Courtesy: Princeton Athletic CommunicationsWhile NCAA basketball teams search for Final Four berths over the next three day, a different final four will get going this weekend. Princeton crew, which consists of the final four varsity programs to begin competition in the 2008-09 academic calendar, will begin competition in both New Jersey and California this weekend, and home races can be heard live this weekend.
Three teams will be home this weekend, although only two will compete in official varsity competition. The Princeton open women will begin the season by competing for The Brown and Princeton Trophy in a regatta that features both Brown and Michigan. The Bears are the defending Eastern and Ivy League champions, and they finished second at the NCAA championships last year. However, in the 2008 season opener, it was Princeton that pulled off the surprising upset over both Brown and Michigan in the varsity eight showdown. The first women's race will be at 8:45, with the varsity eight competition scheduled for 9:45; a full schedule, as well as audio information, can be found at the bottom of this story.
The men's lightweights will follow at 10 a.m. with The Fosburgh Cup competition against Georgetown and Columbia. Princeton won the Fosburgh Cup last year by more than nine seconds over the Hoyas; at the fall's Princeton Chase, the two teams were together in the front of the field. This is one of several early-season tests for Greg Hughes' squad, which is looking to earn back its No. 1 ranking it gained last season and follow it up with a golden performance in the postseason.
The men's heavyweights are competing in a scrimmage against both Georgetown and Columbia. The heavyweights will officially kick off their season next weekend when they travel to San Diego for the prestigious Copley Cup competition; last year, Curtis Jordan's squad knocked off several national powers en route to a second-place finish in one of the toughest regular season competitions in collegiate racing.
The women's lightweights are making a trip to California this weekend, and they'll be seeing a couple of familiar rivals during the two-day Pac-Ten Rowing Challenge, presented by Windermere Real Estate. The season will begin where the 2008 season ended -- with a showdown against Wisconsin. Princeton defeated the Badgers during the regular season, but Wisconsin returned the favor by winning both the Eastern and national title. The rivalry will resume at 9:08 a.m. pacific time when the two go head-to-head in the second race of the weekend. The Princeton varsity will also compete against California (Saturday, 3:16 p.m. PST) and Stanford (Sunday, 9:00 a.m. PST). Wisconsin, Princeton and Stanford made up half of the field in the IRA national final last year.
For the first time, the Princeton University Rowing Association (PURA) is offering a free live broadcast of its home races. By going to www.princetoncrew.com (linked fixed Saturday at 9:30 a.m.), you can click the "Listen Live" link under the Calendar section. From the PURA:
This is our first attempt to provide live broadcast of Princeton home spring races. Please be patient with us. We are still learning. This is a work in progress and we expect that we might have some problems. The uncertainties of weather and schedule changes may have some effects on our broadcast. We are working hard to provide you with the best coverage for Princeton Crew.
You can also hear the same live broadcast from your phone. To listen to broadcasts over the phone, dial (309) 946-5300 and enter passcode 149359 (followed by the # key) at the prompt. When asked to record your name for the "conference," simply press the # key again to bypass the recording and immediately enter the broadcast.
This weekend's home schedule is as follows:
8:45 Women’s 3VB
9:00 Women’s 3VA
9:15 Women’s 1F
9:30 Women’s 2V
9:45 Women’s 1V
10:00 Men’s Lightweight 3V
10:20 Men’s Lightweight 1F
10:40 Men’s Lightweight 2V
11:00 Men’s Lightweight 1V
11:15 Heavyweight 1V
11:30 Heavyweight 2V
11:45 Heavyweight 1F
12:00 Heavyweight 3V
