Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Home Battle With Unbeaten Yale Highlights Annual H-Y-P Lightweight Regatta
April 29, 2016 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
LIVE VIDEO l DIRECTIONS TO FINISH LINE l GOLDTHWAIT/VOGEL CUP HISTORY
NATIONAL POLL l TIGERCAST with Christian Wawrzonek
One of the best rivalries in collegiate rowing will provide Princeton senior Christian Wawrzonek and his lightweight teammates the rarest of opportunities. Very few student-athletes can say they beat a top-ranked opponent one times in their four years.
Wawrzonek and Company will try to say they did it twice in three weeks.
Yes, the Goldthwait and Vogel Cups will be on the line this weekend in the 90th edition of the Harvard-Yale-Princeton regatta, which will be held Saturday morning on Lake Carnegie during Senior Day for the Tiger men.
Wawrzonek is the lone senior in a first varsity boat that has come away with two straight victories for the Goldthwait Cup, including one by just over a second against Yale last year. Princeton hasn't won three straight in this series since the mid-1990s, a testament to just how competitive this rivalry has been.
“It's something special,” Wawrzonek said. “I guarantee if you ask any team — rowing, golf, swimming, baseball, football — there is something special to lining up against Harvard or Yale. It's something different. It means a lot.”
Besides winning the Goldthwait Cup — Harvard leads the all-time series with 44 wins, followed by Princeton (26) and Yale (19) — Saturday's race will provide both knowledge and momentum for Eastern Sprints, which will take place two weeks later on Lake Quinsigamond.
Wawrzonek is a veteran. Even on Senior Day, even in his final home race, he understands that Saturday is a step on a greater journey.
“No matter how we do, win or lose, win by open water, lose by open water, we'll still have Sprints around the corner, and then IRAs after that,” he said. “Those are always the goals. I'll try to have the best race I can and keep my eyes on Sprints and IRAs.”
Princeton is coming into the weekend off five straight wins, though none was bigger than the Cornell victory two weeks ago. That ended an 18-race win streak for the Big Red, though Yale quickly followed with a win of its own over Cornell. The Bulldogs also own a win over Columbia, so they are chasing a perfect season, a tremendous feat in a league known for parity.
“I think that is one of the fundamental parts of this league, that no matter how many boats you have lined up, it's always going to be a competitive race,” Wawrzonek said. “I think the past two years has been the exception, rather than the rule, with Cornell being so dominant. It's pretty special to have an undefeated season, let alone two in a row, so I'm definitely impressed by that. I think this year is more of what I expect from this league.”
RACING SCHEDULE
Open Women vs. Duke (Session 1 • Official Racing)
8:00 • Varsity Four
8:15 • Second Varsity
8:30 • First Varsity
Heavyweight Men vs. Brown
9:00 • Fourth Varsity
9:20 • Third Varsity
9:40 • Second Varsity
10:00 • First Varsity - Content Cup
Lightweight Men vs. Harvard & Yale
10:15 • Fifth Varsity
10:30 • Fourth Varsity
10:45 • Third Varsity
11:00 • Second Varsity
11:15 • First Varsity - The Goldthwait & Vogel Cups
Open Women vs. Duke (Session 2 • Scrimmage)
11:30 • Varsity Four
11:45 • Second Varsity
12:00 • First Varsity