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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Novice Crew's work pays off in Championship

The women's novice crew team had been looking forward to the novice regatta for the entire fall season, as it is a chance to show off its proficiency on the big stage, no longer overshadowed by the varsity teams. So when the team traveled to Worcester on Oct. 26 to compete in the NESCAC Quinsigamond Novice Regatta, the team's unprecedented effort came as no surprise.

The first Tufts boat, led by freshman co-captain Samantha Hilbert, finished sixth out of 15 total boats with a time of 16:06.58, trailing Trinity College's third boat by eight seconds. Overall, Trinity dominated the event. Its first boat won the race handily with a time of 14:57.27, more than 20 seconds faster than the second-place boat from the US Coast Guard Academy. Wesleyan came in next, followed by two more Trinity boats.

Team members were pleased with the finish.

"I thought that we worked really hard for this event and it paid off," freshman rower Rachel Arguello said.

This year's novice team, led by freshmen captains Allison Bransfield _ one of the only experienced rowers on the team _ and Hilbert, is comprised of 29 rowers in all. With less than two full months of practice under its belt, the team's performance this past weekend is even more notable. Five of the eight rowers on the Jumbo's A boat had no experience going into the season this fall.

Tufts' second and third entries came in ninth (16:52.22) and 14th (18:48.92) respectively. Tufts' B boat had perhaps the most impressive outing, finishing second among other B boats entered in the competition.

"All three boats rowed well," coach Jennie Dapice said.

The conditions on the frigid Quinsigamond Lake for the event were far from optimal, throwing constant winds and rain at the rowers. Also, the Tufts squad was forced to borrow a boat from WPI because of a mix-up loading the third Tufts boat onto the trailer that made the trip from Medford to Worcester. This complicated circumstances even more, forcing the second Tufts crew to row a heavier boat.

The Novice Championships are unique because they permit three entries from the same school, allowing almost the entire novice roster to participate. This lets everyone get some quality experience.

The event was the last in the team's fall season, capping a strong season in which the A Boat finished fourth in two different events. The team will now use the winter to condition for the spring season, comprised of shorter races and considered more important than the fall season.

"It's a very strong team and we look forward to a really successful spring," said Hilbert.

The squad will probably face much of the same competition in the spring season, so the team now knows what to expect and has something to work toward.