Video(s) Of The Week: Harvard and Princeton Throw Down on Lake Carnegie; Ohio State and UVa Battle for Supremacy in Clemson
In a heavyweight showdown of powerhouse Ivy programs over the weekend, the Princeton Tigers showed just how far their program has come over the past several seasons under head coach Greg Hughes, sweeping the Crimson and setting the stage for what could be a revolution at Sprints. With an open-water victory in the men's varsity eight, the Tigers sealed the sweep and claimed the Compton Cup for the first time in almost a decade. Given the early-season speed at the top end, as well as the program's depth, the Tigers could be the team to beat in the East come May.
Meanwhile, at the Clemson Invite, the Ohio State Buckeyes once again took on top-flight competition, and showed that they have the speed at the top to get it done in the varsity eight (see video below). Take a look at the video below, and you'll find that the same base speed through the middle thousand is again a characteristic of the Buckeyes, as they smoothly and consistently build their lead over the field, finishing with four seconds back to second-place Virginia.
However, also on display was the significant depth of the Virginia program—the Cavaliers weren't far off the Buckeyes in the premier boat, and also got the better of Ohio State in the second varsity eight and varsity four. As expected, Kevin Sauer's program is looking strong, and the real question will be whether or not they can find the right combination to maximize their speed in the first boat, with the team already performing well as a whole. And again, right there in the mix was the new-look Texas Longhorns program—the 'O'Neill effect' is already paying dividends, and the results from Clemson over the weekend show that Crew Classic was no fluke. Hook 'em.
Look for updated NCAA, IRA, and ACRA rankings this week via our appropriately named Rankings page. Have a submission for 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email, send us your suggestions via Twitter, or get in touch via our Facebook or Google+ pages.
-RR