Though the men's crew's races against Bates and Wesleyan this past Saturday on the Malden River could not fully redeem for a disappointing Apr. 2 loss to Tulane at the same location, this weekend's races were a step in the right direction.
The men's varsity boat defeated Bates handily by a time of 5:58 minutes to 6:03.5, but fell to Wesleyan, 5:57.05 to 6:10.30.
Tufts came out firing on all cylinders against Bates, trying out a new, more aggressive strategy.
"Over the last week, the boat as a whole has been trying to approach the race in a new way, trying to be a little more aggressive and basically tackling it with more of a reckless abandonment," senior Mark Roberts said. "This new intensity really helped us in the race."
However, all the energy that went into the first race cost them the second race, as the team faded down the stretch.
"[The team] had a good thousand-meter [lead] versus Wesleyan; it was the second 1000 that was the problem," coach Jay Britt said. "The oars got heavy for us and Wesleyan just handled the last 1000 a lot better than we did. We got sloppy and lost focus."
Senior tri-captain John Papp also noted that the second race was not as technically sound as the first race.
"We really stuck with the power and we kept fighting through both races but I think in both races our technical rowing wasn't as good as it could be, especially in the second one," Papp said. "What contributed to the win against Bates was just sheer power and what contributed to the loss against Wesleyan was a lack of technique and [the fact that] they were just faster."
The second varsity boat had similar results, as it defeated the University of New Hampshire 6:07.70 to 6:12.51, but lost to Wesleyan by almost 18 seconds (6:01.57 to 6:19.31).
The third varsity boat was the only Tufts boat to beat Wesleyan on Saturday with a time of 6:35.11 to the Cardinals' 6:47.40, but it could not catch up to the UNH boat, which won by 20.26 seconds with a time of 6:28.64.
This upcoming weekend will be challenging for the men as they race against Holy Cross, Ithaca, and Connecticut College at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
Papp is encouraged by this weekend, and expects a lot from his crewmates.
"We really fought all the way through in both races," Papp said. "I was really happy with the commitment from the guys. I think there's a lot more speed to be had just from the finesse side, and that's what we're looking for - to be a little more relaxed but trying to keep that power."
The women's crew did what the men were unable to do on the results board, with the varsity boat soundly defeating both Bates and Washington College.
The Jumbos (6:40.91) sped by Bates (6:51.24) in the first race, and did even better in their second bout, beating Washington College by a time of 6:42.70 to 7:00.94.
"We have a lot of power in the boat right now, and this weekend we were able to make the most of that," senior Denise Zenier said. "We got out ahead early, and made a good commitment all the way to the finish line."
The Tufts second and third varsity boats raced up a level, as neither opponent brought their third varsity boat to Malden. Tufts' second boat took on the first varsity boats of Bates and Washington College, and the third raced the teams' second varsity boats.
The Jumbos' second boat beat finished in 6:48.50 to pass Washington College (6:55.6), a substantial accomplishment, and was neck-and-neck with Bates in the second race before the Bobcats ultimately won in 6:51.02, nipping Tufts' 6:54.88.
The Tufts third varsity boat defeated Bates' second varsity boat 7:06.25 to 7:17.03. The Tufts fourth varsity boat lost to Wesleyan's fourth varsity boat 7:47.20 to 8:14.80.
"I think that the fact that both our [second boat] and our [third boat] are competitive, and can win, against higher varsity boats says a lot about the depth of this team," Zenier said. "It is a good reflection of how well we've all been able to train as a team."
Coach Gary Caldwell believes that the adjustments that reshuffled the ordering of the first and second varsity boats two weeks ago are starting to yield results.
The races this weekend will be the women's crew's biggest challenge to date. The Jumbos will face four of the top ten Div. III teams this Saturday and Sunday in Holy Cross, Ithaca, Colby, and Connecticut College.
"It will be a pretty good test for us [to] see where we are nationally and regionally," Caldwell said. "I think this weekend we will be able to tell where everyone stacks up."
The major difference for both the men and women's team this weekend will be the fact that Lake Quinsigamond features a six-track race instead of Malden's two-track races, to which the Jumbos are accustomed.
Each boat will only have one race each day and all boats will start in the same position. Unlike the Malden, Lake Quinsigamound is fairly straight, which will help out the coxswains when navigating the course.
