Coming off a sweep at the hands of the Williams Ephs, the Wesleyan men’s and women’s crew teams looked to bounce back last Saturday in Derby, CT against Trinity. The Bantam rowers, ranked second in New England, would pose a formidable challenge to the Cardinals as they looked to prepare for the level of competition they would face at the New England Championships. Though the weather conditions affected both teams equally, rain, fog, and winds gusting over 20 mph were not what the Cardinals had in mind as they headed into the postseason.  Meanwhile, Trinity coped with the weather conditions well enough to sweep Wesleyan for the second straight week.

The men’s first varsity boat had been undefeated in the first four races of the spring sprint season before succumbing to Williams. Despite the poor conditions on the 2000-meter course on the Housatonic River, the Cardinals competed admirably with the higher-ranked Trinity boat, but ultimately fell to the Bantams in a closely contested race, 6:19.1 to 6:20.4.  The fact that the Cardinals were able to stay with a crew as strong as Trinity for 2000 meters bodes well for their prospects in the postseason.

The second men’s varsity boat did not fare as well, finishing with a time of 6:47.3 behind both the second Trinity varsity boat and the first Trinity novice boat. The 7:01.4 finish for the third men’s varsity boat was similarly disappointing, as it placed Wesleyan behind the second Trinity novice boat and the third Trinity varsity boat, respectively.

This spring has been a difficult one for the women’s first varsity boat, as their winless streak hit six this weekend against Trinity. The Bantams proved to be the superior team, besting the Wesleyan first varsity boat by over 20 seconds as the Cardinals finished with a time of 7:38.8. The second women’s varsity boat mirrored the finish of their male equivalent, finishing behind the second Trinity varsity boat and first novice boat with a time of 7:54.7. The third women’s varsity boat fell in a similar fashion, with the 8:33.0 time placing it well behind the third Trinity varsity boat.

Wesleyan men’s and women’s crew will take to the water again on Saturday, April 30 at the New England Championships.