Princeton University
IRA National Championships
Players Mentioned
Prideful, Gutsy Race Nearly Lands Women's Lights On Medal Dock At IRAs
May 31, 2015 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
As his varsity eight crossed the finish line, Princeton women's lightweight head coach Paul Rassam had a pride in his group that didn't need to be colored gold, silver or bronze. He would have loved it for his rowers, of course, but he knew their performance spoke volumes about themselves and their program.
Princeton took to the starting line about to row its 6000th meter in the last 25 hours, and its main contenders had the advantage of only racing once the prior day. Regardless, the Tigers threw a major scare into the field before finally being unable to summon a final push in the final 500 meters.
"It was definitely a tough position racing twice, but we did exactly what we wanted to do in this race," senior co-captain Becky Kreutter said. "It may not have ended in the hardware we wanted, but we brought the collection that we had in the second piece yesterday and the heart that we had in the first piece."
"I told them after the race that I'm not sure I have ever been more proud of a team," Rassam said after Princeton finished fourth in its final, about 2.5 seconds off the medal stand. "I don't think we have ever recovered from the reps that well. What they did today was physically and mentally really tough. The way they recovered was a really proud moment for our program.
"They stuck their nose in it for that first 1,000, and then they tried to hang on against crews that were physically fresher than them," he added. It was super gutsy and showed tons of character."
For a coach who prides himself on physical fitness, it was an especially impressive performance because of the push Princeton made early. While Stanford was able to get out earlier than the field on its way to regaining the national title, the Tigers were right there with both Radcliffe and Boston University, neither of which had to race in the Saturday rep.
It wasn't until the 1500-meter mark when both boats were finally able to put some room between them and the Tigers, but the show of will from the Orange and Black should have lasting implications for a team that had seven underclassmen in its top boat.
"I'm so excited," Kreutter said about the future of the program. "For senior Julia Wendt and myself, this is our fourth IRAs, and we feel like we're leaving the program in such a stronger position. We're going to be back here next year cheering them on, and I know they're just going to go on from here. It's such a strong program.”
Both Kreutter and Wendt came in the year after Princeton won the 2011 Sprints and then missed gold by inches at IRAs. That team was senior-laden, and the duo needed to lead a rebuilding process. Job well done.
"They have helped build the team dynamic," Rassam said. "They have been the ones pushing the team culture away from the boathouse, and they have helped regain the belief that we can compete with these top teams. They've been instrumental. The two of them, at times, have almost had to carry the team on their backs. Now we have these seven freshmen and sophomores who have learned so much from them. We're getting so close to that upper echelon, and we wouldn't be in this position heading into next year without them."
Princeton did leave with bronze medals from the fours, as the Tigers took third in 7:25.094. Stanford was in control and won by about four seconds, but four other boats were locked in a tight showdown for the two other medal. Wisconsin took silver by less than a second over Princeton, while the Tigers held off both Boston University and Radcliffe for the final spot on the medal dock.
"I am extremely proud of these five women," said assistant coach Hank Zimmerman. "They have come an extremely long way and both physically and mentally and they should be proud of their accomplishment. It was by far the most complete race any of them had ever had."
Princeton also had a double that finished second in its grand final Saturday.
LIGHTWEIGHT EIGHT GRAND FINAL
1 Stanford 6:32.236
2 Radcliffe 6:35.133
3 Boston University 6:36.018
4 Princeton 6:38.537
5 Wisconsin 6:44.110
6 Georgetown 6:59.269
LIGHTWEIGHT FOUR GRAND FINAL
1 Stanford 7:20.404
2 Wisconsin 7:24.225
3 Princeton 7:25.094
4 Boston University 7:25.582
5 Radcliffe 7:26.722
6 MIT 7:54.063
LIGHTWEIGHT DOUBLE GRAND FINAL
1 Wisconsin 7:38.115
2 Stanford 7:42.455
3 Boston Univ. 7:50.758
4 Harvard 7:54.337
5 Oklahoma City 7:58.180
6 Princeton 7:59.522
7 MIT 8:29.398