POPPING OFF: Princeton University field hockey player Sammy Popper celebrates after a goal last Sunday as the Tigers posted a 4-1 win over Rutgers. Senior star Popper tallied a goal and an assist in the victory as the Tigers improved to 2-2. In upcoming action, No. 17 Princeton hosts Delaware (1-5) on September 16, defending national champion and top-ranked Northwestern (6-0) on September 18, and No. 3 Maryland (6-0) on September 20. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Sammy Popper made a pretty good case for staying up on the Princeton University field hockey’s attack.

After playing defense for the Tigers’ 0-2 Labor Day weekend against North Carolina and Louisville to open the season, Popper scored the first goal in each of back-to-back wins for Princeton this weekend. Senior tri-captain Popper was one of five different scorers as 17th-ranked Princeton beat No. 7 and previously unbeaten Syracuse 5-1 last Friday in its home opener. Two days later, Popper started the scoring for the Tigers in a 4-1 win over last year’s NCAA tournament top seed, Rutgers, on Sunday.

“When you do have a loss, it’s bounce back and win the next one and learn what you can from it and not dwell on it,” said Popper, a 5’5 native of Blue Bell, Pa. “I think that’s what we did this weekend.”

Popper’s move forward helped at the offensive end. She was pleased to be able to contribute up top, although says she valued her time on defense through last spring and the first weekend of the year.

“It was definitely good for me,” said Popper. “Because I’m a natural attack player, it was good for me to be back there and it helped me be more disciplined defensively. I can’t complain. I think it did teach me something. But I am happy to be back playing forward.”

Popper hasn’t actually played her natural forward position much since arriving at Princeton. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year played midfield as a freshman and again last year. And when defender Gabby Andretta was hurt last spring, Popper accepted the team-first approach to sliding back to defense until Andretta returned. Andretta was cleared just before the opening weekend.

“We kept Sammy back there because we had been working on it since the spring,” said Princeton head coach Carla Tagliente. “She can be a bit of a threat out of the back with her ability to hit the long ball. We figured it’s probably best to keep her up front because she is very dangerous in front of the goal. If she gets a little bit loose and gets the ball, she’s probably one of the most dangerous players in the country in the circle. I think you saw that with the first goal last game and first goal this game. Then we have some other players we’re breaking in in some other positions. It’s still going to take more time, but definitely it’s a big improvement from last week.”

After a pair of one-goal losses to Top-5 teams UNC (4-3 on September 2) and Louisville (2-1 on September 4), Princeton was able to bounce back strong in their second weekend. The Tigers weren’t satisfied with a moral victory by giving two top teams a scare, and they took it to Syracuse which came in as the nation’s leading scoring team.

“I think for us it really showed how good of team we are, how strong of a team we are when we just do everything right and bring our energy,” said Popper. “In the Louisville game we felt a little disorganized and didn’t have our best energy and didn’t have our best game. That’s normal to have in your first weekend of the season. It showed what we can achieve and how great we are. It felt great to have that. It instilled a lot of confidence in everyone, especially the younger players who haven’t been there before. It was really awesome for that.” more

FIRST TRY: Princeton University women’s rugby player Erica De San Jorge bursts past Sacred Heart players last Saturday on the way to the first try as Princeton made its debut as a varsity program. The Tigers, who started as a club program in 1979 and were granted varsity status in 2021, fell 53-21 to the Pioneers. Princeton will host Army on September 10 in its home opener. (Photo by Sacred Heart, provided courtesy of Josie Ziluca)

By Bill Alden

Josie Ziluca was behind the wheel in May 2021 when she learned the good news that the Princeton University women’s rugby team had been granted varsity status.

“It was amazing,” said Princeton head coach Ziluca, who came to the school in 2019 to guide the Tiger club program. “At that point I was driving cross country back to Princeton to attend graduation for our seniors who had a bizarre COVID year.”

That decision culminated a lengthy process as the club was founded in 1979 and enjoyed a lot of success. The Tigers won 57 straight matches in 1995-96 and two national championships and the seed was planted for an eventual move to varsity status.

There was discussion in 2012 to make the move but the players were content remaining as a club at that point. In 2017, the students made a proposal to go varsity which was ultimately approved four years later.

Last fall, Ziluca guided the Tigers through their last club season they prepared to make the jump to varsity competition. Princeton went undefeated in the fall rugby union (15 players a side) action and then placed third in national club 7s tournament this past spring.

This August, the players arrived at campus to start preseason practices for their varsity debut.

“It was crazy; it was a lot of hard work, it was a lot of fun,” said Ziluca, who spent the summer of 2021 leading the fitness programming for elite senior and U-18 women at the American Rugby Pro Training Center in Arkansas. “The students came back on August 16 and then we started training on August 18. It was filled with multiple two-a-days. I was putting them through some programming I do with the national players. For some of these students, it was something they had never experienced. They came out on the other side after every training session saying wow.”

Last Saturday, the players experienced a wow moment when Princeton made its varsity debut as it played at Sacred Heart, falling 53-21.

Appropriately, the squad left with some fanfare as it headed for the trip to Sacred Heart. more

STATE OF GRACE: Princeton University women’s soccer player Grace Sherman celebrates after scoring a goal against Fairfield University last Sunday night at Class of 1952 Stadium. The Tigers ended up prevailing 2-0 to improve to 2-0. In upcoming action, Princeton plays at Rhode Island (0-3-1) on September 1 and at No. 3 Rutgers (4-0) on September 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton University women’s soccer team knotted in a scoreless draw with visiting Fairfield University last Sunday evening in the first half, Grace Sherman got free in the box and took advantage.

Princeton senior forward Sherman took a pass from Heather MacNab, calmly dribbled past Fairfield goalie and slotted the ball into the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead at the 13:22 mark of the contest played at Class of 1952 Stadium.

“I just saw space behind behind their back line so I decided to make a cutting run through,” said Sherman. “Heather [MacNab] played the ball to me and I took a touch and I tried to stay calm. I took a touch around the goalkeeper and I knew I was going to finish it.”

The score felt particularly good since Sherman would have been unable to do that a year ago as she was sidelined for much of the season after suffering a leg injury on the first day of preseason.

“I have been waiting for this moment for so long, I played a little bit last year but was never truly healthy,” said Sherman, who made only nine appearances last season. “I was never truly ready. I had the summer and now I am ready.”

Despite Sherman’s tally, Princeton struggled to find the back of the net, clinging to 1-0 halftime lead even though it had outshot the Stags 10-0.

“We have been working on possession this week in practice, just being able to keep composure and have confidence to keep the ball,” said Sherman. “We were pretty proud of the ability to keep the ball. It is frustrating not to score more but I know that will come.”

With 7:43 left in regulation, Princeton came through as junior midfielder Aria Nagai blasted a volley into the net for her first career goal and the final score of the night as Princeton prevailed 2-0 and improved to 2-0. more

KNIGHT MOVES: Princeton University men’s soccer player Ryan Clare, left, battles for the ball against Rutgers last year. Senior midfielder/forward Clare should help spark the Tiger offense this fall. Princeton starts its 2022 season by facing the Scarlet Knights (1-1) on September 2 in Piscataway. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After rolling to the Ivy League title last year, going 12-6 overall and 7-0 Ivy, the Princeton University men’s soccer team knows it can’t rest on its laurels as it heads into the 2022 campaign.

“I think one of the things that we have been talking about with these guys since the season ended last year is that there has never been a Princeton team that has won back-to-back Ivy titles,” said Princeton head coach Jim Barlow. “It is such a competitive league and when you win, the target is just on your back so much. I think our guys have tried to think of themselves with the mentality that they had last year that they are the underdogs. They are going into every game, competing like crazy to get better. That is going to be a really important mentality.”

The Tigers face a competitive opening week as they kick off the season by playing at Rutgers (1-1) on September 2 and then host Vermont (1-0) on September 5 in their home opener.

“We are trying to make the most out of every session and take care of our little details,” said Barlow, whose team was picked first in the Ivy preseason media poll. “We know that all of our games come down to a play here or a play there and not taking a break defensively and being alert enough to pounce on a mistake from the other team. All of these things start to come along when you play more games — we are going to learn where we stand.”

Last Saturday, the Princeton players had a good learning opportunity as they traveled to Philadelphia for scrimmages against Swarthmore and Penn.

“I think it was really good for the guys, a third of our team is new so it was good for those guys to get their feet wet in what a college soccer game looks like,” said Barlow. “Our incoming guys have played at really high levels but nothing compares to college soccer with the frenetic place and the competing and the physicality. From that standpoint it was really good.” more

HOLDING COURT: Former Princeton University men’s basketball head coach Pete Carril addresses the crowd in February 2009 after the main court at Jadwin Gym was officially renamed “Carril Court” in his honor. Legendary Hall of Famer Carril passed away at age 92 on Monday, August 15.

By Bill Alden

One of the most legendary and colorful figures in in Princeton University sports history, Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach Pete Carril, died on Monday, August 15 at age 92.

The Carril family issued a statement on Monday posted on the Princeton University Athletics website indicating that Carril “passed away peacefully this morning.” He died at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he was recuperating from a stroke.

Carril, a native of Bethlehem, Pa., who played college basketball for Lafayette College, took the head coaching job at Princeton for the 1967-68 season and guided the Tigers for the next 29 seasons. During his storied tenure, Carril posted a 514-261 record, leading the Tigers to 13 Ivy League championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and the 1975 NIT title.

Prior to coming to Princeton, Carril started his coaching career as an assistant at Easton Area High (Pa.) in 1954 and then became a head coach at Reading High in 1958 where he guided Gary Walters, a future Princeton star and director of athletics at his alma mater. He served as the head coach at Lehigh University for one year before taking the Princeton job.

The hallmarks of the style that Carril perfected at Princeton included a deliberate offensive game that featured constant motion, crisp passing, and quick cuts to the basket. That disciplined approach was complemented by a stifling defense which had the Tigers among the national leaders in fewest points allowed per game on a yearly basis. Princeton led the country in scoring defense 14 times from 1975 to 1996, including eight in a row from 1988 to 1996.

That method of play, which became known as the “Princeton Offense,” has left a lasting influence on the game as teams from high school to the Golden State Warriors of the NBA have employed that style to spread the floor and wear foes down before getting open looks from the perimeter or in the paint.

While orchestrating that precise and confounding brand of the game, Carril himself made a rumpled appearance. He wore sweaters on the sidelines and with tousled gray hair often flying, he commanded his players in a raspy voice while waving a rolled up program. Off the court, he had a fondness for cigars and was known for spending long nights at Conte’s breaking down games over pizza and beer. He was also a regular at Andy’s Tavern.

With his blue collar background in Pennsylvania as the son of a steelworker, Carril often dispensed his wisdom with ample doses of profanity. He penned a book with Dan White, The Smart Take from the Strong, in 1997, detailing his basketball philosophy which included hundreds of nuggets explaining his tough-minded, no-nonsense approach to the game.

In the introduction to the book, coaching great Bob Knight, who guided Indiana to three NCAA titles, said that Carril has “been a tremendous asset to the game of basketball and a great credit to it.” Knight added that “I can think of no better compliment that a basketball coach could ever receive than to be told, ‘You know, your teams play a little bit like Pete Carril’s Princeton teams used to play.’ ”  more

SKYE HIGH: Princeton University men’s basketball assistant coach Skye Ettin, right, and Doug Gottlieb enjoy the moment after they guided the U.S. open men’s team to the gold medal at the 2022 Maccabiah Games last month in Israel. Ettin, a former Princeton High and The College of New Jersey basketball standout, served as an assistant coach for the squad, focusing on the team’s defense. Gottlieb, a former Oklahoma State standout point guard and longtime hoops broadcaster, was the team’s head coach. (Photo provided by Skye Ettin)

By Bill Alden

Skye Ettin first traveled to Israel in 2013 for his Birthright trip to get immersed in the cultural heritage and traditions of the country.

This summer, Ettin, a former Princeton High and The College of New Jersey basketball standout and current Princeton University men’s hoops assistant coach, went on a return trip to Israel and made some history in the process.

Serving as the assistant coach for the U.S. open men’s team at the 2022 Maccabiah Games, Ettin helped guide the squad to a gold medal.

For Ettin, taking part in the Maccabiah Games was a career goal.

“I have wanted to be involved for a while, I had never played or coached in it,” said Ettin. “Howard Levy (former Princeton men’s basketball standout and longtime head coach of the Mercer County Community College men’s hoops program) is really heavily involved. He had told me a lot about it. I had heard really good things about it. It seemed like an amazing opportunity so this time, I wanted to get involved.”

Ettin reached out to Josh Schachter, the chair of the U.S. open men’s basketball team, to get in the mix for the coaching staff which was originally going to be headed by Duke assistant Jon Scheyer.

“I went through an interview process and interviewed with both of them a couple of times,” said Ettin, noting that former Princeton star and American associate head coach Scott Greenman was slated to be an assistant coach for the team. “I just got lucky enough to get it as an assistant.” more

WORLD STAGE: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Marge Donovan races upfield against Yale in a game this spring during her senior season. Star defender Donovan has enjoyed an eventful few months. She capped her final Princeton campaign by getting named as the Ivy League Defender of the Year, the Most Outstanding Player in the Ivy postseason tournament, and as a third-team IWLCA All-American. In mid-July, Donovan helped the U.S. women’s team earn a silver medal in the inaugural World Sixes tournament at the World Games in Birmingham, Ala. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Over the last few months, Marge Donovan has reached new heights in her lacrosse career.

This spring, Donovan produced a superb senior season for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team, getting named as the Ivy League Defender of the Year, the Most Outstanding Player in the Ivy postseason tournament, and as a third-team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American. Along the way, Donovan set a program single-season record in draw controls (112) and a career record in draw controls with 214.

Donovan’s heroics helped Princeton go 7-0 in Ivy play, win the league postseason tournament, and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament on the way to a 15-4 record.

In July, Donovan, a native of Catonsville, Md., competed for the U.S. team in the inaugural World Sixes tournament at the World Games in Birmingham, Ala. The athletic, rangy 5’10 Donovan helped the U.S. earn a silver medal at the competition.

In reflecting on her lacrosse whirlwind, Donovan credited her Princeton experience with laying the groundwork for her to excel on the world stage.

“I would say I owe much of who I am as a person and a lacrosse player to that program,” said Donovan. “I grew a lot. It is just a fantastic program. You have a coaching staff of Chris [Sailer], Jenn [Cook], and Kerrin [Maurer] that cares about you. Of course they care about your performance on the field but what drives the coaching is that they are culture coaches. When you have people that are genuinely invested in you, you can grow on and off the field. You feel supported.” more

UNIFIED APPROACH: Thomas Harrington, left, greets members of the New Jersey team in the unified competition at the Special Olympics USA Games held in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month. Former Princeton University women’s track assistant coach Harrington served as a technical delegate at the Games, running and coordinating the unified track competition. (Photo provided by Thomas Harrington)

By Bill Alden

Starting in the late 1980s, Thomas Harrington has experienced success coaching track at several levels.

Guiding Lawrence High and then moving on to Stuart Country Day School, Harrington’s teams amassed over 200 wins, 31 championships, and three All-America awards.

Stepping up to the college level, Harrington served as an assistant coach for the Princeton University women’s track program from 2005-2016, helping the Tigers win a number of indoor and outdoor Ivy League titles.

Over the last four years, he has been an assistant coach at Princeton High, focusing on developing the program’s sprinters and hurdlers.

But for Harrington, the highlight of his stellar coaching career has been his 30-plus years of involvement with the Special Olympics.

“I have coached at every level, from little people to collegiate to Olympian but what I have found as I dealt with the athletes at this level is that there is such a genuine appreciation that goes well beyond the coaching part,” said Harrington, who starting working with Special Olympics in 1989 when he ran coaches clinic for the organization at Lawrence High.

“There is a different energy level. Once a (Special Olympics) games is over, I am toast, I am completely tired and I am not going back. I end up in a ShopRite or Wegmans and I hear somebody say ‘hey coach,’ and one of the athletes comes running over and hugs my knees. They hooked me in. This is my passion.”

Earlier this month, Harrington ran and coordinated the unified track competition at the Special Olympics USA Games held in Orlando, Fla., from June 5-12 as it was held for the first time in the event.

Unified track involves athletes with and without intellectual disabilities competing alongside each other in a team competition in seven events, the 100 dash, 200, 400, 4×100 relay, 4×400, shot put, and long jump. more

ENJOYING THE RIDE: Princeton University women’s open rowing coxswain Roopa Venkatraman guides the varsity 4 in a race this spring during her senior campaign. Venkatraman, a Cranbury resident, helped the varsity 4 win both the Ivy League and NCAA titles this spring. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Suffering a leg injury from running cross country at the Deerfield Academy put Roopa Venkatraman on a path that ultimately ended up with her winning an NCAA title in rowing.

Needing to be on a team in the spring of her senior year at the Massachusetts prep school, Venkatraman hit the water.

“As we were required to play a sport for at least two seasons, I started looking for an alternative to running track in the spring,” said Venkatraman, a native of Cranbury. “Many of my friends were on the crew team at Deerfield, and I originally joined as a way to just spend some more time with them before we graduated. I didn’t know much about coxing, though many of my friends had told me I’d be a good fit for the role.”

Coming home to go to Princeton University in the fall of 2018, Venkatraman decided to join the Tiger women’s open rowing program.

With her limited crew experience, Venkatraman faced a challenge getting up to speed.

“Walking on to the team with 10 weeks of rowing experience, at best, I was put in a position to direct and lead people who had been rowing for five to 10 years, many of whom had national and international titles,” said Venkatraman.

“I was not incorrect to think that I was underqualified. I could barely tell port from starboard. It’s true that many people walk on to crew and the opportunity to do so is wonderful. But I think that walking on as a rower is, in some ways, different than walking on as a coxswain. As a coxswain, you’re automatically put in a position to lead. Your mistakes are literally broadcasted on speakers. If you underperform, you actively hinder the ability of the entire crew to practice and reach their potential.”

Reaching her potential, Venkatraman guided the Princeton varsity 4 win both the Ivy League and NCAA titles this spring in her senior campaign.

In becoming a national champion coxswain, Venkatraman applied a studious approach to the sport and her position. more

SHINING LIGHTS: Members of the Princeton University women’s lightweight crew program show off the spoils of victory last Sunday at Mercer County Park after they earned their first-ever team title at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta. The Tigers took first in the varsity 8 and the double sculls on the way to the title. Both boats went undefeated this season. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Having not lost a race this season, the Princeton University women’s lightweight varsity 8 wasn’t messing around as it hit the water last Sunday for the grand final of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta.

“Our race plan was to throw the kitchen sink at them; we wanted to get up on the first 500 meters, the first few strokes and just hold them to the last,” said graduate student Rebecca Mays, who rowed in the No. 2 seat on the boat. “I think we were really successful doing that.”

Even though Georgetown made a late push and narrowed the gap, Princeton held on for the victory, posting a winning time of 6:55.89 over the 2,000-meter course, 1.596 seconds better than the Hoyas.

“Not at all, we knew what we had left in the tank,” said Mays with a smile when asked if she was concerned about Georgetown’s surge.

The varsity 8’s win helped Princeton earn the national team title for the first time in program history as double sculls also placed first and its varsity 4 took fourth.

For Mays, the win by the varsity 8 resulted from months of hard work.

“It didn’t feel real at first because we have worked towards this all year long,” said Mays, a native of Annandale, Va. “The whole past year, this has been the goal. We finally accomplished that, it was really beautiful. It was really overwhelming.”

It was the second straight crown for the boat, which had won the title in 2021 by beating Wisconsin in a two-boat grand final.

“It was incredible, last year we knew we could have done it against a full field,” said Mays. “It is just really exciting to finally put that into action and see it through to the end.” more

HEAVY MEDAL: Members of the Princeton University men’s heavyweight varsity 4 celebrate after they won the grand final at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta last Saturday. The boat clocked a winning time of 6:20.001 over the 2,000-meter course on Mercer Lake, edging runner-up Washington, who came in at 6:20.897. The boat included coxswain Eleanor Bauer, Greg Le Meur, Matthew Wagner, Emmett Infante, and Samuel Kleiner. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Heading into the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship regatta last weekend at Mercer Lake, the Princeton University men’s heavyweight rowing program was girding for a dogfight.

“It has been an interesting year, we faced plenty of challenges,” said Princeton heavyweight head coach Greg Hughes. “The [Eastern] Sprints for us was just an awesome breakthrough. It was a really, really positive step forward. We knew coming in that the level is high and there is a lot of depth. There are new programs in that top mix. Syracuse has done a really amazing job. Northeastern has done an amazing job. Dartmouth has done an amazing job, they are in the mix now. Look back to 2018 and 2019, those teams are here now and they are players. We knew that. We did a decent job preparing. We were in a position to be a contender and I think we were.”

The varsity 4 provided the highlight of the regatta for Princeton, winning its grand final on Saturday to earn a national title. The boat posted a winning time of 6:20.001 over the 2,000-meter course, edging runner-up Washington, who came in at 6:20.897.

“It was amazing, that was such an inspiration for me to watch,” said Hughes of the boat which included coxswain Eleanor Bauer, Greg Le Meur, Matthew Wagner, Emmett Infante, and Samuel Kleiner.

“What is great is that learning to win matters and that is something we will bring into the program next year. All of those guys will be back. That was phenomenal and it was an inspiration to the rest of our team too. That was really, really rewarding and positive.”

Another positive moment for Princeton came on Saturday when the second varsity 8 battled hard to take third in its semi to earn a spot in the grand final. more

RUNNING INTO TROUBLE: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Alexander Vardaro, left, heads to goal last Saturday night against Maryland in the NCAA semis. Junior midfielder Vardaro scored a team-high two goals as the Tigers fell 13-8 to undefeated and eventual national champion Maryland at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. (Photo by Noel Valero)

By Bill Alden

After the start of its NCAA semifinal game against Maryland was delayed for four hours by stormy weather, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team was greeted by blue skies as it hit Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., last Saturday.

Princeton, though, was seeing red about a half hour later as undefeated and top-seeded powerhouse Maryland built a 5-1 first quarter lead over the fifth-seeded Tigers.

But a scrappy Princeton team, which started the season unranked and clawed its way to the Final 4, didn’t flinch, narrowing the gap to 7-4 by halftime.

“We’ve kind of been there before, been through a lot of up and downs, been all over the place this season,” said Tiger senior goalie Erik Peters. “We had all the trust in the world in each other and just the next play. I think that kind of mentality let us get back in the game and keep going.”

Maryland kept going after the break, going on a 4-0 run, as the sun set on the Tigers with the Terps pulling away to a 13-8 run. Two days later, Maryland went on to edge seventh-seeded Cornell 9-7 in the championship game to end the spring with an 18-0 record.

While the loss to the Terps stung, Princeton head coach Matt Madalon was proud of what his team accomplished as it went 11-5 on the way to making its first Final 4 since 2004.

“Credit to an outstanding Maryland team, they capitalized on every mistake we made,” said Madalon. “It is a heck of a team, very well coached. Our senior class group that brought us back to this weekend. I am very proud for our program. Obviously it didn’t work out the way we wanted, but we’re very happy to be here.”  more