Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Lightweights Look To Put It All Together At Unpredictable IRAs
May 31, 2017 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
KEY LINKS
LIVE STREAM: Friday morning l Friday afternoon l Saturday l Sunday
IRA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Live Results l Full Schedule & Lane Assignments l Princeton's History at the IRAs
(Below the preview are all the pertinent race times for all Princeton men's lightweight boats for the weekend, including the lane assignments for the opening heat.)
The men's lightweights have made a steady progression at the IRA Championships over the past four years — from sixth in 2013 to third last year — but they know that taking the next step will require its best race of the year.
The good news for this boat is that it knows that race is still out there, and that it can learn lessons from a Sprints race that didn't go as hoped.
Princeton, which took fifth at the 2017 Eastern Sprints on May 14, will join seven other crews this weekend on Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif., for the IRA Championships. One year after earning its first IRA 1V medal since 2010, the Tigers would love nothing more than to get back to the medal dock and erase the bad taste from Lake Quinsigamond.
"Sprints was definitely an unfortunate wake up call, but it was good to see us give a full-fledged effort," sophomore Danny Hogan said. "We tried to win that race, but when we lost traction we also lost connection with the other crews. We had to learn how to not show our cards early and maintain our composure until we had to increase speed."
The Princeton lightweights experienced their share of ups and downs during the 2017 season, and they weren't just determined by the final result. For example, one of the Tigers' best performances of the season came in the Platt Cup loss to #1 Cornell, when Princeton led for much of the race before falling to the eventual Sprints champion by less than two seconds.
There have been strong moments — a fast start at Sprints, a convincing win over Columbia, a strong finish at Penn — that collectively show Princeton what is possible. Thus, the last three weeks have been about putting the pieces together and trying to complete the puzzle of the perfect 2,000 meters.
"We have had to have a good focus over the entire course of IRA training," Hogan said. "I thought we did a good job of maintaining progress even with the constantly changing schedules due to exams. We changed some things around and tried some different line ups that inspired a new focus to ensure every row improved."
Few could recognize the improvements as well as sophomore coxswain Ryan Born, who has guided the 1V for much of the season.
"I can say that the guys have all been throwing down their absolute best," he said. "There's been a strong commitment to the boat and the shell as one unit, building out of Eastern Sprints, and running with it. The boat wants to go fast."
It will need to, starting Thursday morning. The men's lightweights now have their opening heats during the first day of the IRA Championships, and then a full day off to prepare for Saturday's grand final. The Tigers will race at 12:10 pm ET (9:10 local) out of Lane 2 against Cornell, Columbia and Georgetown, and they will need a top-three finish to advance to Sunday's final (3:05 pm ET/12:05 pm local).
Princeton was 0-2 against Cornell, 1-1 against Columbia, and 2-0 against Georgetown during the season.
Historically, the men's lightweight IRA final has been one of the most unpredictable races; that was certainly true last year, when Columbia shocked an unbeaten Yale boat to win the national title. That fact can serve as inspiration for a Princeton boat that hasn't been beaten by more than five seconds in any race this season.
"While it makes racing more nerve-racking, the closeness and competitiveness of racing this year keeps the door open for a win or medal to any team that can earn a spot in the final," Hogan said. "So, yes, I am confident in our crew that if we apply ourselves in the way we have trained, we can find ourselves in position to win."
"I think the strength of the field really came out at Sprints, and that no team can take anything for granted in California," Born added. "IRAs have the potential to be anyone's boat race."
Princeton will also send a four and a four without coxswain to IRAs. Both boats medaled last year, and the 4- has won both silver (2016) and gold (2015) over the last two championship weekends.
V8
Friday Heat: 12:10 pm ET (9:10)
(2) Princeton, (3) Cornell, (4) Columbia, (5) Georgetown
Sunday grand/petite finals: 3:05/1:40 ET (12:05/10:40)
V4-
Friday Heat: 3:00 pm ET (12:00)
(1) Georgetown, (2) Cornell, (3) Princeton, (4) Dartmouth, (5) MIT
Sunday grand/petite finals: 11:20/11:10 ET (8:20/8:10)
V4+
Friday Heat: 2:40 pm ET (11:40)
(1) Columbia, (2) Cornell, (3) Harvard, (4) Colgate, (5) Princeton
Sunday grand/petite finals: 12:10/12:00 ET (9:10/9:00)
LIVE STREAM: Friday morning l Friday afternoon l Saturday l Sunday
IRA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Live Results l Full Schedule & Lane Assignments l Princeton's History at the IRAs
(Below the preview are all the pertinent race times for all Princeton men's lightweight boats for the weekend, including the lane assignments for the opening heat.)
The men's lightweights have made a steady progression at the IRA Championships over the past four years — from sixth in 2013 to third last year — but they know that taking the next step will require its best race of the year.
The good news for this boat is that it knows that race is still out there, and that it can learn lessons from a Sprints race that didn't go as hoped.
Princeton, which took fifth at the 2017 Eastern Sprints on May 14, will join seven other crews this weekend on Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif., for the IRA Championships. One year after earning its first IRA 1V medal since 2010, the Tigers would love nothing more than to get back to the medal dock and erase the bad taste from Lake Quinsigamond.
"Sprints was definitely an unfortunate wake up call, but it was good to see us give a full-fledged effort," sophomore Danny Hogan said. "We tried to win that race, but when we lost traction we also lost connection with the other crews. We had to learn how to not show our cards early and maintain our composure until we had to increase speed."
The Princeton lightweights experienced their share of ups and downs during the 2017 season, and they weren't just determined by the final result. For example, one of the Tigers' best performances of the season came in the Platt Cup loss to #1 Cornell, when Princeton led for much of the race before falling to the eventual Sprints champion by less than two seconds.
There have been strong moments — a fast start at Sprints, a convincing win over Columbia, a strong finish at Penn — that collectively show Princeton what is possible. Thus, the last three weeks have been about putting the pieces together and trying to complete the puzzle of the perfect 2,000 meters.
"We have had to have a good focus over the entire course of IRA training," Hogan said. "I thought we did a good job of maintaining progress even with the constantly changing schedules due to exams. We changed some things around and tried some different line ups that inspired a new focus to ensure every row improved."
Few could recognize the improvements as well as sophomore coxswain Ryan Born, who has guided the 1V for much of the season.
"I can say that the guys have all been throwing down their absolute best," he said. "There's been a strong commitment to the boat and the shell as one unit, building out of Eastern Sprints, and running with it. The boat wants to go fast."
It will need to, starting Thursday morning. The men's lightweights now have their opening heats during the first day of the IRA Championships, and then a full day off to prepare for Saturday's grand final. The Tigers will race at 12:10 pm ET (9:10 local) out of Lane 2 against Cornell, Columbia and Georgetown, and they will need a top-three finish to advance to Sunday's final (3:05 pm ET/12:05 pm local).
Princeton was 0-2 against Cornell, 1-1 against Columbia, and 2-0 against Georgetown during the season.
Historically, the men's lightweight IRA final has been one of the most unpredictable races; that was certainly true last year, when Columbia shocked an unbeaten Yale boat to win the national title. That fact can serve as inspiration for a Princeton boat that hasn't been beaten by more than five seconds in any race this season.
"While it makes racing more nerve-racking, the closeness and competitiveness of racing this year keeps the door open for a win or medal to any team that can earn a spot in the final," Hogan said. "So, yes, I am confident in our crew that if we apply ourselves in the way we have trained, we can find ourselves in position to win."
"I think the strength of the field really came out at Sprints, and that no team can take anything for granted in California," Born added. "IRAs have the potential to be anyone's boat race."
Princeton will also send a four and a four without coxswain to IRAs. Both boats medaled last year, and the 4- has won both silver (2016) and gold (2015) over the last two championship weekends.
V8
Friday Heat: 12:10 pm ET (9:10)
(2) Princeton, (3) Cornell, (4) Columbia, (5) Georgetown
Sunday grand/petite finals: 3:05/1:40 ET (12:05/10:40)
V4-
Friday Heat: 3:00 pm ET (12:00)
(1) Georgetown, (2) Cornell, (3) Princeton, (4) Dartmouth, (5) MIT
Sunday grand/petite finals: 11:20/11:10 ET (8:20/8:10)
V4+
Friday Heat: 2:40 pm ET (11:40)
(1) Columbia, (2) Cornell, (3) Harvard, (4) Colgate, (5) Princeton
Sunday grand/petite finals: 12:10/12:00 ET (9:10/9:00)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rowing - Lightweight
/ Men's Rowing - Lightweight
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