Facing the defending national champion Ohio State and reigning Ivy League champ Brown in its opening regatta this spring, the Princeton University women’s open crew didn’t waste any time seeing where it stood among the elite boats in the country.

“Each year is a new year so we were really excited to test our speed early on,” said Princeton head coach Lori Dauphiny of the March 26 competition.

“I don’t know if I would have chosen to race those crews first but at the same time it was a very good test to see where our speed was early in the season and then how to capitalize on that in the future.”

While the top varsity 8 finished third, it more than held its own as Brown took first in 6:35.4 over the 2,000-meter course while Ohio State was second in 6:38.0 and Princeton was a close third in 6:38.3.

“I would say that it was a respectable race and that the crews that we raced against were fast,” said Dauphiny.

“They have proven to be fast in their more recent races so that is a good sign for us because we pushed them hard and they continue to be ranked at the top. It was not a bad starting point.”

The Tigers came into the spring ready to push hard after a disappointing stretch drive in 2015 which saw the top 8 finish third as the Ivy League Championships and 12th at the NCAA Championships.

“I think that everybody was pretty fired up to make improvements from last year,” said Dauphiny.

“I think last year was just a challenging mix of people. We actually did a nice job and now when I look back on it, the seniors last year taught the returners so much about work ethic and standards. So even though the results of last year were frustrating, I think the kids did learn a lot and those returners learned from those seniors who graduated and they are carrying that on.”

In Dauphiny’s view, the team’s three senior captains, Mary Ann McNulty, Erin Reelick, and Meghan Wheeler, are setting a high standard this spring.

“We have a large team so the three captains have actually worked out very well,” said Dauphiny.

“They each have their strengths and they sort of divide and conquer and work together. They have different strengths so they bring different things to the team.”

Learning from the opening day effort, the ninth-ranked Tigers bounced back with a strong effort against Columbia on April 2 as the varsity 8 cruised to victory, posting a time of 6:29.5 with the Lions coming in at 6:56.0.

“The Columbia race was an interesting one because it was a dual race and we don’t have too many dual races,” said Dauphiny.

“It was on our home course so we sort of honed our race plan because our race plan going into the first race was our first attempt. This time we could step back and say what worked on our race and what didn’t work in our race and let’s execute it in this race. I feel like it was a step forward in terms of learning the race plan and then executing it.”

Last weekend’s regatta at the Cayuga Inlet in Ithaca, N.Y. against No. 17 Harvard and Cornell in the annual Class of 1975 Cup Regatta didn’t go as planned logistically as it was moved up to Friday from Saturday due to expected frigid conditions. The Tigers, though, still executed well as the top boat clocked a time of 6:23.5 in winning the race with Harvard-Radcliffe next in 6:32.6 and Cornell taking third in 6:39.3.

“It became a day trip for us; we went there early in the morning came home late at night,” said Dauphiny.

“We did a practice on the course. We rested and ate lunch and then we raced later in the day. That is unusual for us and that was after a 5-hour bus ride but Harvard had the same thing going. I was proud of them for handling the situation and being ready to race that evening. We raced between 5:30 and 7. They did a great job. That is not an easy course and they executed well and more importantly, they were ready to race, which was good for me and for them to experience.”

The performance last Friday was a confidence builder for Princeton across the board as the second varsity 8 and varsity 4 also posted big wins.

“I think they were pretty pleased with it too in all the boats so that was a nice thing,” said Dauphiny.

“I would say that the highlight of the Cornell/Harvard race was that it was really a solid race for all boats. It was a good team performance.”

The Tigers will be looking for another solid performance this weekend as they host No. 5 Yale and 11th-rankled USC on April 16 in the race for the Eisenberg Cup.

“I think we are right back into in the swing of things preparing for those two boats,” said Dauphiny.

“I hope that it will be very tight racing, those crews are both good. Yale is ranked ahead of us and USC is ranked just below us. We are super appreciative that USC will come all that way. The highlight of this coming race is that it is east versus west. There is not a lot of crossover usually so this will be big within our league and nationally.”

Dauphiny, for her part, sees good things on the horizon this spring for her rowers.

“They are making strides forward weekly in different areas, whether it be race plan or whether it be some technical changes, and that is good,” said Dauphiny.

“I feel like they had had a taste of good racing and speed and that they have an understanding of where we have to be and we are not there yet. That is huge. I feel the same way about the 2V as well. The 2V had a really tough opening race. I would have to give the whole team, but especially those top varsity boats, a lot of credit for remaining positive and driven to an end result. I am excited for the whole team.”