The women’s lightweight crew needed two Friday races to qualify for Saturday’s IRA national championship competition, and it appears the extra work may have been too much for the Tigers. Princeton placed sixth in the national final, while Wisconsin defended its championship by more than 11 seconds over Bucknell.
 
Wisconsin has been the major thorn in Princeton’s side since the Tigers won five straight national titles between 1999-2003, and the Badgers remained the power in the sport by winning the grand final in 6:56.26. Bucknell had the surprise performance of the day, picking up silver in 7:07.71, while Stanford took bronze in 7:07.71.
 
Meanwhile, both Georgetown and Princeton, which had to race in the Friday afternoon repechage, were left battling for fifth in the championship race. The Tigers held a slim lead at the midway point, but Georgetown had stronger third and fourth splits to pick up fifth.
 
NATIONAL FINAL
 
1) Wisconsin 6:56.26
2) Bucknell 7:07.71
3) Stanford 7:07.93
4) Radcliffe 7:10.20
5) Georgetown 7:15.06
6) Princeton 7:16.98