The Tufts crew team rang in the month of October with a strong showing at the Textile River Regatta in Lowell on Sunday.
The men finished second out of 22 in the first race and then sixth out of 22 in the second race, while the women's team finished fourth and fifth out of 17 in its races.
The novice teams competed well also, with the men coming in fourth out of 13 and the women coming in fourth out of nine.
Coach Gary Caldwell was extremely pleased with his teams' respective performances.
"We had a pretty good weekend," he said. "It was our best finish for the men's squad in three years."
Senior co-captain John Papp said he believed that the team's form over the weekend was only a taste of more to come.
"We had a very technically good row," Papp said. "Our technique and style of rowing was relaxed and efficient."
The lone blemish on the team's outing on Sunday was its finish.
"Towards the end of the race, we lost composure," Papp said. "When you are at the end, you want to give it every bit of energy you have left...We got too aggressive when we could have kept our good technique and good rowing."
With that said, Papp added that he still believes that the squad's performance shows the Jumbos that they're looking at a pretty strong team overall.
Caldwell attributed the teams' success to the captains of the respective teams. This year, seniors Papp and Ben Harburg (who is currently out of the country and will rejoin the team this spring) and junior Jeff Vanderkruik lead the men's squad while seniors Daniela Fairchild and Jackie Stone lead the women. The captains bring maturity to teams which consist mostly of upperclassmen.
"This year we have seven seniors," said Vanderkruik. "We have a lot more experience, and we have been together for awhile. We can really relate to each other and are very confident."
Martha Dietz, a senior, reiterated that comment for the women's team and also stressed the advantage it has because of its experience and its cohesiveness as a team.
"I think we have a huge amount of physical talent and skills," Dietz said. "Our team is a lot deeper. I think after we have more time in the water, we will have better technique and become faster."
The rowers also recognized Tulane coach Bob Jaugstetter, who is on the staff this semester, for their improved performance.
"[Jaugstetter has] been phenomenal," Papp said. "He's extremely energetic. He knows what he's talking about...He's been working with the men's program to help us develop our technique. He's very specific about what he wants us to do."
The team knows that while this is a step in the right direction, in the long run the fall schedule is just a time for them to prepare for the spring. Right now, they are still working on getting the seats in the boats arranged.
"At this point, we're improving every single day by leaps and bounds...In the fall season, races aren't really important when you look at the big picture," Papp said. "We're all looking towards spring."
The Tufts crew team will be in Pembroke, N.H. for the New Hampshire Championships on October 15th.
