Crew: Men’s heavyweights crash as others roll on

All four of Princeton’s crews competed last weekend, each taking part in exciting races.

The women’s open crew sustained its string of wins with a victory over Yale and Virginia to take the Eisenberg Cup. Bouncing back from narrow losses to Stanford and Wisconsin the previous weekend, the women’s lightweights achieved a wide victory over rival Georgetown for the Class of 2006 Cup. During the Platt Cup race on Saturday, the men’s lightweights emerged victorious over rivals Cornell and St. Joseph’s. But the men’s heavyweights’ Compton Cup race held the weekend’s most shocking turn of events. The Tigers, competing closely with Harvard in a three-way race with the Masschusetts Institute of Technology, crashed with the Crimson at the 1,150-meter mark. No rowers were injured, but the Tigers lost with a broken boat.

Collisions are not common in collegiate rowing, but the men’s heavyweight crew fell victim to one on Saturday in Boston. After the first varsity boat’s rudder cable snapped, the coxswain lost control of the boat and it careened into Harvard’s lane, ramming the stern of the Crimson boat. The collision only pushed the Crimson slightly off track — it continued the race to retain the Compton Cup — but the Tigers were unable to finish. MIT, which was trailing Harvard and Princeton at the time of the crash, needed to adjust its path to account for the Tigers’ drifting boat. The Engineers finished in second.

Fortunately for Princeton, nobody was hurt in the collision and the launch made sure everyone reached the shore safely.

The heavyweights will have little time to grieve for their damaged boat. Tough races against Cornell, Yale and Brown await before the Tigers head to Massachusetts for the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges sprints. They will journey to New Haven, Conn., for the Carnegie Cup against Cornell and Yale this weekend.

The men’s lightweight crew extended its already-impressive winning streak to 18 regular-season wins with its retention of the Platt Cup at Lake Carnegie last Saturday. Cornell and St. Joseph’s were both strong contenders for the race, but the Tigers — the reigning Ivy League and national champions — did not back down. The Big Red finished within five seconds of Princeton but could not close the gap to take the cup. St. Joseph’s trailed both teams by more than half a minute. The Tigers’ depth was showcased with a four-second victory in a competitive secondvarsity race against Cornell.

Next weekend, the men’s lightweights will take on Penn in the Wood-Hammond Cup at Lake Carnegie.

The women’s open crew had very little room for error entering Saturday’s race at Lake Carnegie. But in their first Eisenberg Cup win since 2006, the women not only took their race but solidified their place at the front of the pack, toppling No. 1 Virginia and maintaining an undefeated record. The Tigers also outraced Yale. The Bulldogs are the reigning Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges champions and regular participants at nationals.

The Tigers managed to give a strong showing even outside of the central first varsity eight race. Princeton’s second varsity finished almost 10 seconds ahead of Yale and nearly 15 seconds ahead of Virginia. The varsity four boat trailed the Bulldogs but kept the Cavaliers at bay.

This weekend, the women’s open crew will host Penn, Dartmouth and Bucknell for the Class of 1984 Plaque.

The women’s lightweights proved their resilience with a nearly 13-second victory over Georgetown on Sunday at home. Returning from painfully close losses to top-flight Stanford and Wisconsin boats in California the previous weekend, the women looked to regain the momentum they got during their opening win over MIT. The win over Georgetown did just that and proved the Tigers’ worth as a team — each of the team’s victories has been by a margin of more than 10 seconds, while its two losses have both been within just five seconds.

The women’s lightweights will be at home again this weekend, racing Harvard in the Class of 1999 Cup.