Rounding off the Fall season for several crews this Sunday, is the invitational Princeton Chase. Held on Princeton’s very own three-mile stretch of water at Lake Carnegie, the Chase is often used as a chance to field numerous crews in the same open event. This is an opportunity for an eclectic mix of boats ranging from the Varsity to the 6th Eight to compete against each other and enables chaos and upsets aplenty.
Men’s Heavyweight Eight
As hosts and favourites, Princeton will be going off as bow number 1 in the Men’s Heavyweight Eight. Having finished third at the IRA national championships and second in the collegiate class at the Head of the Charles two weeks ago it will be near impossible for another crew to topple them. With a star-studded crew stroked by two-time U23 World Champion Theo Bell, backed up by British sculler Marcus Chute, Brazilian Marco Misasi, and Chicagoan U23 silver medallist Nick Taylor in the middle of the boat, Princeton will be looking to round out the Fall in style.
One man who does have experience of beating Princeton at the Chase though is Penn Heavyweight Coach Al Monte, who won here in 2019 whilst he was Assistant Coach at Dartmouth. Penn’s season last year was a turnaround in fortunes for a program that has struggled in spite of its prestigious heritage. Training on the Schuylkill, the southernmost Ivy has a notoriously intense training program and results are beginning to show for it. Having won theChapman Trophy at the IRAs last season for being the most improved men’s heavyweight crew, they were the 8th fastest crew at the Charles this year improving on 19th from 2022. They are a program on the up and up with two All-Americans and the 2023 IRCA Comeback Athlete of the Year, Ben Rutherford, on board, they will be hoping to produce ahistoric upset on Princeton’s home waters this weekend.
Also attending are 2008 IRA Champions Wisconsin. The Badgers had a rocky time at the Charles this year with their coach Beau Hoopman pointing out their significant blow after the first few minutes of racing. However, no matter how they perform, with entries in both waves of racing this race could prove valuable experience for the Badgers to further their race experience in advance of the winter break.
Women’s Heavyweight Eight
The Women’s Heavyweight Eight will be an exciting two-way battle between Penn and Princeton. Both will be looking to rebound after a disappointing Head of the Charles which saw Princeton finish only 15th after medalling at NCAAs last year. Whilst they beat Penn (who finished sixth at last years NCAAs), this may have only been due to Penn’s involvement in an incident in the first third of the race where they lost thirty seconds to the crews around them. With only two seconds separating them over the final two miles at the Charles, this promises to be an exceptionally tight race where we finally find out who is faster.
Men’s Lightweight Eight
The Men’s Lightweight Event could be equally as exciting. Featuring four of last years IRA finalists it’s set to be the event of the day. Having been just 0.4 seconds off winning the Head of the Charles behind Harvard, Penn will surely be racing with the intention of proving they are the fastest lightweight eight in the country. Watch out for their sprint towards the line, which was significantly faster than any other lightweight eight’s two weeks ago. Cornell was leading Penn to the halfway marker at the Charles this year before fading to third place, with these two boats setting off next to each other in third and fourth it’ll be fascinating to watch. Both Penn and Cornell are starting behind Princeton and Navy who were 15 to 20 seconds off the pace at the Charles this year, whether they will be able to find more speed or be caught by the chasing pack will be another dynamic that will decide who wins this year’s lightweight category.
Women’s Lightweight Eight
A three way competition will see Princeton, Georgetown and Harvard Radcliffe lightweight women vie for top spot. Surely team Crimson will be favourites for the win, as recent victors of the Head of the Charles, placing 10 seconds ahead of the Tigers, they will feel confident going into this weekend.
Conclusions
The afternoon at the Chase is made up of a second wave of eights racing along with a variety of small boats racingincluding fours, doubles, pairs, and even some singles. This provides an opportunity for crews to either learn from their mistakes in the morning, or collapse under the pressure of racing back to back in different boat classes. Although the Chase isn’t always the most well attended event, the crews and personalities at this years event mean it is one to keep your eye on.
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