Princeton University Athletics
Second-Seeded Heavies Focused On Small Details In Pursuit Of Sprints Gold
May 13, 2016 | Heavyweight Rowing
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(Racing schedule and lane assignments can be found at the bottom of this release.)
If you think Greg Hughes and his veteran-laden heavyweight squad have their minds set on Sunday's 5:30 Eastern Sprints grand final, you've missed the whole point of their journey to this weekend.
“There are heats first, and you need to be ready for those,” Hughes said. “We will be. Job No. 1 is making the A final. That's what we have our sights on. I think, for this year's Sprints, 10-11 crews will be in the mix.”
Details. Small steps. One goal before another. It's all what has led Princeton to this point, where it is ready to challenge the top-ranked boat in the nation during a potentially explosive Sprints Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond.
The Tiger heavyweights went 8-1 on the season and are currently ranked fourth nationally. Their lone loss came to top-ranked Yale, a two-second defeat on the Housatonic River that will leave the Tigers as the No. 2 seed for the weekend.
That race will be more than three full weeks before Sprints; there are some things you can take from the race, but both teams know that the whole field will have made gains since April.
“When you're racing somebody a month later, teams and boats make some good and significant changes,” Hughes said. “We're in the mix. I've always felt like we're in the mix. We have a good feel for where we are, and we're checking our speed and rehearsing some things. We'll be ready for Sunday.”
While Yale is the lone unbeaten in the league, it is far from Princeton's only competition. The Tigers defeated Harvard by less than two seconds on the Charles River, while their margin over Brown was just over four seconds. The only Ivy competitor in the varsity's 9:24 heat is Penn, while Boston University, Syracuse, George Washington, and Holy Cross will also be competing for one of those two spots in the evening final.
Should Princeton and Yale both make it at 5:30, the Tigers know they'll need to keep pace with the Bulldogs off the start, something they couldn't do on the Housatonic. While Hughes sees the start as a factor, he cautions against putting everything on it.
“They do start hard, and I think we do too,” he said. “Eights racing is like drag racing. You want to have a good start, but you can't overly be consumed by the start. It is 20 strokes of 240. The goal of the start is to be in the race. We're working on a lot of different elements.”
Princeton is the reigning Rowe Cup team points champion, and it will be a strong contender to defend that title Sunday. The 2V also went 8-1 on the season (its lone loss came at Harvard), and it will race from Lane 1 in the 10:24 heat. The JV boat is the reigning Sprints champ; its victory last year was the first for the 2V since 1999.
The 3V also won Sprints last season, and it went 8-0 this year to clinch the top seed for the weekend. That boat will race from Lane 1 at 8:40, while the also-unbeaten 4V (5-0) will race in an 8 am heat.
The 5V will race in a 1:12 grand final.
Heavyweight Men
1V • Heat #2 at 9:24 am (2 to final) • Grand Final at 5:30 pm
Heat (Lanes 1-6): Princeton, Boston University, Syracuse, Penn, George Washington, Holy Cross
2V • Heat #2 at 10:24 am (2 to final) • Grand Final at 4:15 pm
Heat (Lanes 1-6): Princeton, Boston University, Penn, Syracuse, George Washington, MIT
3V • Heat #1 at 8:40 am (2 to final) • Grand Final at 3:00 pm
Heat (Lanes 1-6): Princeton, Yale, Wisconsin, Penn, Georgetown
4V • Heat #1 at 8:00 am (3 to final) • Grand Final at 1:48 pm
Heat (Lanes 1-5): Princeton, Cornell, Harvard, Dartmouth, Wisconsin
5V • Grand Final at 1:12 pm
Heat (Lanes 1-6): Navy, Wisconsin, Princeton, Cornell, Boston University, Harvard, Navy 6V
Boat-By-Boat Results
Varsity Eight (8-1, 5-1 Ivy)
March 26: Princeton 6:05.0, Georgetown 6:26.0
April 2: Princeton 5:28.6, Navy 5:37.7
April 9: Princeton 5:56.3, Penn 6:06.9, Columbia 6:14.4
April 16: Princeton 5:41.8, Harvard 5:43.3, MIT 6:06.9
April 23: Yale 5:20.8, Princeton 5:22.9, Cornell 5:25.7
April 30: Princeton 5:48.4, Brown 5:52.7
Second Varsity Eight (8-1, 5-1 Ivy)
March 26: Princeton 6:18.0, Georgetown 6:43.0
April 2: Princeton 5:38.4, Navy 5:45.8
April 9: Princeton 6:03.3, Penn 6:06.5, Columbia 6:20.9
April 16: Harvard 5:44.7, Princeton 5:47.9, MIT 6:24.3
April 23: Princeton 5:25.8, Yale 5:28.2, Cornell 5:33.5
April 30: Princeton 5:56.3, Brown 6:00.8
Third Varsity Eight (8-0, 6-0 Ivy)
March 26: Princeton 6:17.0, Georgetown 6:54.0
April 2: Princeton 5:45.3, Navy 6:01.7
April 9: Princeton 6:11.2, Penn 6:25.2, Columbia 6:41.7
April 16: Princeton 5:50.8, Harvard 5:59.3
April 23: Princeton 5:30.6, Cornell 5:33.1, Yale 5:36.8
April 30: Princeton 6:02.0, Brown 6:06.8
Fourth Varsity Eight (5-0, 4-0 Ivy)
April 2: Princeton 5:55.7, Navy 6:00.5
April 16: Princeton 6:01.2, Harvard 6:03.1
April 23: Princeton 5:35.0, Yale 5:37.7, Cornell 5:42.9
April 30: Princeton 6:15.8, Brown 6:19.4
Fifth Varsity Eight (1-1, 1-0 Ivy)
April 2: Navy 6:18.8, Princeton 6:26.9
April 23: Princeton 5:54.2, Cornell 6:03.6