Princeton men's lightweight crew coach Greg Hughes has always preached improvement to his talented Tiger squad, and that where the team stands in May and June is more important than where it stands in April. That being said, he had to be pleased with an exciting Platt Cup victory over top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Cornell Saturday morning at Lake Carnegie.

Princeton won three of four races against Cornell, including a tough first varsity race. The fourth-ranked Tigers won in a time of 5:54.0, while top-ranked Cornell finished second in 5:58.4. The win improved Princeton to 3-1 overall and 2-0 against Ivy League teams. The two schools could very likely see each other in both the Eastern and IRA grand finals, although the depth in the men's lightweight crew field continues to be strong.

Princeton also picked up wins in the first freshman (6:07.1) and third varsity (6:14.0) races, while Cornell earned a close victory in the second varsity race (6:04.0). In a sign of how close the racing was during the regatta, none of the four races were decided by more than five seconds.

The Tigers will remain home next weekend to take on local rival Penn. Racing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

First Varsity: Princeton 5:54.0; Cornell 5:58.4

Second Varsity: Cornell 6:04.0; Princeton 6:07.3

Third Varsity: Princeton 6:14.0; Cornell 6:16.7; Cornell 2F 6:26.6

First Freshman: Princeton 6:07.1; Cornell 6:11.7