Courtesy: Tom NowakAfter two straight days of brilliant racing, Princeton didn't have one final push left to reach the medal stand in the final race of the collegiate season. The eighth-ranked Tigers were one of the final six teams competing for the NCAA title, but after a gutsy start, they ended sixth on Cooper River of Cherry Hill, N.J.
Princeton, which knocked off a pair of higher-seeded teams in Michigan and Yale during earlier races, made sure everybody knew it wasn't satisfied by just reaching the final. Head coach Lori Dauphiny, the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, believed her team would come out to race for the championship; through 1,000 meters, that's exactly what it did. Stanford got out first and led through 500 meters, but Princeton stood fourth with a 1:31.96 opening split and trailed the Cardinal by just over a second.
Princeton went from fourth to third in the second split; the Tigers went 1:33.44 to move past California and temporarily into medal stand position. Though it was a strong run, it didn't put a dent into Stanford's lead; instead, the Cardinal fortified its lead by going 1:31.84. In the end, Stanford would hold off a tough Virginia squad to win the NCAA V8+ title in 6:11.95; that would be enough to give Stanford its first NCAA team title in women's rowing. Virginia finished in 6:12.32.
After a full weekend of hard racing, the final 1,000 meters would be too much for Princeton. The Tigers' final two splits would go over 1:39, and California, Yale and Brown would move past Princeton by the finish line. The Tigers' final tme of 6:24.02, 12.07 seconds behind Stanford.
The second varsity eight, which barely missed a spot in the grand final, also placed sixth in its final race. Princeton, which held fourth in the 2V8+ petite final through 1,000 meters, ended up sixth in a time of 6:37.17; Michigan State won the petite final in 6:37.83. The Princeton varsity four placed second in the third-level final in a time of 7:33.08, 3.37 seconds behind Michigan State.
