Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Eble, Mead Bring USA Earn Silver At Worlds To Complete Strong Week For Princeton Rowing
October 01, 2017 | Heavyweight Rowing, Women's Rowing - Open
As Princeton teammates, they made history by leading the Tiger heavyweights to medals at both Eastern Sprints and the IRA Championships. On Sunday, Pat Eble '16 and Nick Mead '17 made more history, only this time it was for Team USA.
Eble (stroke) and Mead (6) guided the USA M8+ to a silver medal finish during the final day of the 2017 Senior World Championships, held this week in Sarasota, Fla. The duo, who helped the Americans break out of a tight pack to win silver, were two of the seven Princeton rowers — including one undergraduate — who competed at the biggest international regatta of the year. Tom George, a senior on the heavyweights, was the lone collegiate rower to reach the grand finals, and he finished fifth as a member of the British pair.
A trio of Ivy League champions led Team USA to top-four finishes. Kelly Pierce '12 (3) and Meghan Wheeler '16 (bow) were part of the USA W8+, which rallied from a tough start to take fourth in its final. Pierce was a member of Princeton's 2011 NCAA championship V8, as well as the Ivy League champion boat that same year, while Wheeler was an All-American who won two Ivy League titles in the 1V8.
Erin Reelick '16, an All-American who was part of three Ivy League championship-winning Princeton boats, rowed in the 3 seat of the USA W4-, which was part of a tight Saturday final. The Americans rallied from fifth to get into the medal hunt, but they ultimately finished less than two seconds behind the medal winners and took fourth in their final.
Tim Masters '15 (4 seat) and the Australian M8+ finished second in the petite final.
The highlight of the weekend undoubtedly came in the M8+ final, where Eble and Mead helped the USA to its best finish in the event in 12 years (since the 2005 M8+ won gold). The German crew established itself as the class of the field during the opening strokes and were never passed. New Zealand sprinted early, leaving the USA and Italy battling for the critical third spot.
"It was a really fun race for me and all the guys," Eble said. "We've only had a short time together and we've been getting better every row. We came into the race knowing that we needed to have a complete effort and I think we delivered a great race on the day. This is the start of the Olympic cycle and a good start for the US Men's 8. It was kind of surreal out there on the race course. I yelled at the coxswain Julian to just go with 600 meters to go and we were able to deliver a great finish to the race."
That finish kept Italy behind it, and it was ultimately good enough to surpass New Zealand for the second position. The Americans actually cut into the German lead during the final sprint, and they held off a feisty Italian boat for the silver.
"We were happy to get the silver medal but not satisfied because we did not end up winning the race," Eble said. "This is a good performance for our boat and this silver medal is a nice platform to build on for this Olympic cycle. It is always fun being on the podium at the World Championships and it was even more special to be on the podium in front of the home crowd in Sarasota. The support from everyone was amazing."
Eble (stroke) and Mead (6) guided the USA M8+ to a silver medal finish during the final day of the 2017 Senior World Championships, held this week in Sarasota, Fla. The duo, who helped the Americans break out of a tight pack to win silver, were two of the seven Princeton rowers — including one undergraduate — who competed at the biggest international regatta of the year. Tom George, a senior on the heavyweights, was the lone collegiate rower to reach the grand finals, and he finished fifth as a member of the British pair.
A trio of Ivy League champions led Team USA to top-four finishes. Kelly Pierce '12 (3) and Meghan Wheeler '16 (bow) were part of the USA W8+, which rallied from a tough start to take fourth in its final. Pierce was a member of Princeton's 2011 NCAA championship V8, as well as the Ivy League champion boat that same year, while Wheeler was an All-American who won two Ivy League titles in the 1V8.
Erin Reelick '16, an All-American who was part of three Ivy League championship-winning Princeton boats, rowed in the 3 seat of the USA W4-, which was part of a tight Saturday final. The Americans rallied from fifth to get into the medal hunt, but they ultimately finished less than two seconds behind the medal winners and took fourth in their final.
Tim Masters '15 (4 seat) and the Australian M8+ finished second in the petite final.
The highlight of the weekend undoubtedly came in the M8+ final, where Eble and Mead helped the USA to its best finish in the event in 12 years (since the 2005 M8+ won gold). The German crew established itself as the class of the field during the opening strokes and were never passed. New Zealand sprinted early, leaving the USA and Italy battling for the critical third spot.
"It was a really fun race for me and all the guys," Eble said. "We've only had a short time together and we've been getting better every row. We came into the race knowing that we needed to have a complete effort and I think we delivered a great race on the day. This is the start of the Olympic cycle and a good start for the US Men's 8. It was kind of surreal out there on the race course. I yelled at the coxswain Julian to just go with 600 meters to go and we were able to deliver a great finish to the race."
That finish kept Italy behind it, and it was ultimately good enough to surpass New Zealand for the second position. The Americans actually cut into the German lead during the final sprint, and they held off a feisty Italian boat for the silver.
"We were happy to get the silver medal but not satisfied because we did not end up winning the race," Eble said. "This is a good performance for our boat and this silver medal is a nice platform to build on for this Olympic cycle. It is always fun being on the podium at the World Championships and it was even more special to be on the podium in front of the home crowd in Sarasota. The support from everyone was amazing."
Congrats to Pat Eble '16 & Nick Mead '17 on representing @TigerHeavies and winning silver for Team USA at Worlds. Eble got a shoutout too! pic.twitter.com/0ZI2VRW6qI
— Princeton Tigers (@PUTIGERS) October 1, 2017
Players Mentioned
/ Heavyweight Rowing
/ Heavyweight Rowing
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