Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Heavyweights Fall In Quarterfinal Trio To Cap Incredible Henley Week
July 03, 2015 | Heavyweight Rowing
VIDEO SERIES: BOAT NAMING l PREVIEW l DRAW ANNOUNCEMENT l
3V WINS OPENER (July 1) l 3V TOPS LIVERPOOL (July 2)
2V FALLS TO LEANDER (July 3) l 3V FALLS TO LYON (July 3)
1V FALLS TO WASHINGTON (July 3)
PRINCETON AT HENLEY: THE TRADITION l ALL-TIME TIGER ENTRIES
WATCH LIVE HENLEY RACING HERE
An incredible year for the Princeton heavyweight rowing team, which included the return of the Compton Cup (Harvard) and Rowe Cup (Sprints team title), as well as finishing as the top Eastern program at the IRA Championships, ended Friday during the quarterfinal round at the Royal Henley Regatta.
Though each of Princeton's top three boats were eliminated one round short of the semifinals, none went down without a terrific fight. Each margin of victory was either one length or shorter, including the Washington-Princeton showdown that was billed as the race of the day on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Princeton 1V, coming off a bronze medal at both the Sprints and IRA Championships, actually bolted off the line and grabbed a quick lead over the five-time reigning national champion Washington Huskies. The Tigers were able to move to about a half-length lead, but the experienced Huskies quickly started to move back on the Tigers (watch the full race here). Washington then steadily built a lead around the midway point and never let the hard-charging Tigers break that momentum.
The Princeton 2V, winners of both Sprints gold and IRA bronze, fell to the strong Leander Boat Club Friday morning in its opening race of the Ladies Plate Challenge. The video recap, with quotes from several members of the boat, is available above.
The 2V, which has won silver at back-to-back IRA Championships, kept contact with Leander throughout the race, but it was the strong start by its opponent that the Tigers could never overcome.
Freshman Julian Goldman got a full day of work Friday, as he stroked both Tiger boats in the Ladies Plate. Senior Tim Masters, the 2015 Tiger captain, suffered a late injury and was unable to compete in the first varsity race, so Goldman stroked his normal 2V race and then jumped into the top boat to take on Washington.
Similar to the 2V, the Princeton 3V could never make up an early deficit in its loss to the Université de Lyon of France during the Temple Cup. The 3V, gold medal winners at Sprints, had won its first two races handily, and it did everything it could to chase down Lyon through the Henley course. It gained seats back throughout the race, but it could never draw even and didn't have enough in the final sprint to overcome a talented French boat filled with national team competitors.