Courtesy: Princeton Athletic CommunicationsThe fourth-ranked Princeton women's lightweight crew avenged a regular-season loss to Harvard by knocking off the Crimson for second place in the 2009 EAWRC grand final. Princeton also picked up a gold medal in the lightweight fours to complete a solid afternoon on Cooper River.
Princeton was one of five crews to qualify for the EAWRC grand final, held Sunday at 3:05 in Camden, N.J. The Tigers were seeded third after falling to Harvard in the Class of 1999 Cup regatta, held last month on the Charles River. While top seed and unbeaten Wisconsin defended its Eastern title by finishing the Cooper River course in 6:47.63, Princeton topped the rest of the field with a time of 6:54.31 to earn the silver medal. Georgetown edged the Crimson for the bronze in 6:56.03, while Harvard finished fourth in 6:57.34.
Head coach Paul Rassam did get to see his fours pick up gold with a winning time of 7:47.05; second-place Wisconsin finished in 8:01.10, while novice fours from both Georgetown and Wisconsin finished more than 25 seconds behind the winning Tiger boat.
Princeton will have another chance to upset Wisconsin for a gold medal, although it will travel across the country to get the opportunity. The Tigers will join the elite women's lightweight programs in Sacramento, Calif., during the first weekend in June for the 2009 IRA national championships.
