Courtesy: Princeton Crew/Tom NowakOne of the most prestigious regattas annually was held Sunday on the Charles River, and Princeton got an early view of its 2012 crews when it opened fall racing at the Head of the Charles.
Six Princeton crews competed Sunday, including the open women's 8+, which is coming off its NCAA and EAWRC championship season of 2011. The Tigers lost several seniors in that undefeated boat, but it still managed a sixth-place finish in the women's championship eight event. Princeton finished with an adjusted time of 16:31.25, one spot behind Wisconsin for fifth. Virginia won the event in an impressive time of 16:11.52.
The open women also sent out a 4+, and it finished 14th overall in a time of 19:53.79.
The heavyweight men, finalists at the 2011 IRA national championships, placed 11th in the championship eight competition in a time of 14:48.60. The lightweight men, who set the Head of the Charles record during 2010, finished third behind only the U.S. national boat and reigning EARC champion Harvard; the Tigers did finish two spots ahead of Yale, which won the national title last spring.
The lightweight women scratched its eight, but it placed the top college finisher in the fours. Princeton finished fourth overall in 19:42.52, but the next closest collegiate finisher was Bucknell, which was more than nine seconds behind Paul Rassam's Tiger crew.
Princeton will compete again next weekend at the Princeton Chase.
The Head of the Charles is part of Princeton's push to beat cancer this October, and that will continue during the Princeton Chase. You can support Princeton crew, which has already raised nearly $15,000, by clicking here.
