Princeton rowing sees success in national championship regattas

On Sunday, May 31, all four of Princeton’s rowing teams — men’s heavyweight, women’s openweight, and men’s and women’s lightweight — saw strong performances in the national championships. Both lightweight teams and the men’s heavyweight competed in Gold River, Calif., at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship Regatta, and the women’s openweight team raced in Gainesville, Ga., at the NCAA National Championship. 

Women’s lightweight

The women’s lightweight team claimed first place overall at the IRA Championships, winning the Commissioner’s Cup for the fifth consecutive year. With a total of 67 points, Princeton beat out both Boston University and Harvard-Radcliffe — who earned 61 points and 59 points, respectively — to claim the trophy. 

“This win means a great deal,” Assistant Coach Katherine McFetridge wrote to The Daily Princetonian after the race. “Seeing our ladies achieve something they’ve poured so much into is an out-of-this-world feeling.” 

The eight-plus varsity boat won their Grand Final with a time of six minutes and forty-eight seconds. The Tigers fought hard throughout the race, crossing the line almost of a full boat-length in front of their competitors. This marks their sixth consecutive victory in this heat. 

Rising senior Cate Barry, who captained the team and sat in the eight seat, credited the Tigers’ success to their mindset in the face of pressure. 

“By the end of the season, we weren’t racing with a fear of losing,” Barry said. “We were racing with confidence in what we had done all year and belief in what we were capable of accomplishing together.”

The four-plus varsity boat also claimed first, earning a gold medal for the second year in a row. Princeton finished with a time of 7:20, beating second place finishers Boston University by five seconds. 

McFetridge highlighted the entire team’s “tremendous grit, resilience, and determination,” noting that “they never stopped believing in each other.”  

While there is no single secret to Princeton’s incredible success, McFetridge attributed it in part to the “magic in the community of our boathouse and in the balance of competitiveness and teamwork.”  

Women’s openweight

The women’s openweights competed at the NCAA national championship in Gainesville at the end of May. The only Ivy League to automatically qualify for the regatta, the Tigers came in sixth overall. The first varsity boat finished in sixth, crossing the line with a time of six minutes flat, while the second varsity boat came in fifth in their heat, finishing the race in 6:03.

Princeton’s varsity four boat placed fourth in their heat with a time of 6:58, giving them a tenth place finish overall. This marks the Tiger’s second top-10 finish in the event since 2009. 

Head Coach Lori Dauphiny lauded their performance, noting, “to finish in the top 10 is an honor that we don’t take for granted.”

While the Tigers’ immense success across divisions and boats to conclude the season will provide a solid foundation for next year’s races, they will have to keep fighting next season. 

“No one else is getting slower,” Hughes warned. “This year’s speed won’t be enough for next year’s key matchups.” 

Men’s lightweight

The men’s lightweight team earned second overall at the IRA Championships, winning 48 points over the course of the regatta. The Tigers finished just behind Harvard at 54 points, and ahead of Dartmouth and Penn, who both earned 40.5 points.

The Tigers earned silver in the eight-plus Grand Final, with the first varsity boat crossing the line with a time of 5:49, just two seconds behind Harvard. 

The second varsity boat also medaled in their Grand Final, earning third place with a time of 5:58. The Tigers trailed first place finisher Harvard and second place Penn. 

Head Coach Matt Smith celebrated Princeton’s strong performance in May at both the national and regional IRA championships, noting “this was the first time since 2016 that we came away with that many medals in the top boats at the championship races.”  

Men’s heavyweight

Following an undefeated season, all three men’s heavyweight varsity eight-plus boats made the Grand Finals in their respective heats. 

The Tigers’ first eight-plus won bronze, completing the race in 5:40. While Princeton was neck and neck with their competitors for the first three quarters of the race, the University of Washington team pulled ahead in the last 500 meters of the race. Princeton crossed the line in third place, less than three seconds behind Washington, and just one second behind second-place finisher University of California, Berkeley. 

“I’ve never seen a championship final like that,” Head Coach Greg Hughes told the ‘Prince.’ “It was thrilling to watch.”  

The second varsity boat also achieved excellence. For the first time since 1998, the Tigers claimed first place in the 2V Grand Final, winning their heat with a time of 5:42. Princeton took the lead from the outset of the race, pushing hard to stay in front of both Washington and Harvard in what Hughes described as an “epic performance.”  

The men’s heavyweight team earned second place overall with a total of 272 points across all boats. They finished just behind Washington, which led with 284 points.

Leila Eshaghpour-Silberman is a staff Sports writer and contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’

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