#6 Princeton Retains Eisenberg Cup In Thriller At #8 Yale

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The sixth-ranked Princeton open varsity eight retained the Eisenberg Cup following a furious sprint finish with the eighth-ranked Yale Bulldogs in a race that concluded an extremely tight regatta on the Housatonic River. The morning — especially in the top three boats — provided an early look at just how exciting next month's Ivy League Championships could be.

Yale won four of the five races, including tight wins in the other two NCAA boats (2V, V4A). In fact, each of the top three races was decided by fewer than 2.5 seconds, and both the 1V and 2V were determined by less than two seconds.

The Bulldogs had their sights set on a perfect home morning and a return of the Eisenberg Cup as their varsity boat crossed the 1500-meter mark during ideal conditions on the Housatonic. Princeton had held a slim lead for much of the race, but a late Yale charge pulled the two boats into nearly even position heading into the final sprint.

"The final 300 meters were a 'do or die' moment for us," senior coxswain Amanda Rutherford said. "I think it would have been easy for us to let them take it at that point, but we held and made one last push. I think there is room for improvement at that point, but it got the job done."

It was an especially impressive finish following a challenging race on Yale's home course. Princeton took the race and moved to 7-0 on the season in 6:12.4, while Yale finished second in 6:13.6.

"The race was solid," Rutherford said. "We did what we needed to do to win, but there is always room for improvement. I think that it was a wake-up call to the speed out there and Yale is always a strong competitor. The Housatonic is a difficult course, as I myself messed up steering it my sophomore year, but it also makes for interesting racing as you cannot ever be complacent. We started up and charged out, but we knew there would come a point where Yale would take seats, and that point came in the last 1000. Nobody on either side was complacent."

That energy held true for both sides throughout the morning, as there was high-level racing from the start of the regatta. The Yale 2V held a slight lead over the Tiger 2V for most of its race, but Princeton never lost contact with the Bulldogs. The final Princeton push was fought off by Yale, which held about 5-6 seats as it crossed in 6:14.4, 1.6 seconds faster than Princeton.

The Yale V4A also held off a previously unbeaten Princeton boat, as the Bulldogs finished in 6:58.3, 2.3 seconds faster than the Tigers. Yale had slightly greater margins in both the 4VB and the 3V8 races.

For the top three boats, the morning provided crucial experience moving forward. While the Tigers still have two regular-season races remaining, they also know that both the Ivy League Championships and NCAA Championships are next month, and they now have the experience of a tight finish on a new course.

"This test was invaluable for our boat and the rest of our team," Rutherford said. "We know we are right there, with the best of the Ivy League and the best of the country."

Varsity Eight
Princeton 6:12.4
Yale 6:13.6

Second Varsity Eight
Yale 6:14.4
Princeton 6:16.0

Varsity Four
Yale 6:58.3
Princeton 7:00.6

Second Varsity Four
Yale 7:31.3
Princeton 7:38.0
Princeton (c) 8:11.0

Third Varsity Eight
Yale 6:34.0
Princeton 6:42.1

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Amanda Rutherford