Men's heavyweight, lightweight crew prepares for Eastern Sprints

The men's crew teams will be competing in Eastern Sprints this Sunday.

The heavyweight men's first varsity eight boat will go into Eastern Sprints ranked fourth by Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges coaches, while the lightweight men's first varsity eight will enter it races in third place.

The lightweight men expect to be in the thick of the action in all of their races.

"The competition will be really hard," senior captain Bill Foshay said. "We have been working hard the past few weeks, and we should be up there competing at every level."

Having lost to both the teams ranked ahead of them, Yale and Navy, this year, the lightweight men have something to prove at Easterns, where they have been perennial contenders.

"Yale is the top dog, but Navy is really good," Foshay said. "We are chasing those two teams. It's really hard to tell, though, because people can gain a lot of speed."

Although they are not favorites, it would not be surprising to find a Princeton boat in the front of the pack crossing the finish line on Lake Quinsigamond this Sunday.

"We expect to be in the final at the varsity level," Foshay said. "The finish should be really close."

This tight finish should translate over to the IRA Regatta, which names the national champion.

Eastern Sprints "should be an indicator, but the top six boats will be really close," Foshay said. "It is going to be up for grabs again. In both races, it could be anybody who wins it."

As is the case at most of the other EARC schools, the Tigers have tried to peak for Eastern Sprints, not the national championship.

"We're focused on Eastern Sprints," Foshay said. "That's what everybody else wants to win, too."

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The heavyweight men will also be out on Lake Quinsigamond come Sunday, trying to capture a repeat victory in their Eastern Sprints.

"We are not titans to be reckoned with," junior captain John Cranston said, "but if a lot of things go our way, we could win."

The Tigers lost to No. 1 ranked Harvard earlier in the season, but Princeton still has a legitimate, if not probable, shot at winning Eastern Sprints.

"We got beat pretty bad by Harvard, and there are a lot of other teams that we haven't raced," Foshay said. "To expect to win would be an unreal expectation, but we are in a position where we could do very well."

Even a good showing at Easterns might not guarantee as strong a position in the IRA Regatta because of some of the teams that will race there who are not members of the EARC.

"Cal and Washington are very good, so if you came in second or third at Sprints, you may end up in fourth or fifth at nationals," Foshay said.