Crew: Lightweights emerge victorious at Head of Charles

But the Orange and Black still knows how to start the season off right.

Gunning from the get-go, the Tigers zeroed in on New York Athletic Club, the lead boat. By the end, Princeton had left all competitors behind, clinching gold with a time of 14 minutes, 46 seconds. Navy, the second-place finisher, crossed the line 12 seconds later, followed by Queens University at 14:58 and Harvard at 15:00.

“We laid down our rhythm through the first part, then tried to build towards the finish [and] make a good push,” senior Tom Paulett said. “There was a strong headwind throughout, but luckily, we came out on top.”

Despite Paulett’s modest words, luck was only part of the equation. The Charles River’s five-kilometer course is more than twice as long as the spring’s sprint races, a test of both stamina and power. The river also features S-curve bends and arched bridges, which can be significant obstacles. Here, a boat relies heavily on its coxswain for guidance.

Junior Ariel Frost of the women’s open crew was one of those crucial coxes. During last year’s regatta, the open boat received a penalty that forced this year’s rowers to start 24th out of 38 crews. Frost had to maneuver past slower boats while navigating the river’s twists and turns. Nevertheless, Princeton fought its way back, finishing fourth among collegiate crews and eighth overall with a time of 16:43.8, tenths of a second behind Brown and within four seconds of Washington.

“This is hands-down the hardest race I cox, but I was working with a responsive, cohesive crew of girls,” a hoarse Frost said. “They made it easy for me to get the inside turns, pass boats and stay in a safe and fast position. It’s the best I’ve done on the Charles yet.”

The men’s heavyweight crew had more difficulty coordinating. Just after the mile mark, Princeton crossed oars and nearly collided with the University of California boat. The Tigers recovered to finish 13th overall in 15:06. Princeton’s yielding infractions resulted in a two-minute penalty, though, and the boat was pushed back to 35th out of the 37 teams. It was a frustrating start for the Tigers, who finished 10th at the NCAA championships last spring.

On the other hand, the lightweight women’s crew performed well under pressure. Seniors dominated last year’s second-place Head of the Charles squad, but younger rowers made up this year’s boat, including three freshmen. Even so, the Tigers held on to the top pack, finishing in 17:31, fifth overall and second among collegiate teams. Wisconsin, the reigning national champion, beat the Tigers by 12 seconds, but Princeton opened a five-second lead over sixth-place Radcliffe.

The first varsity boat is each team’s flagship, but other Tiger crews also hit the water this weekend. The men’s lightweight 2V finished 11th out of 21 teams with a time of 15:22.8. Like the women’s open eight, the open V4 made up considerable distance, moving from 16th to sixth place to finish in 18:40. Among collegiate fours, only Yale and Stanford rowed faster.

Even Princeton’s coaches seized the chance to get in on the action. Women’s lightweight coach Paul Rassam ’97, men’s lightweight coach Greg Hughes ’96 and men’s lightweight assistant coach Spencer Washburn ’05 pulled as part of a Princeton “Fat Cat” alumni eight. They raced Saturday afternoon and finished in 16:43, 40th out of 69 teams.

“[The Head of the Charles] is sort of a festival of rowing,” Rassam said. “If you’re going to be hanging out together, you might as well go and tear up your hands and pretend like you know how to row still.”

The undergraduate Tiger squads now look to next weekend’s regatta, the Princeton Chase. Squads from Navy, Cornell, Brown and Georgetown will descend on Lake Carnegie, and Princeton will field multiple 2V and V4 boats in addition to the crews that raced on the Charles. This should allow the coaches to better gauge teams’ overall condition.