Coming off of a fifth-place finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta last weekend, the men’s crew team put together another exceptional performance at the Head of the Fish Regatta on Sunday. With a time of 10:15.91, the team’s first varsity eight finished in second place out of the twenty boats in the competition, finishing ahead of Williams and UMass in the team’s final competition of the fall season.
Like the Head of the Charles, Saturday’s race saw each boat starting their race in increments of twenty seconds, with the first varsity eight starting behind UMass at the starting gate. The UMass lead in the water, however, slowly evaporated as the Cardinals first varsity boat powered past them with 500 meters to go in the race, leaving the first varsity boat with a triumphant feeling as they crossed the finish line.
“At the end of the race, I could just admit that we had done well when we finished,” said co-captain Matt Carey ’07. “As much as I try to stay calm and sportsmanlike, I have to admit the little boy inside of me wanted to burst out and scream at the top of my lungs. It was a great finish because we had all worked so hard together and we had gone through the day in such cold, rainy, and unfavorable conditions.”
One of the highlights for the crew team on Saturday was their thorough domination of Williams in all three of the team’s varsity eight boats, demonstrating the team’s incredible depth this fall. In addition to the first varsity boat’s 12 second finish ahead of Williams’s first varsity boat, the Cardinals’ second varsity boat also finished with a time of 10:24.86, almost three seconds ahead of Williams’s first varsity boat. Finally, the Cardinals’ third varsity boat finished ahead of Williams’s second varsity boat by over 15 seconds.
“The second and third boats can get overlooked when the results come in, and having our second boat beat Williams’s first boat and our third boat beating Williams’s second, it really shows how much work they’ve been putting in,” said Doug Cody ’09, a member of the first varsity boat. “When you have a third boat that can be a second boat anywhere else and a second boat that could be [a first boat], it means the first boat guys really have to step up and show the same amount of tenacity that those other guys are displaying.”
In addition to the three varsity eight boats, the Cardinals also entered a boat into the men’s open four competition with a team put together just hours before the race, in which they finished in first place by 12 seconds.
“These results are truly a testament to the depth that our team has this year,” said co-captain Chris Cody ’07, who along with his brother, sits on the top varsity boat. “When every single boat you’ve entered in a race is extremely competitive, you know you’ve got something good.”
While the Cardinals posted top finishes in both regattas this fall, each rower recognizes the importance of winter training in preparation for the spring and challenging other members for a spot on the top varsity boat.
“The key for the winter is not to get complacent with a few good results in the fall. This has been a lot of fun, but we have to look forward and build on our success. It would be a big mistake to think that our speed relative to other crews now is what it will be in the spring,” said first varsity boat member Colin Prensky ’07.
“I think the entire team is going to be extremely driven as we move into indoor training,” added Gael Hagan ’09. “We know from our results that we have a few very fast boats that have the potential to do very well in the spring. We don’t want to lose that over the course of the winter, so we will be working hard to maintain our fitness and become even faster.”
In the spring, the crew team will take place in races that are significantly shorter than the long distance races that characterized the fall competition. If the fall season is any indication for the spring, the men’s crew team should find themselves as one of the top teams in Division III in the second part of their season.
“I’ve been in the sport for a while, and I plan on being in it for a while after college,” Carey said. “This has turned out to be the best fall season I’ve been a part of so far, and my ambition is to make it into our best spring.”
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