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Tigers Send Off Seniors With Ninth Straight Win, Perfect Carnegie Finish
April 30, 2016 | Women's Rowing - Open
The ninth-ranked Princeton open women ran their win streak to nine and honored the six members of the Class of 2016 Saturday morning with a victory over Duke on Lake Carnegie.
Princeton competed in all three NCAA Championships-format races against the 19th-ranked Blue Devils and came away with victories in each. The varsity eight, which hasn't lost since facing two Top-3 teams in its season opener, took its race in 6:47.5, more than 15 seconds ahead of Duke.
The second varsity had a tighter competition, but Princeton held off a feisty Duke boat to win its eighth race of the season by 2.8 seconds in a time of 6:55.5.
"I feel like we are really hitting our stride," said senior Annelies Paine, who has stroked the 2V most of the season. "We relished getting the opportunity to race twice in one day since that is what we will be doing at Ivies in a few weeks."
Princeton raced a pair of fours, and both picked up wins over the Blue Devil four. The A boat picked up its sixth win of the season by more than nine seconds in 7:51.6.
Princeton will now turn its attention to May 15 and the 2016 Ivy League Championships, which will be held May 15 at nearby Mercer Lake. The Tigers should enter as the 2 seed behind reigning Ivy champion Brown; the Bears are currently ranked second nationally.
"While we are certainly excited by our race today, we are already looking ahead towards the Ivy Championships," Paine said. "Our goal for the next two weeks is to capitalize on every practice since we know we will be facing tough racing at Ivies."
However, before the final preparations for Ivies took place, the open women took time to honor the six members of their senior class, which has helped the Tigers win two Ivy League championships (2013, 2014), as well as finish in the top six at both the 2013 NCAA Championships (third) and the 2014 NCAA Championships (sixth). The Class of 2016 includes Mary Ann McNulty, Annelies Paine, Erin Reelick, Brett Simpson, Meghan Wheeler, and Emily Wiebe.
"One of the benefits of a small senior class is that we are extremely close," Paine said. "I think all of the seniors would agree that the tight bond in our class has been one of the most meaningful parts of our Princeton Rowing experience. Our friendship extends off the water and I know we will continue to support each other even after graduation."
Varsity Eight
Princeton 6:47.5
Duke 7:03.3
Second Varsity Eight
Princeton 6:55.5
Duke 6:58.3
Princeton 3V 7:40.9
Varsity Four
Princeton A 7:51.6
Princeton B 7:56.8
Duke 8:00.7