Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
The Navy-Princeton Rowing Cup: Navy
Players Mentioned
Fourth-Ranked Heavies Use Strong Start To Top #10 Midshipmen On Severn
April 02, 2016 | Heavyweight Rowing
The fourth-ranked Princeton heavyweights improved to 2-0 this season with an impressive performance Saturday morning on the Severn River. The Tigers won four of five races, and they retained the Navy-Princeton Rowing Cup by topping the Midshipmen by more than nine seconds in the first varsity showdown.
Princeton won each of the first four races during the morning, the first of four straight Saturdays on the road for the Tigers. This has historically been a very tight regatta for the Orange and Black, but the 1V was able to gain about a seat every 100 meters to start the race and grabbed control by the midway point.
"My teammates and I were happy with how the first 1K went," junior Trey Francis said. "When it comes to high-caliber racing against teams like Navy, it's very important to get clock-like rhythm and speed as quickly as possible. It's all to easy to get left behind off the start, especially in these dual races, and being able to see your opponent is an advantage.
"It wasn't a bad start against Navy, but it was certainly scrappy," he said. "And though early speed is good, it's important to have a rock solid base so a boat can keep ticking along when they get into the thick of the race."
The varsity eight won in 5:28.6, while #10 Navy took second in 5:37.7. It was a second straight win for the Tigers, who opened their season last weekend with a home win over Georgetown.
"Last week was a good result, but it's easier to perform at home," junior coxswain David McFall said. "This week we wanted to take the show on the road and get really jazzy with it. It will be important that we continue to develop, not unlike a photograph in a dark room."
The 2V stayed unbeaten with a win of more than seven seconds, while the 3V won by more than 16 seconds. The closest race of the morning came in the 4V, but Princeton finished in 5:55.7 to win by just under five seconds.
Princeton will head to Overpeck Lake next weekend to compete for the Childs Cup, the oldest trophy in collegiate rowing, against both Columbia and Penn. While the Tigers have their ultimate sights set on the postseason, they know how important these April showdown with historic rivals — like Navy — are in the overall process.
"Navy is always one of my favorite crews to race against," Francis said. "They're a group of really tough guys, and we all have enormous respect for them as rowers and as people. The near-sweep was certainly exciting for all of us. Huge improvements on all fronts.
"Getting that high-octane fuel in the engine was a great start to the season, especially as we make our way towards facing our rivals over the next month," he added. "Throughout the season, we plan to continue our boats' growth like E-coli on room temperature Canadian beef."
Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:28.6
Navy 5:37.7
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:38.4
Navy 5:45.8
Third Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:45.3
Navy 6:01.7
Fourth Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:55.7
Navy 6:00.5
Fifth Varsity Eight
Navy 6:18.8
Princeton 6:26.9
Navy 6V 6:55.3
LINEUPS
1V:
C. McFall
8. George
7. Francis
6. Mead
5. Barakso
4. Livingstone
3. Eble
2. Northrop
1. Konttinen
2V:
C. Barton
8. Morgan
7. Toch
6. Vystavel
5. D¹Agostino
4. DeGroot
3. Chance
2. Goldman
1. Benstead
3V:
C. Wylie
8. Naylor
7. Barker
6. Wambersie
5. Bernhard
4. Elsegood
3. Wiggins
2. Lord
1. Stein
4V:
C. Sola
8. Palmer
7. Johnson
6. Guyett
5. Watt
4. Lawton
3. Levine
2. Helmers
1. Evans
5V:
C. Noordin
8. Doyle
7. Ruscus
6. vaughn
5. Bao
4. Lindfield
3. Segal
2. Jiranek
1. Ughetta