W. open crew beats Brown, Michigan; lightweights win three in California

If this weekend's races were just a starting point for the women's crew teams, both the lightweight and open teams could go far this season.

The lightweight team scored three victories at the Windermere Collegiate Crew Classic — two easy, one not-so-easy — while its open counterparts earned a huge victory over Brown and Michigan.

Lightweight crew took its top varsity boat to Stanford, Calif., to compete at the Windermere Classic at Redwood Shores. It was a long way to travel for a regatta, but the trip was worth it in the end. Under ideal conditions, the varsity boat showed the West Coast fans its potential.

The Tigers faced one of their biggest rivals, Radcliffe, in their first race. Everyone involved knew it would be a close battle, and the two teams did not disappoint. Princeton finished a little more than two seconds ahead of its competitors, clocking in at six minutes, 44.98 seconds to Radcliffe's 6:47.11.

After an intense first race, the next two seemed somewhat anticlimactic. University of California-Davis did not put up much of a fight, and the Tigers kept a comfortable lead against Stanford as well. Princeton finished over three-quarters of a minute ahead of UC-Davis (7:27.43 to 8:14.16). Sunday's race against the Cardinals was closer — the Tigers clocked in at 6:55.28, Stanford at 7:06.11.

"We had one competitive race against Radcliffe, but I'm a little disappointed that the other two weren't so competitive," lightweight coach Heather Smith said.

Overall, though, the team was happy with its performance this weekend.

"This was a good place to start," Smith said. "We've got some youth in the boat, and there's a lot of room for improvement."

Always fielding dominant teams in lightweight women's crew, the Tigers and the Crimson should once again live up to their reputations this season.

"Princeton and Radcliffe are setting a standard. It should be interesting to see where Wisconsin fits in," Smith said.

Back on the East Coast, the open weight women were busy making history.

No one on this year's open weight team had ever known what it felt like to beat Brown's top varsity boat. The Bears came in second to Washington at nationals last year, and they had not lost a dual meet since 1997, according to the Brown athletic web site. A trip to Lake Carnegie put an end to that winning streak.

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The Tigers' open weight women were tired of watching Brown beat them to the finish line. In this weekend's dual meet, they not only had to fend off a solid Michigan crew, but they also had to stand strong in the face of the Bears' dominant reputation in open competition.

Faced with such strong competition, Princeton still did not lose its composure. The top varsity boat pulled ahead of both Michigan and Brown early on and did not look back. The final times were deceptively close because of a strong tail wind, but the Tigers stayed in the lead all the way.

"We felt pretty much in control the whole race," senior captain Sasha Suda said.

With the help of the excellent racing conditions, Princeton finished in an incredible 6:18.00, with Michigan not far behind at 6:19.65. Brown finished third with a time of 6:20.63. The Tigers had ended the Bears' domination in open women's crew.

Smith was excited for her teammates. "From a racing perspective, the Brown victory is a huge deal," she said.

Though Princeton has every reason to celebrate after such a big win, it now faces a new challenge — to stand up to the rest of the league as the team to beat.

"This win puts us out there as a target," Suda said. "We're going to have to work hard for the rest of the season to stay competitive. The whole season is wide open."

Already, both lightweight and open women's crew have much to be proud of. And the season has only just begun.