The Wesleyan crew teams performed well in Massachusetts this weekend despite tough competition. The men finished second to the University of New Hampshire by a fraction of a second and the women placed fourth, losing to Bates and Washington College by narrow margins.
The men’s first varsity eight boat started off the day by defeating Tufts by four seconds in the first semifinal race. In the other semifinal, New Hampshire easily defeated Bates, leading to a Wesleyan/New Hampshire showdown. The 2,000-meter battle came down to the wire as New Hampshire edged the Cardinals at the finish by a hundredth of a second. Despite the loss, the team rowed 5:49.5, its fastest time this season for 2,000-meters. The Cardinals are currently ranked fifth in the New England Rowing Poll.
“It was a battle from the beginning,” said senior rower Daryl Lambert. “We cruised pretty comfortably past Tufts, but UNH gave us a real challenge. As the race progressed, neither team wanted to give an inch. In the end they got us, but we’re feeling pretty confident heading into Little Three’s next week.”
In addition, Wesleyan showed its depth last Saturday as the men’s second eight boat placed first after defeating New Hampshire in the semifinals and Tufts in the finals. The team also rowed a season best 6:05.7, which would have contended with many teams’ first boats.
On the women’s side, the varsity eight boat faced tough competition from highly ranked Bates and Washington College. In the semifinal race, the eventual champion Bates was able to pull away from the Cardinals in the final 500 meters to win by two seconds, but the Cardinals were not done. In the race for third place, Wesleyan faced a strong Washington College team, falling by a mere four seconds. No one on the squad is discouraged, as they are currently ranked seventh in a New England Rowing Poll and eighth in a Division III Poll.
“We faced our toughest competition of the season today,” said senior captain Flavia DeSouza. “Bates is a good team, and we were able to hang with them most of the race. They wanted it more than we did today, but we’ll have another chance at them at Open New Englands.”
The women’s second eight boat also had a tough day, suffering losses to Washington College and Bates. Despite the losses, the younger members of the team hope to improve and race stronger as the season continues.
Currently the men’s dual meet record stands at 4-3 heading into Little Threes on Saturday in Pittsfield Massachusetts. The Cardinals hope to carry their momentum into the always exciting battle against perennial rivals Williams and Amherst. After suffering some losses, the women’s dual meet record stands at 3-4. They hope to rebound fast, with only two dual meets remaining before Open New Englands.
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