Sunday, May 14
Worcester, Mass.
TBA
Princeton University
vs
Eastern Sprints
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Heavyweights Seek Their Finest Performance At Most Opportune Time — Eastern Sprints
May 10, 2017 | Heavyweight Rowing
IMPORTANT LINKS: Live Video l Race Schedule l Princeton Sprints History
Rowers train for hundreds of hours each year to get the chance to row for about a full hour each spring, so every minute matters. They get limited chances to compete for historic trophies, so missing out on the Compton and Carnegie Cups hurt this season.
But make no mistake — all those hours, and those two losses, will be worth it if they help Princeton return to medal dock this Sunday as Eastern Sprints champion.
The Tigers, ranked fifth nationally, will enter Eastern Sprints this Sunday (Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, Mass.) as the third seed and will start their pursuit of the program's sixth Sprints/Ivy League title in a 9:36 heat. Should Princeton finish in the top two in that heat — Dartmouth, Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown and Holy Cross will have the same goals — the Tigers would return to their eighth straight Sprints grand final and race for their first gold since 2006 at 5:30 pm.
The full regatta, which will include the men's lightweight Sprints, will be streamed live on Local.Live.TV.
While the first goal is simply getting to that final, the Tigers have the grandest of expectations of themselves. Instead of being disheartened by back-to-back April losses to the top two seeds at Sprints, they built upon them.
"The Harvard and Yale weekends were obviously hard as a team, but I think they have provided us with some good focus leading into the Sprints," junior Tom George said. "It's an exciting time of year to be a rower, and we are looking forward to seeing how the changes we have made can help us as a team."
Those changes started to show in the regular season finale, when Princeton won a fourth straight Content Cup against Brown. That was a milestone for this senior class — no other group has graduated Princeton with four Content Cups — but it is the full roster who will be looking to be at its best this Sunday.
After all, it has been the full roster that has helped Princeton win the Rowe Cup team points title at each of the last two Sprints. While the Ivy League title will be determined solely by the 1V winner, claiming a Rowe Cup three-peat has been a season-long goal for the squad.
"The Rowe Cup has been an important part of what we train for over the last three years," George said. "It represents a team unity and willingness to work hard together. We are fortunate to have won the Rowe Cup the last two years, and with that comes a determination from others to knock us off that post. We will need to bring our absolute best to bring the Cup back to Carnegie. It is a huge motivation to know how hard fought it will be this year."
The 2V enters the weekend as the fourth seed, while the 3V and 4V will both be seeded third. The 5V (1:12) is in a finals-only competition, which will open the afternoon session of Sprints.
If the rest of the boats can keep Princeton close, the 1V would love nothing more than to complete the regatta with both an Ivy League and Rowe Cup crown. It would be a fitting ending for a boat that spans all class years. Four members of the boat, including George, have been in the V8 grand final, while three others will be experiencing their first collegiate Sprints.
The veterans in the boat aren't concerned about rookie jitters, though.
"Age is but a societal construct, and the three freshmen that we have in the boat are mature beyond their years," George said. "I have every faith that the three of them will remain an asset to our boat this weekend. The Sprints brings a new challenge to anything that we have faced in the regular season, and with these challenges comes a need to step up again. I believe that, as a boat, we can do that."
Varsity Eight
9:36 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Princeton, Dartmouth, Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown, Holy Cross
5:30 pm • Grand Final
Second Varsity Eight
10:36 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Boston Univ., Princeton, George Washington, Columbia, Georgetown, Holy Cross
4:15 pm • Grand Final
Third Varsity Eight
9:00 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Princeton, Boston Univ., Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown, Rutgers
3:00 pm • Grand Final
Fourth Varsity Eight
8:10 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) — Boston Univ., Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Syracuse
1:36 pm • Grand Final
Fifth Varsity Eight
1:12 pm • Grand Final — Navy, Brown, Harvard, Wisconsin, Princeton, Navy 6V
Rowers train for hundreds of hours each year to get the chance to row for about a full hour each spring, so every minute matters. They get limited chances to compete for historic trophies, so missing out on the Compton and Carnegie Cups hurt this season.
But make no mistake — all those hours, and those two losses, will be worth it if they help Princeton return to medal dock this Sunday as Eastern Sprints champion.
The Tigers, ranked fifth nationally, will enter Eastern Sprints this Sunday (Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, Mass.) as the third seed and will start their pursuit of the program's sixth Sprints/Ivy League title in a 9:36 heat. Should Princeton finish in the top two in that heat — Dartmouth, Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown and Holy Cross will have the same goals — the Tigers would return to their eighth straight Sprints grand final and race for their first gold since 2006 at 5:30 pm.
The full regatta, which will include the men's lightweight Sprints, will be streamed live on Local.Live.TV.
While the first goal is simply getting to that final, the Tigers have the grandest of expectations of themselves. Instead of being disheartened by back-to-back April losses to the top two seeds at Sprints, they built upon them.
"The Harvard and Yale weekends were obviously hard as a team, but I think they have provided us with some good focus leading into the Sprints," junior Tom George said. "It's an exciting time of year to be a rower, and we are looking forward to seeing how the changes we have made can help us as a team."
Those changes started to show in the regular season finale, when Princeton won a fourth straight Content Cup against Brown. That was a milestone for this senior class — no other group has graduated Princeton with four Content Cups — but it is the full roster who will be looking to be at its best this Sunday.
After all, it has been the full roster that has helped Princeton win the Rowe Cup team points title at each of the last two Sprints. While the Ivy League title will be determined solely by the 1V winner, claiming a Rowe Cup three-peat has been a season-long goal for the squad.
"The Rowe Cup has been an important part of what we train for over the last three years," George said. "It represents a team unity and willingness to work hard together. We are fortunate to have won the Rowe Cup the last two years, and with that comes a determination from others to knock us off that post. We will need to bring our absolute best to bring the Cup back to Carnegie. It is a huge motivation to know how hard fought it will be this year."
The 2V enters the weekend as the fourth seed, while the 3V and 4V will both be seeded third. The 5V (1:12) is in a finals-only competition, which will open the afternoon session of Sprints.
If the rest of the boats can keep Princeton close, the 1V would love nothing more than to complete the regatta with both an Ivy League and Rowe Cup crown. It would be a fitting ending for a boat that spans all class years. Four members of the boat, including George, have been in the V8 grand final, while three others will be experiencing their first collegiate Sprints.
The veterans in the boat aren't concerned about rookie jitters, though.
"Age is but a societal construct, and the three freshmen that we have in the boat are mature beyond their years," George said. "I have every faith that the three of them will remain an asset to our boat this weekend. The Sprints brings a new challenge to anything that we have faced in the regular season, and with these challenges comes a need to step up again. I believe that, as a boat, we can do that."
Varsity Eight
9:36 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Princeton, Dartmouth, Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown, Holy Cross
5:30 pm • Grand Final
Second Varsity Eight
10:36 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Boston Univ., Princeton, George Washington, Columbia, Georgetown, Holy Cross
4:15 pm • Grand Final
Third Varsity Eight
9:00 am • Heat 3 (2 to Final) – Princeton, Boston Univ., Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgetown, Rutgers
3:00 pm • Grand Final
Fourth Varsity Eight
8:10 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) — Boston Univ., Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Syracuse
1:36 pm • Grand Final
Fifth Varsity Eight
1:12 pm • Grand Final — Navy, Brown, Harvard, Wisconsin, Princeton, Navy 6V
Players Mentioned
/ Heavyweight Rowing
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