The men’s lightweight 8+ is notorious for being closely contested by the nature of its 165 lb weight restriction, and this year’s Princeton Chase is no exception. The race features four crews from last season’s IRA 1V grand final – Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and the Naval Academy. Of these crews, three placed within a second of each other at the Head of the Charles (Cornell, Penn and Princeton, who were 2nd through 4th respectively), with remarkably similar split profiles. To add to the intrigue, this is the first major race of the season for the Navy lightweights, who were notably absent from the Head of the Charles. After back-to-back podium finishes at the Eastern Sprints in 2022 and 2023, they will be looking to bounce back from a 2024 season that saw them off the winning pace. Rounding out the field are Georgetown University, who have been known to pull off an upset, and Mercyhurst University. This race promises to be both high-quality and highly competitive.
Princeton University
As the only home team on Lake Carnegie, Princeton‘s familiarity with the course will certainly be an advantage, albeit not a large one considering the simplicity of the 3-mile stretch. Princeton are perennial contenders in the lightweight league, with a consistently talented roster and a long history of success at the Shea Rowing Center. They are looking to build on a strong finish to the 2024 season, which saw them steal a silver from Penn at the IRA and come within a length of an undefeated Harvard crew that the, Tigers will surely have their eye on this year. Princeton’s top-end talent is notable, returning many former national champions and international representatives including Nick Aronow, Reuben Cook, and David Van Velden. A strong freshman class includes recent henley champions Freddie Middleton and Atticus Chute, who won the Thames Challenge cup and Fawley Challenge cup in 2024 for Thames Rowing Club and Windsor Boys respectively. While the Tigers lost to both Penn and Cornell at the Head of the Charles, they were within one second of both crews, and a home course advantage places them as the tentative favorites in this race.
University of Pennsylvania
The Quakers have entered four boats in the event, many of which will show real speed. Penn’s team has proven to be deep: they were the only lightweight team to win medals in the 1V, 2V and 3V 4+ at the IRA last season and they also picked up the Jope Cup points trophy at the Eastern Sprints. Two weeks ago, they placed third at the Head of the Charles in the lightweight eight and took both first and second in the lightweight four. Penn is poised for another successful year, returning seven of the nine members of their varsity at the end of the 2024 season. This includes former U23 gold medalist Nathaniel Sass and fellow senior and Sarasota native Troy Reisenberger. Junior’s Harrison Azrak and George Drago recently represented the USA at the U23 World Championships in the lightweight pair. There is no doubt that Quakers will challenge for the win on Lake Carnegie.
Cornell University
Perhaps a surprise to a casual observer of collegiate lightweight rowing, Cornell has won by far the most national titles of any team in the last 20 years, with the 1922 Trophy coming back to Ithaca six times since 2005. However, the Big Red have not seen the medals dock in the varsity eight since they won the national championship in 2019. Graduating four of the nine members of their 1V at the IRA last year, this Cornell crew is a new look outfit, making them hard to put a finger on. Early signs say that this season could be different for the Big Red, with a second place finish at the Head of the Charles putting Tyler Nase’s team in position for a strong year. Cornell won the Princeton Chase last year, and they are as good a chance as any to repeat that success on Sunday.
Prediction
The Tigers are in a privileged position going into this race. With the home water advantage and a strong roster of results, I believe they will take the win. However, given the nature of lightweight racing, we may see some upsets on Lake Carniege.
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