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Vol. LXIII, No. 23
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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Vol. LXIII, No. 23
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
GOLDEN STATE: The Princeton University men’s lightweight first varsity boat goes through its paces during a recent workout on Lake Carnegie. Last weekend, the Tigers culminated a perfect season by posting a convincing win in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) championship regatta at Sacramento, Calif. Princeton led the grand final from wire to wire, clocking a time of 6:03.23 over the 2,000-meter course with Yale next at 6:08.00 and Harvard third in 6:09.60. |
As Greg Hughes chilled out last Monday and enjoyed watching the waves lap up on the beach at Diamond Head in Hawaii, he had visions of gold.
Two days earlier, Princeton men’s lightweight crew head coach Hughes saw his top varsity boat post a convincing win in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) championship regatta at Sacramento, Calif. to culminate a perfect season.
Princeton led the grand final from wire to wire, clocking a time of 6:03.23 over the 2,000-meter course with Yale next at 6:08.00 and Harvard third in 6:09.60.
It would have been understandable if Princeton University distance running star Michael Maag had gone into a funk last spring when he was sidelined by a fractured left foot.
Instead, the unflappable Maag tried to make the best of the situation. “It was good to be a regular student and have the chance to experience life at college,” said Maag.
“It didn’t fuel me; I am not the kind of runner who gets angry. I run because I have success and enjoy my teammates.”
It was a notion that first entered Casey Rahn’s head when he was warming up one day for a practice during his sophomore season on the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team.
As the players limbered up that afternoon in 2005, the PHS coaches mentioned that the Rutgers men’s lacrosse staff was looking at Little Tiger junior standout Taylor Vickers-Annis.
In passing, the coaches said that Rutgers also had an eye on sophomore star Tyler Moni and Rahn.
From that day forward, Rahn was determined to become a Division I lacrosse player.
There will be nine teams vying for the league crown this season in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League as opposed to the 12 in the title race last year.
But in the view of longtime league commissioner Ben Stentz, less should be more as the league tips off the 2009 campaign with a tripleheader next Monday evening at the Community Park courts starting at 7:15 p.m.
Natalie Rizk hasn’t had a smooth ride in her time with the Mercer Junior Rowing Club (MJRC).
The Princeton High senior toiled hard to make her way up the ladder to the first varsity open eight, giving up swimming after seemingly being mired on the third varsity boat.
But as she finally got to the top open boat, Rizk harbored a secret ambition.
“I was really hoping that we would have a lightweight boat,” said Rizk, who competed for the PHS girls’ swimming team in her freshman and sophomore years. “I honestly didn’t think it would ever happen.”