SPRINT FINISH: The Princeton University men’s heavyweight varsity eight crew displays its form in a recent race. Last Sunday, the Tiger top boat finished third in its grand final at the Eastern Sprints. Princeton will wrap up its season by competing in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta from May 30-June 1 on the Cooper River in Pennsauken. (Photo by Row2K pic provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton University men’s heavyweight varsity eight crew raced against Brown in its final regular season regatta, the boat made a statement.

Despite missing some starters due to illness and injury, the Tiger top boat set a course record on Lake Carnegie with a blistering time of 5:20.8 over the 2,000-meter course to edge the Bears by .5 seconds.

“That was a very special race to get a course record,” said Princeton head coach Greg Hughes, reflecting on the May 3 regatta. “You need to have the perfect conditions, it has to be very quick, fast moving wind but not too rough to row well and we were right at that limit. But you also need great competition because you can’t do that in a time trial format by yourself. There was not more than three or four feet between them from the first stroke to the last. It was just truly an incredible battle. It took all 18 people at their max and this is a very special thing in this sport. That was a life moment for those kids to be part of a race like that and to execute the way we did against a Brown boat that that was ranked No. 1 in the East at that point. To step up and win it was a really awesome step forward for us, physically and mentally. We knew that would be important going into the Sprints because of the level of parity.”

Last Sunday, the varsity eight executed very well at the Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., taking third in its grand final.

“This is a pretty incredible year in the heavyweight league; if you looked at sprints, there were four boats straight across through the 1,250,” said Hughes, whose boat posted a time of 5:37.575 in the race won by Harvard at 5:33.89 with Dartmouth taking second in 5:35.577.

“It was truly an incredible race. It is stuff I have not seen in sprints, boats one to six within five, six seconds. You could throw a blanket over them. That is just the way it has been in the heavyweight league this year. That was a really great learning opportunity to be in that kind of race, to have that kind of pressure, and be able to execute.”

In the team standings, Princeton piled up 34.00 points to finish second behind Harvard, who was first with 41.00, and ahead of Dartmouth, who came in third with 33.00.

“Harvard had a really strong day; we knew that they were strong going in and very good this year,” added Hughes, whose second varsity eight and third varsity eight each took second in their grand finals. “They were the class of the heavyweight field but we are in the mix and that is exciting. The thing that is exciting for us to continue to build on is to get the remainder of the guys back fully. We have two weeks without school and hopefully some better weather.”

In reflecting on the season overall, Hughes credits senior Pat Long with helping to hold things together for the varsity eight as it has dealt with illness and injuries that have necessitated a reshuffled lineup.

“A massive shout out to Pat Long who is the stroke of the varsity this year,” said Hughes. “He has really stepped up and into a leadership role on that boat in a very positive and inclusive way. Pat recognized that there are some roles to fill here and he has done it in a great way.”

Another senior, Connor Neill, has played a key role in guiding the top boat.

“Connor has been our coxswain and he has done a great job,” said Hughes. “He is a military guy. He is a ROTC guy and will go into his service right when he graduates. He brings a different kind of leadership and that has also been really great. Hats off to those guys, you have a captain but it always the senior class.”

The senior class has set a good example for the whole group.

“I think another thing this group has done well is that when you have a big team like this, success often comes with some very good following,” said Hughes. “There are times when you recognize that someone’s actions are worth stepping into and following to make the team successful. This group has been very good at being great teammates.”

The team’s younger rowers have given the Tigers plenty of depth.

“If you look at our 2V, there are five freshmen,” said Hughes, noting that freshman twins Dan and Matt Cashman have given the Tigers yeoman’s work this spring going between the 2V and varsity eights. “That is an awesome performance for a group of five guys in their first-ever Eastern Sprints to go in and execute as they did amongst all of the lineup changes that we had to manage for the three weeks prior to sprints to get everyone healthy and firing. That takes a lot of physical maturity and also a lot of mental maturity. I am really proud of those guys and excited for what they are capable of doing going forward.”

In managing the Tiger program, Hughes had gotten plenty of help from associate head coach Matt Smith and assistant coach Jason Elefant.

“I am just one small piece of the staff here; we have seen a trajectory of success with the program that has been very positive and fun to be a part of and it is entirely because of the contributions and efforts of Matt and Jason,” said Hughes. “It would not be possible without them. I am eternally grateful for what they have done. I feel like they are not assistants they are co-coaches for sure. They see my gaps and they see my blind spots and they fill them. It is a team. It is very special and I feel very lucky.”

With Princeton wrapping up its season by competing in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta from May 30-June 1 on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, Hughes is utilizing a message delivered by late Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach upon the dedication years ago of the program’s “Celtic Pride” boat.

“Red said all you need to do to honor the Celtic Pride is work hard and be lucky and that is what I said to the team,” said Hughes. “That is going to be the goal for the next two weeks, you need to work hard and you need to be lucky. We need to navigate some really tight competitive racing and take advantage of the opportunities that come to us.”