1997 Lightweight Season in Review

Unlike their heavyweight brethren, the lightweight crew spent much of this season away from friendly Lake Carnegie. Just like the heavyweights, though, Joe Murtaugh's lightweights had another successful season, if not an undefeated one. The varsity boat lost only one race during the head-to-head season, by a mere seat to Harvard. That loss was the first regular-season loss since 1993, and the Crimson would continue to have PrincetonÕs number as the season continued. The outcome wasnÕt as close at Eastern Sprints, where the Tigers lost by an open water margin to Harvard and by nearly four seconds to Yale. Still reeling, Princeton responded at the IRA regatta in Camden, N.J., to defeat Harvard in a preliminary heat. But the final later in the day saw the same result as at Eastern Sprints three weeks earlier, and Princeton had to settle for a third-place finish.

The lightweight crew triumphed over a strong Navy squad by 14 seconds on April 5 the lightweight program celebrated its 75th anniversary. Two weekends later brought the annual Wood Hammond Cup race against Pennsylvania, a race that the Princeton lightweights had won 16 consecutive years. Make it 17 years. Even the home course on the Schuylkill River and a gusty wind could not help the Quakers, who lost to Princeton by over three seconds.

The freshman boat went undefeated in 1997, winning by an average of over 10 seconds per race. With that undefeated freshman boat all returning, look for another streak and another Jope Cup for the overall points trophy at Eastern Sprints to happen next season.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The varsity eight lost only to Harvard in the head-to-head season, while the second varsity lost only to Yale.
  
• The first freshman boat went undefeated in head-to-head races.
  
• Princeton finished third at both the IRA and Eastern Sprints regattas behind Harvard and Yale.

RESULTS