Crew teams host regattas on the Malden as postseason approaches

The men's and women's teams, in their second- and third-to-last regattas of the season, respectively, hosted races at the Malden River in what was an action-packed weekend for several Jumbo boats.

The men welcomed Bates, Wesleyan and New Hampshire (UNH) to Malden, where they won five races and dropped only three.

The regatta consisted of semifinal and final races for each boat class: the first, second and third varsity eights. UNH was not able to participate in the third varsity eight races, so Tufts' novice eight took their place.

Both of Tufts' boats competing in the third varsity eight races won their events. Tufts' novice eight defeated Wesleyan by a large margin of 11.6 seconds, while the Jumbos' third varsity eight won their race against the Bates Bobcats by 8.9 seconds.

This set up a Tufts vs. Tufts match-up in the finals, as the third varsity boat took on the novice boat. The novice boat came out on top, notching a 4.2 second victory.

According to senior tri-captain Zach Merchant, this match-up was nothing new for the Jumbos.

"The 1-N and the 3-V have been each other's best training partners and fiercest competitors all season," Merchant said. "They push each other to the line at practice every morning. Seeing them face off for [two kilometers] is nothing new for those two boats. It's just another opportunity to sharpen the sword."

The semifinal round was not as kind to the first and second varsity eights as it was to their third and novice eight counterparts.

Tufts' first boat raced against Bates' first, falling behind and losing the match-up by 10.2 seconds. The Jumbos' second boat faced a similar fate, losing their semifinal race to the Bobcats as well. Bates won that contest 5:59.4 to 6:03.2, a close 3.8-second victory.

The losers of each semifinal match participated in a "petite final" to determine third place in each category. The first and second varsity eights for Tufts took on the same boats for UNH, with the Jumbos coming out on top in both. The Jumbos' first varsity eight defeated the Wildcats by 18.7 seconds. The Jumbos' second varsity eight won by a dominant 29.1 seconds.

Bates was the winner of both the first varsity eight and second varsity eight categories, defeating Wesleyan in both finals races.

The women also hosted a regatta at Malden with Bates, Wesleyan and Wellesley traveling to participate.The women's squad participated in six races and were largely outraced by their opponents. The Jumbos won a single race while losing the other five.

"Coming in to the day we knew that we were seeded sixth out of all Div. III crews and would be racing against the top teams," senior tri-captain Hayley Cohen said. "We were ready to fight hard each race, and we did just that. While we would have liked to see different results, we are proud of all three boats."

The lone Tufts win came from the first varsity eight in the semifinal race when they defeated Wellesley.

"We were extremely excited going into the race and we gave it our all," junior tri-captain Emma Conroy said. "We were committed to having a good race both physically and mentally in not letting Wellesley get in our heads. We wanted to get ahead in the beginning of the race and stay ahead, and that's what we did."

The first boat lost in the final round to Bates by 4.8 seconds, ending the Jumbos' first varsity eight's season-long winning streak.

Cohen had high praise for the rowers in the first varsity eight, noting that they have been working particularly hard over the past few months.

"The girls [in the first boat] have been working to gain speed since the Head of the Charles race in the fall," Cohen said. "With a few lineup changes, the boat has become a group that works really well together to push each other. Being in better physical shape coming out of the winter, combined with the continuous drive to improve, has given us the speed that we have now."

The women's team has two more regattas remaining in the regular season. Their next competition will be on Sunday, when they will travel to Worcester, Mass. for the Brown Cup.

As for the men, they will join the women in Worcester on the same day to take part in the Baker Cup. This will be their last regatta before the postseason begins.

"Our goal is always New England's and NIRCs," Merchant said. "Every regular season race is an opportunity to sharpen our skills in preparation for those two championship races. It's always nice to get results in the regular season, but our focus has always been on what's to come."