CAMBRIDGE – The No. 4 Princeton Heavyweight Rowing Team defeated the No. 1 Harvard Crimson on the Charles River, collecting its second straight Compton Cup.
In a closely contested race, the 1V led throughout and eventually crossed the line at 5:51.7, just in front of the home Crimson (5:53.3).
It’s only the fourth time since the Compton Cup started in 1933 that Princeton has won consecutive races against Harvard (1933-36, 1956-57, 2015-16, 2023-24). 2016 was also the last time the Tigers won on Charles River.
“I thought this week was a large step forward in the right direction,” said Connor Neill, the coxswain of the 1V. “We were ranked as underdogs heading into this race and that only fueled us. We have a lot to improve on because we will be seeing Harvard and many other good crews in just a few weeks.”
The 2V also took home a close victory by 2.5 seconds (5:58.0) over Harvard (6:00.5). The Crimson’s 3V corralled a 6:01.7, just ahead of Princeton (6:03.9).
Princeton’s 4V finished off the racing with a 6:22.7, 12.1 seconds in front.
“I am extremely proud of the way our whole team raced today,” said Princeton head coach Greg Hughes. “It was a full team effort, and it took a full pull by everyone on the squad to earn these results.”
Princeton goes back on the road next Saturday (Apr. 27) to take on Yale and Cornell for the Carnegie Cup.
