The men's varsity eight crew team saw its winning streak end this past Saturday on the road at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA, as the Jumbos came in third place out of four boats. Tufts defeated NESCAC rival Connecticut College, but finished behind both Ithaca and Holy Cross.
Up until this point in the season, the crew had breezed through races with teams like Boston College and Wesleyan, both of which have historically been trouble for Tufts. For this past meet, the crew had been gearing up for one of their toughest competitions yet: a race against Holy Cross.
During the beginning of the race, it looked like the Jumbos were going to again be able to preserve their undefeated record. The team had a good start, and had the lead over all three competitors through the first 1000 meters. Upon entering the final fourth of the race - the portion that is normally a strength for Tufts - the boat faltered and lost the edge on both Holy Cross and Ithaca.
"We just had an awful finish," sophomore Jim Burke said. "We led through the 1000 but just fell apart in the end. There seemed to be a kind of mental breakdown and then we just basically beat ourselves."
In the end, the Jumbos only lost the race by a margin of three seconds. Ithaca crossed the line first, closely followed by Holy Cross. The Jumbos finished in 5:59.04.
Despite the loss, coach Ben Foster saw the race as a positive experience. "I thought it was a good race," he said. "It was a good opportunity to evaluate where we are at this point in the season and really start to improve."
Changes in rowers' seating arrangements, initially made last week in practice, were maintained for last weekend's race and will most likely stay in place throughout the remainder of the season.
"I think it was a positive change," Foster said. "The boat is now a lot faster. We were getting a little stale and I wanted to give us a new look."
The crew was buoyed by its performance against Holy Cross, realizing that the Crusaders are a beatable team.
"Despite the outcome, the race was encouraging," Burke said. "Holy Cross was supposed to be one of our biggest rivals. We know that we didn't row our best and that is what cost us the victory, rather than Holy Cross dominating us."
This knowledge is important for the crew because they will be facing Holy Cross again in two weeks at the New England Championships. With the record for the team now at 6-2, the boat is in a good situation to make waves at both the New Englands and the Avaya National Championships being held the weekend of May 11 in New Jersey.
"We will continue to improve," Foster said. "We are going to work hard on the things we need to work on. We'll have good results in the end."
