Eastern Sprints present uphill battle for men's crew teams

The season-long game of King of the Hill in men's heavyweight crew will reach a fever pitch Sunday at the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints at Lake Quinsigamond near Worcester, Mass.

Brown was ranked No. 1 in the EARC at the beginning of the year. Then they lost to Harvard on April 14, so the Crimson set up shop on the top. Then Princeton broke Harvard's crown the next week in the Compton Cup race, so the Tigers took the peak.

So then the three best teams had faced each other, and the order was set, right? Not so much. Just last week, Brown floored Princeton on Lake Carnegie, and the Bears were once again on top.

All this confusion just goes to show that no one has any idea who will come out on top this weekend at the all-important Easterns. Bears and Tigers and, well, Crimson, all in a rush for the finish line.

Last year, Brown had the upper hand, finishing in five minutes, 43.18 seconds. Princeton was a second and a half back at 5:44.99. Harvard finished a close fourth in 5:46.59.

For Princeton to even have a shot at the Crimson and Bears in the final, though, it will have to knock off some quality opponents in its prelimary heat. Awaiting the Tigers are No. 6 Northeastern and No. 8 Wisconsin, which finished third at last year's sprints.

Brown will also be the top compeition for the second varsity heavyweight eight, but Cornell replaces Harvard as the third team at the top. The Big Red beat Princeton by six seconds April 28. The Bears pulled ahead of the Tigers for a nine second win last week, so Princeton will have to make major improvements to break into the top two.

The same is the case for the men's lightweight teams, which are not seeded as high as their heavier counterparts. The Tigers are No. 5, having lost to Georgetown, Harvard and Yale (twice). Dartmouth slipped ahead of the Tigers to take the No. 4 seed.

Princeton did finish second behind Brown last year, but this season has not been as successful as the last. After barely losing to No. 1 Yale in their first race, the Tigers lost to Georgetown the next week. They then beat up on a few weaker teams before meeting Harvard and Yale on April 28. Both the Crimson and the Elis beat Princeton handily, leaving the Tigers will have something to prove this weekend.

Princeton will face the Elis and the Big Green in the first of two varsity lightweight heats Saturday morning. So long as the Tigers finish in the top three of their heat, they will reach the finals. No. 8 Rutgers poses the only real threat to knock Princeton out of its spot in the final. The Tigers torched the Scarlet Knights earlier this year, winning by nine seconds.