Princeton University Athletics
Lightweight Women Send 8+, 2x Into IRA National Finals
June 04, 2016 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
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The Princeton lightweight women will send two boats into IRA grand finals Sunday morning at Mercer Lake. The varsity eight and the double both took care of business in their respective repechages, and will race Sunday for gold.
The lightweight eight returns to the gold final thanks to a second-place finish in its rep. The Tigers opened Sunday in a tough morning heat against reigning champion Stanford and Wisconsin, and they finished in third, which sent them to the later rep.
There would be no extra chance after this one, and the Tigers made sure they took care of business. MIT ultimately won the race in 6:47.56, but the Tigers needed only a top-two finish to reach the final, and they finished comfortably ahead of Georgetown.
Princeton will race in Lane 6 at 7:16 am against (1) MIT, (2) Boston University, (3) Radcliffe, (4) Stanford, and (5) Wisconsin for the national championship. The Tigers' last IRA championship in the eight came in 2003, while their last medal of any kind came in 2011 (silver).
The double, which consists of a pair of novice scullers, also reached the final through the rep. Princeton (8:08.49) defeated Oklahoma by nearly 17 seconds, and it will race at 9:40 from Lane 6 against (1) Radcliffe, (2) Tulsa, (3) Wisconsin, (4) Boston University, and (5) Stanford.
The lightweight four will race in the 9:16 petite final after finishing fourth in its rep.