PRINCETON, N.J. — An impressive push over the final 500 meters by Princeton's No. 2-ranked first varsity eight lead the Tigers to regain control of the Platt Cup over the No. 3-ranked Cornell men's lightweight rowing team on Lake Carnegie on Saturday morning.

Princeton finished 1.2 seconds ahead of the Big Red with a time of 5:40.275, as Cornell clocked a time of 5:41.475 in a closely contested race throughout the 2000-meter course.

Despite falling in the Platt Cup race, Cornell registered victories in the second and third varsity races by three and 32 seconds, respectively, to retain the Harriet Trophy for a second consecutive season.

A strong start off the block led Princeton to a five-seat lead in the opening 500 meters of the first varsity eight race before Cornell inched closer over the next 1000 meters to draw even with the Tigers, resulting in an intense finish between the Ivy League rivals. After passing the 1500-meter buoys, Princeton quickly regained its five-seat lead over the following 250 meters that ultimately led to claiming its victory in the Platt Cup race. 

In the first race of the day, Cornell's 3V8 used a great start off the starting blocks to garner a wire-to-wire finish, finishing with a time of 6:04.372 that was 32.044 seconds faster than Princeton.

Cornell's second varsity eight and Princeton went stroke-for-stroke over the first 250 meters as the Big Red had a two-seat lead prior to jumping out to a seven-seat lead just after the 500-meter mark. Generating a bow-to-stern lead on the Tigers just after the 1000-meter mark, Cornell was able to hold its advantage until the finish line where it finished just 3.082 seconds ahead of Princeton with its 5:54.571 time.

RESULTS
1V8 (Platt Cup):
Princeton — 5:40.275
Cornell — 5:41.475

2V8:
Cornell — 5:54.571
Princeton — 5:57.653

3V8:
Cornell — 6:04.372
Princeton — 6:36.416

BOATINGS
1V8: Alice Rau (coxswain), Gerald Anderson (stroke), Eliott Swinney, Jack Savell, Emmett Patterson, Danny Mackle, Timothy Duffy, Grant Smith, Axel Ljunggren (box).

2V8: Aden Walsey (coxswain), Sam Alston (stroke), Peter Albrecht, Andrew Hohlt, Sebastian Pardo, Tomas Eliot Foxley, Henry Koontz, Connor Eaton, Patrick Reilly (bow).

3V8: Joycelyn Vu (coxswain), Jack Oliveira (stroke), Luke Zaslow, Matt Callewaert, Rahil Dundon, Joe Savell, Eric Genden, Henry McCarthy, Keaton Lynch (bow).

A LOOK UPSTREAM
Cornell, who has won two of the last three Geiger Cups, look to regain control of the trophy from Columbia next Saturday, April 20, when the Big Red travels to Overpeck, N.J., to row against the Lions. Racing is tentatively scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Overpeck Park.

Columbia claimed the Geiger Cup last year after posting a three-second victory over the Big Red on Cayuga Inlet last April 23. The Big Red won the Geiger Cup in its last time rowing on the Lions' home waters, posting a victory by 2.5 seconds on May 1, 2022, in Leonia, N.J.