Princeton University Athletics
Sunday, June 4
Sacramento, Calif.
TBA
Princeton University
vs
IRA Championships (Day 2)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing - Lightweight
/ Women's Rowing - Lightweight
Women's Lights Return To IRA Championships Medal Stand For 1st Time Since 2011
June 04, 2017 | Women's Rowing - Lightweight
It had been six years since the Princeton lightweight women had reached the medal stand at the IRA Championships, and half of them had Juliette Hackett and Christina Warren sitting in the varsity eight.
In their final race with the Tigers, that duo wasn't about to let the streak last any longer.
Princeton posted arguably its best race of the season at the most important time, and it avenged earlier losses to both Wisconsin and Radcliffe to earn a bronze medal in the national championship race on Lake Natoma Sunday morning.
"It's hard to put into words the feeling of pride I have for our squad," head coach Paul Rassam said. "It's been a long road back to the podium, a long road. All credit to our athletes and our seniors in particular. They have huge heart, huge character."
Hackett and Warren may have been experienced leaders, but they guided a boat that had plenty of youth to a third-place finish at IRAs. Three freshmen were part of the crew that medalled at both Sprints and IRAs this season. Princeton showed impressive poise throughout the whole weekend; while the boat had a terrific performance in the Sunday final, they dug deep in the Saturday heat to defeat Wisconsin and avoid the dreaded repechage. In each of the last three years, Hackett and Warren had to row those extra 2,000 meters at IRAs; they seemed to appreciate the more rested route to the final.
"The piece we had today was gutsy," senior co-captain Christina Warren said. "We knew in order to be in medal contention we had to come out and hang with the fastest starting crews out there, which had been a struggle in the past. We came out absolutely blazing and kept on the gas until the very last stroke. It was absolutely our best piece of the season, and heats was our second best. It was an unbelievable weekend of racing. I couldn't be prouder."
Stanford proved it was the head of the class once again, winning gold by more than five seconds to repeat as national champion. The Eastern crews mounted their charge early, but ultimately they battled for the final two spots on the podium.
Boston University made a strong run and won silver, but Princeton never let Wisconsin or Radcliffe make a serious challenge for bronze. The Tigers actually made a nice push at the Terrier in a race for silver, but they were more than happy to claim the bronze medal.
"In my rowing career, I have experienced many 'almost there races and many disappointing losses," senior co-captain Juliette Hackett said. "These struggles just added more fuel to the fire and motivated me and my teammates to keep searching for ways to prepare for race day. I think all those passionate rebuilding years paid off today, as our success really came down to our preparation and the grit we have developed from some tough losses. It is such an incredible feeling to have this capstone in my senior year, but I could not be more grateful for the journey that made this win so sweet."
"This year means so much to me," Warren said. "It's so special to finish with our best piece, and probably the best piece I've had as a Tiger. Honestly, I'm grateful for the rebuilding years. We never ever gave up through some tougher years. We never stopped buying into the training and the goal. It was just a matter of time. Earning a medal in my very last race will be something I never forget. It is absolutely one of my most special and unforgettable moments."
The Tigers also sent two other boats to grand finals; the four took sixth in 7:47.160, while the double finished fourth in 7:55.756.
While this was the last race for both Hackett and Warren, both are very excited to watch the future of this program, which brought a significant number of returning competitors to Lake Natoma.
"We continue to see lightweight women's rowing as a sport grow to new heights, and I think this year really marked a turning point for our program," Hackett said. "We re-established ourselves as a major contender in this highly competitive field, and I know that we have created a very solid foundation to continue this success. Our team's culture, work ethic, and passionate young energy will continue to push our program to great success. I can't wait to see what these talented young athletes have in their future."
Varsity Eight Grand Final
Stanford 6:25.396
Boston Univ. 6:30.608
Princeton 6:32.890
Wisconsin 6:36.444
Radcliffe 6:36.671
Georgetown 6:42.203
Varsity Four Grand Final
Stanford 7:20.916
Wisconsin 7:27.638
Boston Univ. 7:32.735
MIT 7:41.010
Radcliffe 7:45.419
Princeton 7:47.160
Tulsa 7:54.741
Varsity Double Grand Final
Stanford 7:34.700
Wisconsin 7:45.259
Boston Univ. 7:50.503
Princeton 7:55.756
Radcliffe 8:02.664
MIT 8:35.497
In their final race with the Tigers, that duo wasn't about to let the streak last any longer.
Princeton posted arguably its best race of the season at the most important time, and it avenged earlier losses to both Wisconsin and Radcliffe to earn a bronze medal in the national championship race on Lake Natoma Sunday morning.
"It's hard to put into words the feeling of pride I have for our squad," head coach Paul Rassam said. "It's been a long road back to the podium, a long road. All credit to our athletes and our seniors in particular. They have huge heart, huge character."
Hackett and Warren may have been experienced leaders, but they guided a boat that had plenty of youth to a third-place finish at IRAs. Three freshmen were part of the crew that medalled at both Sprints and IRAs this season. Princeton showed impressive poise throughout the whole weekend; while the boat had a terrific performance in the Sunday final, they dug deep in the Saturday heat to defeat Wisconsin and avoid the dreaded repechage. In each of the last three years, Hackett and Warren had to row those extra 2,000 meters at IRAs; they seemed to appreciate the more rested route to the final.
"The piece we had today was gutsy," senior co-captain Christina Warren said. "We knew in order to be in medal contention we had to come out and hang with the fastest starting crews out there, which had been a struggle in the past. We came out absolutely blazing and kept on the gas until the very last stroke. It was absolutely our best piece of the season, and heats was our second best. It was an unbelievable weekend of racing. I couldn't be prouder."
Stanford proved it was the head of the class once again, winning gold by more than five seconds to repeat as national champion. The Eastern crews mounted their charge early, but ultimately they battled for the final two spots on the podium.
Boston University made a strong run and won silver, but Princeton never let Wisconsin or Radcliffe make a serious challenge for bronze. The Tigers actually made a nice push at the Terrier in a race for silver, but they were more than happy to claim the bronze medal.
"In my rowing career, I have experienced many 'almost there races and many disappointing losses," senior co-captain Juliette Hackett said. "These struggles just added more fuel to the fire and motivated me and my teammates to keep searching for ways to prepare for race day. I think all those passionate rebuilding years paid off today, as our success really came down to our preparation and the grit we have developed from some tough losses. It is such an incredible feeling to have this capstone in my senior year, but I could not be more grateful for the journey that made this win so sweet."
"This year means so much to me," Warren said. "It's so special to finish with our best piece, and probably the best piece I've had as a Tiger. Honestly, I'm grateful for the rebuilding years. We never ever gave up through some tougher years. We never stopped buying into the training and the goal. It was just a matter of time. Earning a medal in my very last race will be something I never forget. It is absolutely one of my most special and unforgettable moments."
The Tigers also sent two other boats to grand finals; the four took sixth in 7:47.160, while the double finished fourth in 7:55.756.
While this was the last race for both Hackett and Warren, both are very excited to watch the future of this program, which brought a significant number of returning competitors to Lake Natoma.
"We continue to see lightweight women's rowing as a sport grow to new heights, and I think this year really marked a turning point for our program," Hackett said. "We re-established ourselves as a major contender in this highly competitive field, and I know that we have created a very solid foundation to continue this success. Our team's culture, work ethic, and passionate young energy will continue to push our program to great success. I can't wait to see what these talented young athletes have in their future."
Varsity Eight Grand Final
Stanford 6:25.396
Boston Univ. 6:30.608
Princeton 6:32.890
Wisconsin 6:36.444
Radcliffe 6:36.671
Georgetown 6:42.203
Varsity Four Grand Final
Stanford 7:20.916
Wisconsin 7:27.638
Boston Univ. 7:32.735
MIT 7:41.010
Radcliffe 7:45.419
Princeton 7:47.160
Tulsa 7:54.741
Varsity Double Grand Final
Stanford 7:34.700
Wisconsin 7:45.259
Boston Univ. 7:50.503
Princeton 7:55.756
Radcliffe 8:02.664
MIT 8:35.497
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