BRONZE AGE: The Princeton University men’s lightweight varsity 8 powers through the water in a race earlier this spring. Last Sunday, the boat took third at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta on Mercer Lake, trailing champion Columbia and runner-up Yale. In taking bronze, the Tiger top boat continued a progression up the ladder as it took sixth in the 2013 IRA, fifth in 2014, and fourth in 2015. Princeton also earned medals at the IRA in the two fours events as the four with coxswain held off Yale by 1.3 seconds to take bronze, while the four without coxswain beat Harvard by just over one second for silver. (Photo Courtesy of Princeton Crew)

All spring long, Christian Wawrzonek and the Princeton University men’s lightweight varsity 8 crew have battled Columbia and Yale for supremacy on the east coast.

In regular season meetings between the boats, the Tigers lost to Columbia in early April and then got edged by Yale at the HYP regatta on April 30. At the Eastern Sprints, Yale was first in 5:43.061 with Columbia second at 5:45.514 and Princeton just behind in third with a time of 5:46.793.

Last Sunday at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta on Mercer Lake, it came as no surprise that the three rivals were at the front of the pack in the Grand Final. This time, Columbia prevailed, clocking a winning time of 5:52.060 with Yale second at 5:54.460 and Princeton taking third in 5:58.590.

Coming into the final, Wawrzonek and his boatmates were confident that they would be in the mix for the title.

“This time around we just really wanted to stay in contact with them and keep a close race,” said senior Wawrzonek, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. who rowed in the three seat.

“We knew if we could be in contact the last 500 with the top crew, we could really make a race out of it and maybe have a good sprint. Unfortunately, they had a really, really good move in the middle as always. They are fast guys, they pulled out just outside of our reach.”

While Princeton wasn’t quite fast enough to prevail on Sunday, Wawrzonek was proud to be in the fight.

“It is a privilege and honor to line up against these guys every single time,” said Wawrzonek. “Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted this time but I don’t regret anything. They are really fast. I respect those guys a lot, they work just as hard as we do. We wished for something else but still loved every second of it.”

The third place finish continued a progression up the ladder for the varsity 8 as it took sixth in the 2013 IRA, fifth in 2014, and fourth in 2015.

“My freshman year, there were some great guys with a lot of talent but we weren’t getting the results that we wanted,” said Wawrzonek.

“We found some extra motivation, some extra speed in the last couple of years. We have found a way to just push each other to a new level. Leaving this team I feel so much more confident in their success in the coming years.”

With the Tigers also earning medals at the IRA in the fours events as the four with coxswain held off Yale by 1.3 seconds to take bronze while the four without coxswain beat Harvard by just over one second for silver, Princeton head coach Marty Crotty saw quality across the board from his rowers.

“At the very least, it feels whole,” said Crotty. “The medals are great, it is something of tangible value. It is something you take away but just the quality and the sharpness of what has been going on the last three weeks, that is what I am impressed with.”

Crotty was impressed with how the varsity 8 hung in there as Columbia jumped into the lead and briefly had open water at the 1,250-meter mark before Yale and the Tigers closed the gap.

“I thought our guys did well, establishing their own spot in that field, even if it is for third,” said Crotty.

“What a lesser crew does is they fall back and get themselves in some muck with fourth, fifth or sixth. I think that is what has happened the last couple of years. You are not able to stay in contact with the tip of the spear.”

As for the four with coxswain, Crotty credited senior James Agolia, this year’s winner of the 1916 Cup that is given to the senior varsity letter winner with the highest academic standing, for spearheading that boat.

“It was led by James Agolia, for a senior, it is three weeks to stick around and row on a lightweight coxed 4,” said Crotty.

“He could have just said, I am the undefeated stroke of the 3V, we won the Sprints. I won the Pyne Prize, I graduated, I am good, coach I am out of here. Instead he said can I row at the IRA; I said James we are going to find a spot for you. He is gutsy, you saw that today. They were sixth off the line but they were focused, persistent, and they worked their way up the field and got a solid third.”

In assessing his program’s overall performance, which saw the Tigers take third in the team points standings, Crotty liked the persistence displayed by his rowers.

“The attitude has been exceptional, young or old; it is just coming from guys who really enjoy rowing boats,” said Crotty, noting that junior Forrest Daugherty moved up to the heavyweight varsity 4 for the IRA when an injury opened up a spot and helped that boat take silver.

“James and Forrest personify what I am trying to articulate; if I can draw dots to those guys, this is it. James and Forrest are not the best guys on the team but guys like that show up at the IRA and say let’s do this, let’s see what we can do and, guess what, it takes you all the way to the medal stand.”

Wawrzonek, for his part, is taking some important lessons from rowing as he leaves Princeton.

“It has really taught me the meaning of hard work, dedication, and teamwork,” said Wawrzonek, who is headed to a job in California and plans to continue rowing on the club level.

“As cliched as that sounds, the sport teaches you what it means to work together with a group of guys and believe in something and that really means a lot.”