It was a disappointing weekend for the men’s crew team, as the Cardinals dropped their first race of the spring to Little Three Rival Williams. The race was a match-up between the second- and third-ranked crews in the New England region. Williams, who had been in the third spot, took the race by a comfortable five-second margin.

“Williams had us off the start and built off the early lead for the rest of the race,” said Doug Cody ’09. “I think they wanted it more than our guys.”

The race, held in Pittsfield, Mass. last Saturday, had a lot of meaning beyond the regional rankings. As always, Little Three rivalry matches are very intense. Further stirring the pot were the Cardinals’ two victories over the Ephs last year, including a huge win in the New England Championships. The sour taste left in Williams’ mouth seemed to act as a motivator for them this time.

“We could have a winning record, but you want the wins against Williams a bit more,” Cody said. “[Williams] never let up, and their celebration on the water immediately after they crossed the line showed how much they cared about this race.”

As mentioned, Williams controlled most of the race. It led wire to wire, as Wesleyan was rowing from behind for most of the race on the 2000-meter Lake Onota course. The varsity eight rowers for Wesleyan were Jeremy Brown ’08, Doug Cody ’09, Parker Cook ’10, Gael Hagan ’09, Ross Heinemann ’09, Ben Roberts ’09, Elliot Skopin ’11, Charles Weiss ’09, and with coxswain George Bennum ’09. While able to stay close, they could not overcome the Ephs. The final times were Williams at 6:07.9 and Wesleyan at 6:12.9.

It was a tough day for the Cardinals all around, as the other three boats competing also fell to Williams. The second Varsity eight fell by 16 seconds, while the third Varsity eight was eight seconds off the lead.

While it was a tough weekend, it was just the Cardinals’ first defeat of the spring. After this disappointing setback, Wesleyan must regroup quickly, as matches against Connecticut College and Trinity loom this weekend. This is the final-tune up for the New England Championships in two weeks, where a rematch with Williams is possible.

“Williams came at the racing with an intensity that we did not match,” said Weiss. “Luckily, we’ll see them again at New England Championships in two weeks and will have a chance at redemption.”