On a frigid afternoon, both the men and women’s crew teams performed admirably at their latest regatta by finishing in second and first place respectively in the Varsity 8 race. The regatta took place on Lake Quinsigamond in Worchester, Mass., and featured Wesleyan along with WPI, UMass, Smith, and NESCAC rivals Bates and Middlebury. Despite the cold, the racing weather was ideal, as only a slight cross tail wind threatened to derail the boats.
Although it was only edged out by WPI, the men’s team felt as if its performance could have been better. The men’s first boat got off to a very fast start in the Varsity 8 but was unable to hold off WPI as the race progressed and ended up in a dead heat with Colby for second place. The Cardinal men were able to successfully edge out Colby by three-tenths of a second, which made a statement against a NESCAC rival. Although they didn’t win, much optimism remains about the future of a Wesleyan team that is just scratching the surface of its potential.
“This is still a relatively new lineup,” said Ben Record ’15, the lone freshman in the men’s first varsity boat. “We’re still in the learning process; we still have a lot of work to do. Hopefully we can continue to utilize our talent to get faster.”
The other men’s boats also performed well. The second varsity team finished in third place, and the third varsity team won its heat, and beat out WPI by a full three seconds. These developments bode well for a deep men’s squad going forward.
The women’s team continued their storybook season, as the first varsity boat thrashed the competition by almost five seconds. This is just another accomplishment on the women’s glowing resume as they gun for a shot at a ranking in the top eight in the country and the accompanying NCAA bid. They are currently ranked ninth, but the last two races have not been factored into the standings, so their chances of competing on a national scale remain very much alive.
The Cardinal women also saw success further down on their roster, with the second varsity boat sneaking past WPI by half of a second in the Second Varsity 8 race. While WPI was able to best Wesleyan in the Third Varsity 8 race by a time of 7:20.5 to 7:23.8, the Novice 4 boat was able to continue the Cardinal women’s winning ways by beating out Middlebury by more than 23 seconds.
Next week, both men’s and women’s crew continue their seasons in Maiden, Mass., facing off against Bates and Tufts. The women’s team also faces Wellesley. “I’m looking forward to next week,” Record said. “Bates is a rival, should be a good competition.”