PULLING IT TOGETHER: The Princeton University women’s open crew varsity eight churns through the water in a race this spring. The No. 6 Tigers will be competing in the Ivy League Championships from May 17-18 on Cooper River in Pennsauken. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
By Bill Alden
As the Princeton University women’s open crew has gone through the 2025 season, it has been tested on a weekly basis.
“We have a really fast league, it is something that is exceptional,” said Princeton head coach Lori Dauphiny. “We have the most competitive league. It used to be the Pac 12 or Big 10; this year, it is the Ivy League.”
In order to deal with that competition, Dauphiny has relied on a stellar senior group that included returning All-Americans Katherine George, Zoe Scheske, Margot LeRoux, Sara Covin, and Katharine Kalap. “All senior classes are fabulous but this senior class has really made an impact in this program,” said Dauphiny, whose senior captains are Ella Barry and George. “In many ways, I think they have really strengthened the team culture; one in which you are very supportive of one another. Each group of women that came before them has strengthened our program in some way but I really feel that this senior class has made a significant impact on the team culture.”
The Tiger varsity eight looked strong in its first two outings this season, topping Brown in its opening regatta on March 29 and then defeating Harvard and Cornell two weeks later.
“I like the way we started,” said Dauphiny. “We struggled a little bit racing Harvard and Cornell. We had to make some adjustments after that. It was a tough race. Harvard is fast this year.”
On April 19, the Tiger top boat had a tough time as it fell to Yale by 3.5 seconds.
“Yale is fast, we knew they would be fast,” said Dauphiny.
“They are very good, they are very strong. I think it was good racing experience for us. It was an opportunity to be down and talk about what do you do when you are down in a race because we have had so many races where we are leading. I think the crew took something from it.”
week later, Princeton faced non-conference foes Tennessee, Syracuse and Ohio State and took second behind the Volunteers.
“We knew we had our conference races set but we didn’t have anything out of conference,” explained Dauphiny. “Tennessee had beat us at the national championship last year. They came in third, we came in fourth in the varsity eight. The rowers said we really need to see some of these teams before we go to the national championships. I was really pleased that Tennessee agreed to come here and it gave us the opportunity for our team to see one of the top out of conference boats. It was nice to have a four-boat race too because we have had a lot of duals this year. It was good for the team and the coxswains to experience that.”
Ending the regular season on a high note, the Tiger varsity eight cried to a 16.7 win over Penn on May 3.
“It was a good day for the team,” said Dauphiny. “We had solid racing. I thought that was some of our best racing.”
With the Ivy League Championship slated for May 17-18 on Cooper River in Pennsauken, the Princeton rowers have been juggling exams and training over the last two weeks.
“The goal is to really try to balance the academic demands of reading period and final exams with the work that we were doing as a team on the water and they have done a nice job of that,” said Dauphiny. “During that time, we wanted to stay healthy and continue to work on some of our race strategies which would be our moves, our sprint and other parts of the race to prepare for this coming weekend. It is a break from exams and they are very focused. They have this schedule that they have to stick to.”
Looking ahead to the Ivy regatta, Dauphiny knows that the Tigers, ranked No. 6 nationally in the College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) poll, face an uphill battle.
“We are the underdogs; Yale is very strong and fast but I am not discounting the others,” said Dauphiny, noting that Yale is ranked fifth with Brown at eight and Harvard at 11. “Brown has made some nice strides as well and Harvard has really come along too. I would say that we are ready and we expect that is will be a very close battle throughout the league. It looks like Yale is the favorite crew. They have beat everyone by big margins. I am expecting that it will be a real brawl out there.”
Dauphiny believes her seniors will be ready to fight to the end.
“I always say I get another shot at this as a coach but this is yours,” said Dauphiny. “I think they are both nervous and excited. It is a really cool time in their life when they are focused on what we want to do and also their life is about to leap in a different direction.”
With Princeton having qualified for the NCAA Championships each year it has been contested, Dauphiny is hoping that Tigers will get another another shot at that regatta which is being held on nearby Mercer Lake from May 30-June 1.
“If we make qualification we would be right next door, it is close to home,” said Dauphiny. “There would be a lot of family and friends that are local and that doesn’t always happen for us. The team is doing well and is excited for the championship season.”