for the Class of 2006 Cup, the final tune-up before the Tigers turn their focus to Eastern Sprints.
"Last week we showed that we are just as fast as the other top ranked crews in the nation," Wendt said. "This gave us confidence that with an enormous effort it would be possible to beat a team that has dominated for so long. Our boat has a lot of young talent in it, and as a result has a good learning curve. Every day that we are on the water together we get better and faster."