Lightweights Host Princeton and Yale In Goldthwait Cup

Two years ago it looked as if the Harvard lightweights had finally found a rivalry to sink its oars into as a Princeton eight handed the Crimson its first non-Sprints loss in nine years.

Last year the Crimson edged out the highly touted Tigers by a scant one and a half seconds in the Goldthwait Cup. But Princeton's chance to redeem itself and show Harvard, and whoever else was watching, that they were indeed tops in the East crumpled as the Tigers crawled across the finish line a very dead last in the Sprints Grande Finale.

This Sunday morning--pushed up from Saturday to accommodate oarsmen taking the MCATs--the Crimson will face a Princeton crew which has failed to recover from last year's washout at Worcester. Yale as always will be on hand to turn over its shirts to the winner.

Tigers Decline

Coach John Higginson offered his reason for Princeton's decline yesterday. "Princeton hasn't lost its personnel as much as. It's lost its sophomoric enthusiasm. It certainly was a sudden loss of momentum," he said.

Harvard, on the other hand, will not be treating its rather pathetic competition with much compassion, as Higginson's varsity is still recovering from its man-overboard loss to Navy last weekend.

"The squad took the loss very hard and it's taken quite a while for it to recover. Any vindictiveness on its part will not be directed to Princeton and Yale so much as the world in general," Higginson said.

Despite the loss at Navy, the varsity still maintained its tops-in-the-East status as voted by the coaches. Higginson said he was delighted by that since that's the way he sees the crews stack up. Harvard's J.V. and first freshman boat were also rated as the number-one eight in its division.

There has been a minor within-the-boat change for the varsity as John Kiger has exchanged his number-two seat for Mike Loucks's four position. Aside from that the boats remain intact.

A Lone Challenge

Peter Raymond's first freshman boat will face the only challenge of the day versus an undefeated Tiger yard ling crew, Raymond's eight sets up with Kevin Cunningham at stroke. John Pickering at seven. Greg Kubicek at six and Don Harting at five.

The bow four finds Ham Potter at four, Dave Calkins at three, Bruce Cranston holding down the two oar and Geoff Brooks balancing things out at bow. Julian Hatton is in control for the coxing duties.

Races start off at 8:15 a.m. Sunday with the second freshman race and continue on the half hour until the Varsity takes off at 10:15 a.m.