Princeton University
Class of 1984 Plaque: Dartmouth, Penn and Bucknell
Players Mentioned
Open Women Run Win Streak To Eight, Retain Class Of 1984 Plaque
April 23, 2016 | Women's Rowing - Open
Before sophomores Erica Swartwout and Melissa Curtis were teammates in Orange and Black, they were teammates in Red, White and Blue. The duo raced together in the 2014 Junior World Championships, an early bond that has helped solidify the success of one particular Princeton boat this season.
"Melissa and I have known each other for a long time, and it is unquestionable that rowing with her as a pair partner at Junior Worlds bonded us in a strong way," said Swartwout after the duo helped the Princeton 2V retain the Class of 1984 Plaque Saturday morning on Lake Carnegie. "However, coming to Princeton and being able to go down the 2k course with her again and again has definitely strengthened our friendship. She is someone I consider to be a lifelong friend and so I could not be more excited to compete in a boat with her."
Swartwout and Curtis were part of a strong team effort for the Tigers Saturday morning. The ninth-ranked Princeton open first varsity ran its win streak to eight, while the team won all three NCAA-format races to retain the Class of 1984 Plaque during a strong morning of rowing on Lake Carnegie.
The varsity eight, coming off its big win over fifth-ranked Yale the previous weekend, got a good challenge from a game Penn boat, but the Tigers had more than enough to improve to 8-2 on the season, 6-1 against its Ivy League rivals. Princeton finished the race in 6:44.5, nearly seven full seconds faster than Penn.
The Class of 1984 Plaque is the lone event that mirrors the NCAA Championships, where the event is scored by the varsity eight, the second varsity eight and the varsity four. Both of those boats handled their parts of the race, though Penn put up another good battle in the second eight. The Tigers pushed away to win in 7:02.4, just under five seconds faster than Penn.
"Penn is strong competition, so being able to take and hold the lead was certainly motivating," Swartwout said. "They are no doubt one of the gutsiest crews in the league, putting up a good fight today, so we definitely have to keep them on our radar heading into Ivy Champs.
"Competing for and winning the 1984 plague as entire NCAA squad is a honor in and of itself," she added. "Most of the cups we compete for are dedicated to one particular boat race, so having a plague that the 1v, 2v, and A4 all compete for is truly special and really brings our team together. It reminds us that we all share the same goal — getting Princeton's colors across the finish line as fast as possible — and gives us additional motivation as we progress through the regular season and look towards Ivy Champs and NCAA's."
The varsity four had a bit more comfort in its victory. The Tigers took their race by more than 12 seconds over Dartmouth.
The third varsity, coming off a win over its own over Yale, won a thriller over Bucknell by only .6 of a second, while the B4 topped Penn by more than 13 seconds. Penn claimed its win in the C4 race.
Princeton is now finished with the Ivy League portion of its regular season, but it will host Duke, which fell just outside the Top 20 in the latest national poll, next weekend during Senior Day at Lake Carnegie.
Varsity Eight
Princeton 6:44.5
Pennsylvania 6:51.3
Dartmouth 7:13.8
Bucknell 7:17.0
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton 7:02.4
Pennsylvania 7:07.2
Dartmouth 7:26.9
Bucknell 7:40.0
Varsity Four
Princeton 7:49.7
Dartmouth 8:02.1
Pennsylvania 8:09.5
Bucknell 8:12.9
B4
Princeton 7:50.8
Pennsylvania 8:04.5
Bucknell 8:09.8
Dartmouth 8:17.4
Third Varsity Eight
Princeton 7:27.1
Bucknell 7:27.6
Dartmouth 7:55.9
C4
Pennsylvania 8:45.2
Bucknell C 9:02.7
Bucknell D 9:25.0
Princeton 9:42.5