Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Eastern Sprints
Heavies Repeat As Rowe Cup Champs, But Top-Seeded Yale Claims Ivy Crown
May 16, 2016 | Heavyweight Rowing
In a couple of cases, there just happened to be one faster boat.
For the first time this century, the Tiger heavyweights won the Rowe Cup team points title in back-to-back years, and they finished no worse than second in any of the top four races. The Eastern Sprints and Ivy League varsity championship, however, stayed with top-ranked Yale, which remained undefeated with an impressive effort in the evening final on Lake Quinsigamond.
The Bulldogs took control of the race from the start, grabbing seats early against a Princeton crew that did all it could to stay in contact. With fast conditions, the Tigers mounted challenge after challenge, but the Bulldogs had answer after answer.
"That was an impressive piece Yale rowed for sure," Hughes said. "I think we've gained a lot of speed and had a great piece. Yale was fast; they were very impressive.
"I think the guys were happy with their piece," he added. "They had their best piece of the season, and you can't really ask for more. People like to win, that's human nature, so there is disappointment. But that's why we do it. It's not easy. We go out there because it's a challenge, and sometimes you don't win."
The Tigers did win silver, marking their best Sprints finish since 2011, by fending off a hard charge by Brown in the final 500 meters. The Bears pushed past Harvard, but the Tigers held them off by about .8 of a second for the runner-up finish.
That win also clinched the Rowe Cup, which came down to a two-team race between Princeton and Harvard — Yale fell out of contention by missing the 3V grand final. Between 2000 and 2014, the Tigers had only won the Rowe Cup twice (2001, 2005); they have now won each of the last two.
"As a team, one of biggest goals has been building a strong team," Hughes said. "In order to have an opportunity to be successful at any level, you need a team around you that pushes you, challenges you. I think that's how we started to find success, and it also makes it a lot of fun. It's fun to be around a group where the goals are bigger than yourself."
The 2V had one of the most thrilling races of the day, as it went back and forth with top-seeded Harvard over the second half of the race. The Crimson ultimately came away with the win by less than .3 of a second, but both boats held open water on the rest of the field.
The 3V flipped that result in the favor of a still-undefeated Tiger crew. Princeton defended its Kenneth F. Burns Trophy win in 2015 by topping the Crimson by 1.1 seconds in an exciting final, while the 4V beat Harvard by about 2.5 seconds.
Princeton was the only crew to medal in each of the top four finals; the 5V took sixth in its final.
The Tigers will now take three weeks to prepare for the 2016 IRA Championships, which will take place June 3-5 at nearby Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. Princeton won bronze in the grand final last year and was the top Eastern program in the 2015 national championships.
VARSITY EIGHT
1 – Yale 5:37.494
2 – Princeton 5:39.838
3 – Brown 5:40.643
4 – Harvard 5:42.530
5 – Cornell 5:43.723
6 – Boston University 5:47.411
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
1 – Harvard 5:48.686
2 – Princeton 5:48.939
3 – Boston University 5:53.015
4 – Brown 5:53.387
5 – Yale 5:55.678
6 – Wisconsin 6:00.774
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
1 – Princeton 5:53.520
2 – Harvard 5:54.622
3 – Brown 5:56.580
4 – Cornell 5:56.813
5 – Boston University 6:02.246
6 – Wisconsin 6:03.200
FOURTH VARSITY EIGHT
1 – Princeton 5:59.877
2 – Harvard 6:02.382
3 – Cornell 6:04.132
4 – Boston University 6:08.162
5 – Brown 6:10.712
6 - George Washington 6:12.925
FIFTH VARSITY EIGHT
1 – Navy 6:00.479
2 – Wisconsin 6:01.242
3 – Boston University 6:06.292
4 – Cornell 6:07.491
5 – Harvard 6:12.306
6 – Princeton 6:16.983