Sunday, April 30
Worcester, Mass.
TBA
Princeton University
vs
Eastern Sprints
Gritty Late Push Sends Women's Lightweights Back To Sprints Medal Stand
April 30, 2017 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
An incredible late push sent the Princeton women's lightweight rowing team back to the medal stand at the Eastern Sprints, and it will send the Tigers towards the IRA Championships with a renewed belief it can challenge anybody in the country.
The Tigers trailed Radcliffe, Wisconsin and Boston University through 1,000 meters on Lake Quinsigamond during the 1V grand final, but they began their impressive rally during the third 500. They made a move on the reigning champion Terriers, getting past them over the final 500. At that point, Radcliffe had executed a move on Wisconsin and took control of the race, though the Crimson never really left the rest of the field. Radcliffe won in 6:43.4, which was only 4.2 seconds ahead of the Terriers in a tightly packed final four.
If Wisconsin had its sights on Radcliffe, it quickly realized it needed to fight off Princeton to hold on for silver. Over the final 10 strokes, it actually appeared like Princeton might move in front — and perhaps the Tigers did for a stroke or two — but the Badgers barely held on for the silver in 6:46.67, about .1 of a second ahead of a surging Tigers' boat.
"The exciting part is that have yet to have a really complete, perfect race," a proud head coach Paul Rassam said afterwards. "At the Knecht Cup we stormed out of the gates but then ran out of gas in the last quarter, and today we struggled a bit the first 750 but then brought it home very strongly. So we will get back to work on it. We have four weeks to try to make it perfect."
The 1V final was delayed by about two hours due to a lightning storm on Lake Quinsigamond; when racing resumed, the first boats on the water were the lightweight 2Vs. Princeton finished fourth in that final in 7:06. Wisconsin was able to get away from the field in the final, with Radcliffe taking second. Princeton tried to push back into Boston University, but it couldn't quite make up the deficit.
"I'm excited to see what we can do with our 2V as we will now focus on small boats with them going forward to the IRAs," Rassam added. "They have improved quite a bit as a group over the course of the season."
Rassam also sent out a 3V that placed third in its first major competition grand final.
"Our 3V was comprised entirely of novices, going up against boats full of experienced rowers," he said. "They have been a great addition to the program and coach Kate McCormick has really brought them along nicely and infused them with a love of the sport."
Varsity Eight
Radcliffe 6:43.42
Wisconsin 6:46.674
Princeton 6:46.779
Boston University 6:47.62
Georgetown 6:59.93
Second Varsity Eight
Wisconsin 6:53.56
Radcliffe 6:58.89
Boston University 7:03.29
Princeton 7:06.59
Third Varsity Eight
Radcliffe 7:05.6
Wisconsin 7:08.8
Princeton 7:31.8
The Tigers trailed Radcliffe, Wisconsin and Boston University through 1,000 meters on Lake Quinsigamond during the 1V grand final, but they began their impressive rally during the third 500. They made a move on the reigning champion Terriers, getting past them over the final 500. At that point, Radcliffe had executed a move on Wisconsin and took control of the race, though the Crimson never really left the rest of the field. Radcliffe won in 6:43.4, which was only 4.2 seconds ahead of the Terriers in a tightly packed final four.
If Wisconsin had its sights on Radcliffe, it quickly realized it needed to fight off Princeton to hold on for silver. Over the final 10 strokes, it actually appeared like Princeton might move in front — and perhaps the Tigers did for a stroke or two — but the Badgers barely held on for the silver in 6:46.67, about .1 of a second ahead of a surging Tigers' boat.
"The exciting part is that have yet to have a really complete, perfect race," a proud head coach Paul Rassam said afterwards. "At the Knecht Cup we stormed out of the gates but then ran out of gas in the last quarter, and today we struggled a bit the first 750 but then brought it home very strongly. So we will get back to work on it. We have four weeks to try to make it perfect."
The 1V final was delayed by about two hours due to a lightning storm on Lake Quinsigamond; when racing resumed, the first boats on the water were the lightweight 2Vs. Princeton finished fourth in that final in 7:06. Wisconsin was able to get away from the field in the final, with Radcliffe taking second. Princeton tried to push back into Boston University, but it couldn't quite make up the deficit.
"I'm excited to see what we can do with our 2V as we will now focus on small boats with them going forward to the IRAs," Rassam added. "They have improved quite a bit as a group over the course of the season."
Rassam also sent out a 3V that placed third in its first major competition grand final.
"Our 3V was comprised entirely of novices, going up against boats full of experienced rowers," he said. "They have been a great addition to the program and coach Kate McCormick has really brought them along nicely and infused them with a love of the sport."
Varsity Eight
Radcliffe 6:43.42
Wisconsin 6:46.674
Princeton 6:46.779
Boston University 6:47.62
Georgetown 6:59.93
Second Varsity Eight
Wisconsin 6:53.56
Radcliffe 6:58.89
Boston University 7:03.29
Princeton 7:06.59
Third Varsity Eight
Radcliffe 7:05.6
Wisconsin 7:08.8
Princeton 7:31.8
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