OPEN SEASON: Members of the Princeton University women’s open crew varsity 8 celebrate after they placed first in their grand final at the Ivy League Championships in Worcester, Mass., last Sunday. By virtue of its performance in the Ivy regatta, the Tiger open crew earned an automatic bid the NCAA Championships, which will be taking place from May 26-28 in Camden. (Photo by Ed Hewitt/Row2k, provided by Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Displaying the form that has catapulted it into being ranked No. 1 nationally, the Princeton University women’s open crew varsity 8 placed first in its grand final at the Ivy League Championships in Worcester, Mass., last Sunday.

The Princeton top boat covered the 2,000-meter course on Lake Quinsigamond in a time of 6:01.806, 1.57 seconds ahead of second-place Penn to remain undefeated on the spring.

The varsity 8’s win helped Princeton win the team title as it scored 85 points, edging runner-up Yale by one point. Penn was third with 66 points while Brown was fourth with 64.

The third varsity 8 also placed first while the 2V8 took second and the varsity 4 took third.

“We are very proud of this team and our league,” said Princeton head coach Lori Dauphiny as quoted on the Princeton Athletics website. “A Princeton boat medaled in every event entered today. Their good work, determination, and teamwork paid off. The racing by every team in our League was amazing. It was also fun to race alongside the men’s teams and combine our championships, what a great day overall for Princeton Rowing.”

By virtue of its performance in the Ivy regatta, the Tiger open crew earned an automatic bid the NCAA Championship, which will be taking place from May 26-28 in Camden.

In other action last weekend on Lake Quinsigamond, a second top-ranked boat, the Princeton men’s lightweight varsity 8, also excelled, taking first in its grand final in the Eastern Sprints.

The Tigers clocked a winning time of 5:35.420 over the 2,000-meter course to edge runner-up Harvard by 0.80 seconds. The winning time by Princeton established a new course record for men’s lightweights.

The second varsity 8 also took first in its grand final while the 3V8 placed fifth.

“We figured the first varsity race would be close between one or two crews but didn’t want to overlook anybody; in the end it came down to executing the race plan we’ve been putting together all year and the guys nailed it,” said Tiger men’s lightweight head coach Marty Crotty as quoted on the Princeton Athletics website.

“To post back-to-back 5:35s even in fast tailwind conditions is really impressive. It set the bar for the field today and a couple boats got close but couldn’t get ahead of that. It was also a great way for the 2V to cap off their undefeated regular season. I was thrilled for those guys, there is a lot of experience in that boat with four seniors and two other rowers from the original Class of 2023 and it showed all year.”

The superb effort from the crew across the board helped the Tigers earn the Jope Cup, awarded to the team with the highest combined point total at the regatta, for the first time since 2010 and 16th time overall. In addition, with the win in the 1V, the Tigers claim the Ivy League championship as the highest-finishing Ivy school at Sprints. This is the 13th Ivy League title for the men’s lightweight rowing program.

The Tiger men’s heavyweight varsity 8 nearly matched its women’s counterparts, taking second in its grand final in the Eastern Sprints.

The sixth-ranked Tiger top boat posted a time of 5:24.965 as it finished 1.35 seconds behind champion Yale, which set a new course record in the win.

Another Princeton heavyweight boat, the second varsity 8, also placed a strong second in its grand final, clocking a time of 5:35.686, just 2.136 seconds behind Harvard for first place.

“I am proud of the way our boathouse raced all across the board today,” said Tiger men’s heavyweight head coach Greg Hughes as quoted on the Princeton Athletics website. “Watching the lightweight men and the open women win their championships along with a gutsy and tenacious race from our 1V was just special — never mind the work that the lightweight women’s team has been doing all season as well. Every day is a team effort from the rowers, coaches, and staff associated with Princeton Rowing.”

The men’s rowers will next be in action when they compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta from June 2-4 on Mercer Lake in West Windsor.