Eisenberg Cup On The Line For Tigers In Home Showdown Of Three National Powers Saturday

LINKS: Live Video Stream l Eisenberg Cup History l National Poll l Class of 1975 Cup Highlights

Senior coxswain Kate Elfers has had a unique look at the fourth-ranked Princeton open season so far, and she has liked what she has seen. And that hasn't been just been about winning its first nice races of the season … though that has been nice too.

"After a strong season opener against Brown and Michigan, I've been impressed with the sense of urgency that we all still bring to each practice," said Elfers, who is in her first year as the 1V8 coxswain. "It is really exciting to be ranked fourth nationally, but it is important for us to recognize that there is much more speed to be found. I think we have done a good job identifying a specific goal before each piece and each race that we want to work on, and I think with each race piece we have improved at least one aspect. Now it is time to put all the pieces together."

It would be especially good timing to bring everything together this Saturday, as Princeton will host #6 Yale and #11 Iowa in the annual Eisenberg Cup regatta, a 9 am event that will be streamed live on the Ivy League Network. Similar to the season opener against Brown and Michigan, the Tigers will have an opportunity to face two national powers in what looks like very good conditions Saturday morning.

"The Eisenberg Cup is always a key race in our season," Elfers said. "We alternate having it at Yale's course and ours, and I'm really excited to be racing it on Carnegie in my senior year. Yale is always one of our fiercest competitors in the Ivy League. Last weekend, they raced some of the other Ivy League crews on Carnegie, but we did not get to race them directly. I know everyone compared our race times (with 10' centers, we had similar wind conditions), and our times were pretty similar.

"I think seeing them on our lake last weekend really got us hyped up for this race," she added. "They did not join us at the Chase Regatta, so the last time we raced them was at Head of the Charles last fall. I know we have made huge strides since then, so I'm pretty fired up to get to line up next to them this Saturday."

Princeton leads the all-time Eisenberg Cup series 32-11 and has won eight straight entering this weekend, but those numbers hardly tell the story of how close this rivalry has been recently. Over the last four years, the average margin of victory for Princeton has been only 2.2 seconds, and the Tigers won on the Housatonic last year by only 1.2 seconds.

While coxing her boat to a win Saturday is the immediate goal for Elfers, she has also kept long-term improvement on her radar as well. She has been the lone senior in the 1V8 so far this season, so she has tried to be a mentor and leader both on and off the water.

"I never expected to be the lone senior in the boat," she said. "I think people look to seniors and coxswains as natural leaders within our team, and I happen to be both of those things. However, this boat is special because each of us takes equal responsibility. As a senior, one thing I bring to the boat is having experience in many different racing scenarios and against many different crews, both in season and at NCAA. At the same time though, we are racing some new crews this season, such as inviting Iowa to our cup race with Yale and traveling to race Virginia next weekend. Every girl in the boat is making big changes to increase the boat speed, and I've made a concerted effort to ask each of them, from freshman to junior, what I can do better from my seat to help them take their best strokes and reach new limits.

"I've been impressed with the younger rowers' maturity to balance the academic demands from tough major requirements to independent work; as a second semester senior now done with my thesis, it is easy for me to commit extra hours to make gains in boat speed," Elfers added. "We have all four classes represented in the boat, so we are all in really different stages of our lives at Princeton. Nevertheless, everyone can leave schoolwork on the hill and be 150% on at practice. Freshman Hannah Scott has also brought a new perspective to the boat. I think it speaks a lot to the culture of the team and our boat that she is not afraid to speak up in boat meetings and contribute her thoughts– I think we all are gaining from a fresh voice in the mix."

OPEN WOMEN vs. YALE, IOWA 8:30 AM - A Four
8:50 AM - First Varsity - Eisenberg Cup
9:05 AM - Second Varsity
9:20 AM - Third Varsity - Black and Brown Cup
9:35 AM - B & C Four

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN vs. CORNELL
10:00 AM - Fourth, Fifth & Sixth Varsity
10:15 AM - Third Varsity
10:30 AM - Second Varsity
10:45 AM - First Varsity - Platt Cup

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