With 34 entries and teams from six different conferences competing against each other, the women’s coxed fours at the Princeton Chase will serve as an opportunity for collegiate teams to test their fall season speed against crews that they may not see as often in the Spring. Most teams have also entered four to six fours, so the Chase will allow for some internal competition between athletes looking to assert their speed as the fall season comes to a close.
Princeton University
As the host institution, Princeton University has the greatest number of entries, with eight fours entered. They are expected to solidify their speed against the field, although it may come down to a few seconds’ difference. Following a decent performance at the Head of the Charles two weeks ago, where the team secured a ninth-place finish in the championship four, Princeton also posted sound finishes in the championship eight, proving their speed with a 15-second lead on Clemson University, who they will face again this upcoming weekend. As the host institution, Princeton will also confidently assert themselves as course experts.
Rutgers University
Following an impressive eighth-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championships, Rutgers University will aim to closely challenge Princeton’s speed with four entries in the coxed four. Last year, Rutgers’ A entry finished just one second behind Princeton. However, with only 14 athletes out of the 23 that made up last year’s NCAA team returning, Rutgers may still be working towards building up to the speed they saw last spring. Regardless, they will undoubtedly be looking to push the speed of their Jersey neighbours.
Clemson University
In their second year under Head Coach Adrienne Martelli, Clemson is poised to build upon its relative success last season and push the possibilities of this year’s team. They will not quite match the speed of Princeton and Rutgers, but they are strong contenders to place. Just two weeks ago, the team raced two eights at the Head of the Charles. The championship eight finished 15 seconds ahead of Princeton’s A entry and seven seconds ahead of Princeton B’s entry. After the race, coach Martelli expressed a positive outlook, explaining that the team is looking forward to facing off against other collegiate teams.
The University of Oklahoma
Although the Sooners neither made it to the NCAA Championship nor finished in the CRCA top 25 poll, they still have an opportunity to test their speed against some of the top collegiate teams in the nation. Coming off a podium sweep in the four at the Head of the Oklahoma, the team already has some racing experience behind it this season. While they may not reach the podium this weekend, they will surely strive to improve as a team and surpass their competitors, including the University of Iowa, Bucknell University, and Mercyhurst University.
Prediction
I believe that we will see a very tight race for first and second, with Princeton narrowly edging out Rutgers. Third will confidently be in the hands of Clemson’s A entry, as they have proven themselves to be solid contenders, but have yet to match the speed of top-10 teams. Fourth and fifth will see some more tight racing, with Oklahoma and Iowa battling it out. Ultimately, Oklahoma may come out with the faster time, but this will come down to a day-of ability to maintain composure on race day
