Top-Ranked Cornell Rallies Late To Claim Platt Cup Over Tiger Men's Lightweights

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The Princeton men's lightweight rowing team wanted to bring the Platt Cup home to Princeton. Instead, they'll bring the knowledge that they were right there with one of the top boats in the country on their own race course.

Princeton won three of five races Saturday morning on the Cayuga Inlet, including an impressive showing from the 2V, but the four-race win streak for the Tiger lightweight 1V was snapped in exciting fashion. Princeton led through the 1500-meter mark, but a late Big Red sprint was enough to make up the deficit and gave Cornell a win in 5:40.1. Fifth-ranked Princeton (4-2) finished less than two seconds later in 5:42.0.

"This was my eighth Platt Cup Regatta and the 2017 version was by far the most hotly contested, blow for blow, bloody knuckles racing I've seen top to bottom, 1V to 5V," head coach Marty Crotty said. "We got just the kind of Upstate New York hospitality we expected to get, minus the result in the 3V and 1V races.

"A swift tailwind in the Inlet today added even more excitement to the mix, as the crews were able to race at speeds we'll need to take home championships in May and June," he added. "Cornell is a very well-coached and deep team. To beat them, especially at their place, where they take great pride in their venue and their surroundings, you have to be at your best."

Cornell won its 17th Platt Cup overall, and its third straight on the Cayuga. Princeton had held the Cup after ending an 18-race win streak for the Big Red last season on Lake Carnegie.

"The 1V race was the race of the regatta," Crotty said. "After executing well in the first 1000, we pushed hard in the 3rd 500 and built our largest lead of the day — about 5 seats. Unfortunately we paid dearly for our early efforts and couldn't hold off Cornell's charge in the last 500. The guys know they lost a huge opportunity to beat one of our biggest rivals but can learn from this defeat. We'll have to keep building toward executing a full race if we hope to be successful against Penn, Georgetown, Harvard and Yale over the next two weekends."

The Tiger 2V moved to 5-1 on the second with a strong showing against Cornell; the Tigers took the race in 5:48.7, three seconds faster than the Big Red. Cornell took the 3V in 2.3 seconds, while Princeton won both the 4V (3.7 seconds) and 5V (1.7) races.

"I was thrilled about our 2V's performance," Crotty said. "They worked very hard this week to redeem themselves after a tough loss to Delaware. They executed their entire race plan to perfection and were rewarded with an open water victory over a game Cornell crew. The 5V and the 4V have also come a long way in recent weeks and their hard work showed in their result."

The Tigers will return to competition next weekend when they take on Penn and Georgetown in the Wood-Hammond Trophy regatta on Lake Carnegie.

Varsity Eight
Cornell 5:40.1
Princeton 5:42.0

Second Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:48.7
Cornell 5:51.7

Third Varsity Eight
Cornell 5:52.3
Princeton 5:54.6

Fourth Varsity Eight
Princeton 5:55.0
Cornell 5:58.7

Fifth Varsity Eight
Navy HWT NTT
Princeton +8.7
Cornell +10.4

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