At the end of the day, it all came down to the V8. With Yale in pole position to claim the championship and the automatic qualifying berth to the NCAA championships, having won the Varsity Four and the Second Varsity Eight, the undefeated Princeton Varsity eight dropped the hammer out of the gates, built an insurmountable lead, and sped home in a blazing 6:01 to clinch it for the Tigers ahead of Penn and Yale.
It's not an exaggeration to say that a lot was riding on this one race--Princeton's win sealed the AQ, the Ivy title and the overall regatta points trophy, whew. That's a lot of eggs in one big, fast basket.
"We knew that it was going to be tight and fast and fun," said Princeton captain Camille Vandermeer, who rowed five seat in the crew. "I think the team just really came together and did a great job today."
"In in the varsity and as well in the entire team, we really focused on being relentless," she added. "This was a key theme for us. And not giving an inch, I think, is kind of our philosophy. We started out with a bit of a rocky fall. But I think coming together with good team culture, being very supportive, and obviously working hard, all helps create a lot of success here."
"Honestly, I think they are each other's greatest fans and support each other and push each other, catch each other when they fall," said Princeton head coach Lori Dauphiny. "It makes a big difference. Not all teams come together like this and just have this almost magical dynamic, where everyone feels like they can be their best."
"It wasn't just about the top eight, but it was about the depth that we have on the team," continued Dauphiny. "I think that made a big difference going into the winter, and that's what helped make this spring a possibility. It was really the winter months, where the team came together. And they weren't certain. They were always talking about 'can we even do it?'"
Finishing just four seats or so back of Princeton was Penn, who recorded their highest finish at the Ivy Championships since 1980.
"I don't think we looked very far ahead," said Penn head coach Wes Ng about his crew's performance this year. "We basically took it week by week, trying to make sure that we were learning and getting a little bit better each day. That doesn't sound like a very exciting answer, but kudos to them to stay committed to that because sometimes it's really not fun."
"From here, I think we are on track to record our peak performance at the NCAA championships."
Penn finished third in the 2V behind Princeton and Yale, and fourth in the Varsity Four.
For Yale, finishing third in the 1V dashed their hopes of clinching the automatic bid, but that result overshadowed what had been a superb performance by the team on the day, capturing two out of the three NCAA events, and three out of six events overall at the regatta.
Yale head coach Will Porter acknowledged his teams' depth after the racing. "These guys have consistently been strong regarding the field, and they've led our program. So we're doing great."
"If I'm honest, we've had a hard time getting separation between our 1V and 2V all year. Those 16 athletes, all of them have switched in and out of those two boats, all year nonstop. It gives coaches gray hair and makes them not sleep!
For Porter, the intensity of the selection process wasn't a negative for his team. "I think they they learn to compete, and they learn the small things about staying internal and just doing their best. They also learn how to be gracious teammates and cheer for each other, which is super important."
TEAM POINTS
Like the racing on the course, the points margins were about as tight as you can imagine; Princeton scored 85 points, beating Yale by one point for the championship. It was Princeton's third consecutive Ivy title, and 18th overall.
In addition to the 1V, Princeton won the 3V eight and the Varsity "B" Four, while Yale won the Varsity "C" Four in addition to the "A" Four and 2V.
Penn was third with 66 points while Brown was fourth with 64. Yale and Penn both look to receive at-large bids to the NCAAs.
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