The women's crew team had a strong outing this past Saturday on the Malden River, winning three of their four races. The Jumbos raced Bates College, Wesleyan College and Washington College, with their only loss coming from a close race with Bates.
Tufts started out strong against Washington College, beating them in the first race by two seconds, 6:45.0 to 6:47.1. The win gave the Jumbos confidence on the water and they maintained a steady rhythm throughout the regatta. The second race, in which the Jumbos faced Bates, was very close. Tufts was beat by 1.6 seconds, trailing 6:52.6 to Bates' 6:51.0.
Despite the loss, the team continued to row with precision, keeping their rhythm steady, and the next race proved more successful. Tufts was able to beat Bates in its next match-up by a substantial margin, with the women's second varsity eight winning 6:54.8 to 7:16.4.
The final race against Washington College also fell in the Jumbos' favor, as they maintained a lead throughout the entire race, winning by thirteen seconds, 7:00.1 to Washington College's 7:13.1.
Two weekends ago, the women's race was cancelled due to inclement weather, so the Jumbos were excited to get on the water and show their strength.
Sophomore Katie Saville commented on the intensity of the team, and the challenges that they may face as the season progresses.
"I think we have a lot of depth this season, as we have extremely strong rowers, and we've consistently been putting two fast boats on the water." Saville said, "The challenge this year is even bigger than before, because we do have such depth that the expectations are a lot higher than they've been in the past."
Senior captain Ashley Korb was pleased with the results from this past weekend, and has faith that the team will continue to remain strong on the water.
"I think this Saturday was a very successful regatta overall," Korb said. The first varsity boat won our first race and then lost our second race by a very close margin, while the second varsity boat won both of their races. I'm happy with the results and I know that if we continue to race like we did, we should be able to make it to the New Englands in May."
Junior Daniela Fairchild explained how the team is continuing to compete at their highest level, and how they are striving to get to the championships.
"Our goal this year is to send an eight to the ECAC National Championships, which is the equivalent of Nationals for us." Fairchild said. "Last year we sent only a four, which got second place, so we are hoping that the depth and drive of the team will help us actualize that goal. I haven't seen an entire team ever work this hard and it's showing on the water."
This upcoming weekend, the Jumbos have another home regatta on the Malden River against Ithaca College, Holy Cross and Connecticut College. After their success last week, they hope to add more victories to their repertoire with the New England Championships and ECAC Nationals in their sights.
