Last fall’s rowing season for the Tigers culminated in the successful Princeton Chase invitational hosted on Lake Carnegie. There, among top competitors and fierce rivals such as Yale, Cornell, George Washington, Penn, and Boston University, the Princeton “A” men’s heavyweight 8 crew took first, avenging an earlier defeat at the Charles River, with the “B” squad following close behind at fifth place. The men’s varsity lightweight 8+ team, the defending champions from the Charles competition, placed a still-impressive second place on the Carnegie, finishing narrowly behind a strong Cornell team.
But the Tigers have never been a team to rest comfortably on their laurels. Though the spring season doesn’t formally begin until March, both heavyweight and lightweight varsity teams have been training hard for the start of their spring season. The past winter intercession, the team braved the wintry storms of Jonas and slews of canceled flights to head to Tampa for an annual training trip. Braving the waters of Carnegie in cold weather and “erging”, using a rowing machine, when the waters froze over became daily rituals for Princeton rowers.
Both heavyweight and lightweight crews are contenders for national titles. While the fall season consisted of various invitational meets, the spring season features dual meets against other top rowing squads, many of them Ivy League rivals, and national championship races. Freshman Alex Levine says that, “Our primary goal is to win Eastern Sprints and the IRA championships”. Last year, the heavyweight team placed well in both championship meets but fell just short of first place. In Eastern Sprints, they placed third behind Yale and Northeastern, while being just out-touched by California and Washington in the IRA championships. This year, the Tigers hope to take their level of success one level higher. Led by accomplished rowers like senior captain Martin Barakso, senior Patrick Eble, and juniors Nick Mead and Franco D’Agostino, the heavyweights hope to avenge their losses last year and claim the title for themselves.
The lightweight team similarly looks to build on their success from last season. The varsity lightweight 8 squad also had impressive finishes in both major championship meets, finishing third in Eastern Sprints behind Columbia and Cornell and fifth in the IRA championships against Yale, Columbia, Harvard, and Cornell. Having finished first and second in the two major invitational meets of the fall season, the lightweight crew seeks to replicate its fall success this spring. Pivotal players include seniors Isaiah Brown, James Goble, and Cameron Howie, who seek to bring the IRA title to Princeton this year.
The first meet for both heavyweight and lightweight teams will be against Georgetown at Carnegie Lake on March 26th. With their determination and fighting spirit, the Tigers look forward to another promising, successful season the water.
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