Sunday, May 14
Worcester, Mass.
TBA
Princeton University
vs
Eastern Sprints
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Lightweight Men Feel Ready To Rise Up From Loaded Sprints Field
May 12, 2017 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
IMPORTANT LINKS: Live Video l Race Schedule l Princeton Sprints History
Parity is nothing new in men's lightweight rowing, but even a veteran like Jim Sincavage agrees that there haven't been many years like this one.
"In my three years here, this is absolutely the most competitive top end of the Ivy field that I have experienced," the junior said. "This year, there are so many teams that have a chance to win it. Luckily, we have shown that we're one of those teams. It's exciting to have competitive racing all year long, and it has certainly kept us sharp."
The fourth-seeded Tigers will need to be at their sharpest this Sunday when they take Lake Quinsigamond for the 2017 Eastern Sprints. The Princeton V8 will race for a spot in the 4:45 pm grand final during the opening heat, which is scheduled for 9:48 am. The full regatta will be streamed live on LocalLiveTV.
Being the fourth seed may put you out of championship range in other years, but a quick look at the margins between Princeton and the rest of the field will show just how close racing has been this year. The Tigers lost to top-seeded Cornell on the Cayuga by 1.9 seconds, to second-seeded Harvard on the Charles by 4.3 seconds, and to third-seeded Yale (also on the Charles) by 2.4 seconds.
Even their win over fifth-seeded Penn was close; the Tigers retained the Wood-Hammond Cup on the Schuylkill River by 1.4 seconds.
The regular-season losses, while disappointing in the moment, have hardly broken this team. In fact, one loss in particular may have laid the foundation for a potentially exciting postseason.
"Anytime you line up against a different crew and don't get the better of them, it can be disappointing," Sincavage said. "Depending on where you are at in the season, and how you respond as a crew after a loss, it can absolutely be a blessing. That first race in particular (a loss to Navy), we had strong preparation before, but we learned a lot about ourselves, and how we need to compete. It helped motivate our training for weeks after."
Princeton defeated reigning national champion Columbia the following week, and two weeks after that nearly stunned Cornell. The Tigers' final race ended in a loss to both Harvard and Yale, but Sincavage felt like the team learned a big lesson from those 2,000 meters that will serve them well in Worcester.
"We had strong speed throughout the entire piece, and we kept it as consistent as we have all season, but we expected to be more in the thick of the racing coming out of the first 500," he said. "We want to make sure we are at the tip of the spear coming out of the first 500. In the crucial points in the race where we need to make moves, we have to make sure all eight guys and the coxswain are ready."
One of the biggest reasons this team should be ready for the competition this weekend comes from the training it does daily on Lake Carnegie. Head coach Marty Crotty has believed in the depth of his program for a few years, and the rowers are seeing the effects on their progress — and their togetherness.
"The group of guys we have in the varsity and the second varsity, we have all different class years, and I've been so impressed with how hard we have pushed each other," Sincavage said. "Week after week, attitudes are upbeat, and competition between us has been the fiercest it has been in my three years. The excitement and competitiveness has been really encouraging, but at the same time, the level of teamwork has been impressive as well."
Varsity Eight
9:48 am • Heat 1 (3 to Final) – Cornell, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgetown
4:45 pm • Grand Final
Second Varsity Eight
11:00 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) – Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, MIT
3:30 pm • Grand Final
Third Varsity Eight
8:30 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) – Princeton, Navy, Columbia, Penn
2:15 pm • Grand Final
Fourth Varsity Eight
1:24 pm • Grand Final - Harvard, Navy, Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth
Fifth/Sixth Varsity Eight
1:00 pm • Grand Final — Navy 5V, Harvard 5V, Princeton 5V, Cornell 5V, Navy 6V, Harvard 6V
Parity is nothing new in men's lightweight rowing, but even a veteran like Jim Sincavage agrees that there haven't been many years like this one.
"In my three years here, this is absolutely the most competitive top end of the Ivy field that I have experienced," the junior said. "This year, there are so many teams that have a chance to win it. Luckily, we have shown that we're one of those teams. It's exciting to have competitive racing all year long, and it has certainly kept us sharp."
| Hear more from Jim Sincavage on the latest edition of TigerCast. |
The fourth-seeded Tigers will need to be at their sharpest this Sunday when they take Lake Quinsigamond for the 2017 Eastern Sprints. The Princeton V8 will race for a spot in the 4:45 pm grand final during the opening heat, which is scheduled for 9:48 am. The full regatta will be streamed live on LocalLiveTV.
Being the fourth seed may put you out of championship range in other years, but a quick look at the margins between Princeton and the rest of the field will show just how close racing has been this year. The Tigers lost to top-seeded Cornell on the Cayuga by 1.9 seconds, to second-seeded Harvard on the Charles by 4.3 seconds, and to third-seeded Yale (also on the Charles) by 2.4 seconds.
Even their win over fifth-seeded Penn was close; the Tigers retained the Wood-Hammond Cup on the Schuylkill River by 1.4 seconds.
The regular-season losses, while disappointing in the moment, have hardly broken this team. In fact, one loss in particular may have laid the foundation for a potentially exciting postseason.
"Anytime you line up against a different crew and don't get the better of them, it can be disappointing," Sincavage said. "Depending on where you are at in the season, and how you respond as a crew after a loss, it can absolutely be a blessing. That first race in particular (a loss to Navy), we had strong preparation before, but we learned a lot about ourselves, and how we need to compete. It helped motivate our training for weeks after."
Princeton defeated reigning national champion Columbia the following week, and two weeks after that nearly stunned Cornell. The Tigers' final race ended in a loss to both Harvard and Yale, but Sincavage felt like the team learned a big lesson from those 2,000 meters that will serve them well in Worcester.
"We had strong speed throughout the entire piece, and we kept it as consistent as we have all season, but we expected to be more in the thick of the racing coming out of the first 500," he said. "We want to make sure we are at the tip of the spear coming out of the first 500. In the crucial points in the race where we need to make moves, we have to make sure all eight guys and the coxswain are ready."
One of the biggest reasons this team should be ready for the competition this weekend comes from the training it does daily on Lake Carnegie. Head coach Marty Crotty has believed in the depth of his program for a few years, and the rowers are seeing the effects on their progress — and their togetherness.
"The group of guys we have in the varsity and the second varsity, we have all different class years, and I've been so impressed with how hard we have pushed each other," Sincavage said. "Week after week, attitudes are upbeat, and competition between us has been the fiercest it has been in my three years. The excitement and competitiveness has been really encouraging, but at the same time, the level of teamwork has been impressive as well."
Varsity Eight
9:48 am • Heat 1 (3 to Final) – Cornell, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, Georgetown
4:45 pm • Grand Final
Second Varsity Eight
11:00 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) – Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, MIT
3:30 pm • Grand Final
Third Varsity Eight
8:30 am • Heat 2 (3 to Final) – Princeton, Navy, Columbia, Penn
2:15 pm • Grand Final
Fourth Varsity Eight
1:24 pm • Grand Final - Harvard, Navy, Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth
Fifth/Sixth Varsity Eight
1:00 pm • Grand Final — Navy 5V, Harvard 5V, Princeton 5V, Cornell 5V, Navy 6V, Harvard 6V
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