With the boys gone, the girls came out to play.
In a regatta that was conspicuous for its lack of any male crews, the Tufts women rowed to some solid results.
The team said that it left Malden River with a lot of confidence that should help it in the New England Championships at Worcester next week.
The first women's varsity boat had a good outing, beating Simmons College in its first race. The Jumbos jumped out in front at the start, opening up a three seat lead over the opposition. Simmons put up a fierce fight, mounting a charge at the end, but Tufts held strong and won by 3 seconds.
The win was especially important for the first varsity boat because it helped determine its No. 11 seeding for the New England's, and showed the crew that they can win in a tight, high-pressure race.
"Our seeding for New England's was dependent on how we handled Simmons," sophomore Jackie Stone said.
Shortly after their victory, the women were right back on the water, this time against Smith, the top women's crew in the region.
"We saw Smith race against Wellesley and [it] won by three lengths," said senior captain Maggie Denes. "So we knew that they were going to be good. We just wanted to stay close and set ourselves up for next week."
Although the Jumbos got off to another strong start against Smith, they were not capable of overcoming what they consider their most fearsome opponent to date.
Smith took a lead quickly and pulled hard, with Tufts staying close throughout the majority of the race. The lead gradually grew, but with the Jumbos fighting to gain water, Smith picked up its pace to earn a 10 second victory.
The loss, which might have been demoralizing had it been to lesser competition, should provide the boat with confidence heading into New England's. When the two crews meet again this weekend in the most important regatta of the season, the women will know what they are up against.
"Our boat was very happy about how we competed against them, and it gives us a lot of hope for the upcoming races," Stone said.
The women's novice boat continued its undefeated season with two important wins. In their first race of the day, the Jumbos didn't give Wellesley a chance, rowing to a fifty-second win. It was one of the boat's most dominating victories yet, showing that the crew has the capability to dominate most races.
Smith presented the Jumbos with one of their closest races to date and seemed ready to tarnish the Tufts novices' perfect record. Both boats were quick off the line and rowed almost evenly for the first 1000. The Tufts crew waited patiently while Smith attempted to make several early moves, keeping the Pioneers close.
By the 1500 mark, the Jumbos were ready to pull away, and they quickly opened up a two-seat lead that they extended through the rest of the race. Tufts eventually came away with an eight-second victory to secure its place as the No. 1 seeded boat at the New England's.
"The race in general was a lot tougher," said freshman Katie Saville who sat stroke. "We really had to fight through until the very end to secure the win."
