Men's lightweight crew caps perfect season with Henley crown

The exclamation point on a perfect season of rowing came Sunday for the Princeton men's lightweight crew, which capped a season of Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges, Ivy League and national championships by winning the 2009 Temple Challenge Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta.

Princeton, which became only the second lightweight crew to win Henley in the last 36 years, edged the Brown freshman heavyweight crew by 3/4 of a length to win.

"The race was fantastic," said head coach Greg Hughes, who led the Princeton freshman heavyweight crew to a 2003 Henley Temple Challenge Cup title. "It was a good battle for two, two-and-a half minutes with no more than a foot between either boat. We made a really nice move to take a little bit of a lead and pressed it out from there. It was a really solid Brown crew and a great battle."

The Henley Royal Regatta, which took place July 1-5, was first held in 1839 and has been held annually every year outside of the two World Wars. It is an international regatta open to any crew, with different levels of competition.

The full story and video footage of the men's lightweight crew, as well as a history of Princeton crew at Henley, can be found on the athletic communications website.

Lightweight crew at Henley

Members of the Princeton men's lightweight crew celebrate their victory in the 2009 Temple Challenge Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta. (Photo: Fred Klein)