Veteran experience and raw talent have joined forces, putting the four Princeton crews within reach of a new level of collective success.
An unusually long winter prevented Princeton from returning to training on the water until later than usual, and the crews have only been rowing outdoors for a few weeks, but the obstacle has pushed the Tigers even harder.
The men’s lightweight crew hopes to replicate last spring’s season, which could not have been any better, when No. 1 Princeton won every race it entered. The Tigers captured the Ivy League title with a 7-0 record before winning the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges championships, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship and the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. But of course, past perfection will not make this season any easier.
On the contrary, the 2009 squad has left Princeton with large shoes to fill. The Tigers graduated four rowers and the coxswain from the first varsity boat. In addition, the team is under the helm of a new head coach. Marty Crotty ’98 replaced Greg Hughes ’96, who took over as heavyweight head coach.
Still, the transition went smoothly. Having already replaced Hughes once before as assistant heavyweight coach, Crotty has stepped into the role seamlessly. His guidance is supplemented with that of a strong first-boat returning squad. With a perfect season still fresh in their minds, junior Robin Prendes, senior Jack Leonard, senior James Donovan and junior Christian Klein will rely on their experience and talent to lead the team once again.
So far, the team has picked up where it left off. Princeton beat Harvard by more than four seconds and Navy by nearly eight to win the Princeton Chase in the fall.
The women’s lightweight side is also riding off a promising fall season. At the Princeton Chase, the Tigers posted their best race in eight years, defeating Georgetown and Radcliffe to claim the top spot among lightweight crews.
“In comparison to last year at this time, our team is further along and more well prepared for the spring season,” head coach Paul Rassam ’97 explained.
Last spring was indeed very successful. Princeton took second in the varsity eight and first in the varsity four at Eastern Sprints. Now, having returned most of its rowers and with a crop of talented and driven freshmen, the Tigers have their eyes set on taking down two-time defending national champion Wisconsin.
“There won’t be many easy races for us — we will be challenged to bring a high performance standard week in and week out,” Rassam said. “But we believe we have the talent and hunger on our team to do just that.”
After a disappointing season last spring, the heavyweight crew seems to be finding its rhythm. The team extended the Tiger’s winning streak at the Princeton Chase, defeating Yale by more than two seconds for victory.
This newfound success is thanks in part to Hughes, who apparently knows how to lead transitions. After taking over as head coach of the men’s lightweight crew in 2006, Hughes led the team — which had gone 2-7 for the previous two years — to a 5-3 record and a third place finish at nationals. Princeton’s performances improved each year, culminating in the 2009 perfect season. Now with Hughes in charge, the heavyweight program looks like it could take a similar track.
Leading the team from within the boat will be the junior class. The Class of 2011’s rowers established their strength as freshmen, taking sixth in the IRA national championship grand final. They instantly became contributing factors as sophomores, and now as upperclassmen, their leadership and power is even more pronounced.
The open women, like the men, continue to build off of a strong foundation from the fall.
The Tigers begin the season ranked No. 8 nationally in the US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coaches Poll.
On Saturday, the lightweight men will face off against Navy and MIT in Annapolis, Md., and the open women will host the Brown and Princeton Trophy against Brown and Ohio State. The heavyweight men will compete against Georgetown in their season opener at home next Saturday.
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