It was the first weekend of April last year when men’s heavyweight crew coach Curtis Jordan had a sense of what that season would be like. He’s hoping for something a little different in 2009.

Ironically, though, that weekend included one of Princeton’s best performances of the year. It was at the Copley Cup in San Diego, where many of the nation’s premier programs met for an early-season competition. The Tigers placed second in the event to Washington, which finished second at the national championships later in the year.

So where was the problem?

“We had a crummy heat that day and just barely qualified for the final,” said Jordan, who is entering his 19th season as the head coach of the Princeton heavyweights. “Then we went out and had a super final. You take those two races and they defined our year – up and down. We had a great race at Sprints and a crummy one at Nationals. I’d like to see a more consistent season this year.”

Princeton placed third in the grand final of Easterns and second among Ivy League boats, which earned the nine members of the varsity crew All-Ivy honors. Three weeks later, that team failed to qualify for the grand final at the IRA national championships and had to settle for 10th overall.

Jordan has been pleased with the work ethic of his team in both fall racing and winter training, but he also wants to see better results on Saturdays.

“In general, I think we had a good fall in terms of preparation and a poor one in terms of performance,” Jordan said. “I would have liked to do better in the competitions, but I thought the guys put in a good effort and we made a lot of progress as a squad. I thought the winter training was one of our best in many years.”

Unlike the strong 2006 squad, which won both Easterns and Henley and placed second at nationals, the 2009 team has several seats up for grabs as the team gets closer to the season opener Saturday; the team will compete against Georgetown and Trinity on Lake Carnegie this weekend, although the regatta is considered a scrimmage.

Jordan is pleased with the depth, especially after the strong Class of 2011 has moved into varsity contention. Last year, the Princeton novice lost only once during the regular season and placed second at the Eastern championships.

“It’s going to be a great class,” Jordan said, “but I do think they overperformed last year. We have two sophomores in Jack Lindeman and Carl Thunman in the varsity boat and a couple more knocking on the door.”

As it stands, there is a strong balance in the varsity boat, with at least two members of every class represented. Leading the way is Matt Evans, the son and nephew of former Olympic rowers. Evans has been a consistent force for the varsity, and Jordan expects more of the same this year.

“He has been a stalwart in everything we have done this year,” Jordan said. “He is a really good leader and a serious student-athlete. If competing for Canada in the Olympics is something he wants, he will make a serious run at it.”

Evans’ more immediate goals are centered around Easterns, which will be May 10 in Worcester, Mass. The league is expected to be strong again, with reigning Eastern and national champion Wisconsin having lost only one rower from last year. Brown, Harvard and Yale are among the more competitive programs in the Ivy League, but Jordan believes his team will be a force as the season progresses.

“If I do my job and we put this together,” he said, “I think we can be a really competitive crew.”