It would have been easy for the Head of the Charles to have overwhelmed the women's crew.
The Jumbo rowers raced against 44 top crews in one of the world's largest two-day rowing contests this weekend, and despite the stakes, the team didn't disappoint.
Registering two crews in the collegiate eights, Tufts boasted a 14th-place finish (18:29.523) and a 41st-place finish for its second varsity eight (20:25.448).
"We had a plan going in, we followed that plan, and we did what we wanted to do today," senior co-captain Caitlin Gallagher said.
The Jumbos' first varsity boat started off even stronger than it finished. After jumping into ninth place early on, the team slipped, but managed to finish just ahead of an underperforming Vermont team that dogged the Tufts boat for much of the race.
"We had Vermont behind us the entire way and held them off the entire way," Gallagher said. "We didn't let them getting close effect us ... I think Vermont kind of pushed us and we kind of pushed them as well."
Apart from Vermont, there were no real surprises when it came to the results, as most of the teams finished in their starting order. Trinity, however, blew past the competition, vaulting itself to a first-place 17:20.077 finish after starting in 11th. Trent University (17:26.199) and Williams (17:43.352) rounded out the top three.
Trinity's jump to the top forced the Jumbos to change their path, but despite the change of plans, the crew adjusted appropriately.
"We had Trinity come up from behind us, and that changed our course a bit," Gallagher said. "They passed the crew behind us on the right and then they passed us on the left which was kind of strange - kind of weaving a knot.
"We figured out what they were doing and [senior coxswain Alison Ungerleider] figured it out," she continued. "We just kept going and focused on the boat in front of us."
Although Trinity's jump to the top caught the Jumbos off guard, Ungerleider's leadership kept the crew moving at a good clip.
"She kept us focused, which was the most important thing for this race," sophomore Kate Woodard said. "She made different calls so we wouldn't get distracted like calling for the Bow Four and the Stern Four. She kept it positive the whole time."
Ungerleider's calling the Stern Four - seats five through eight - and Bow Four - seats one through four - to do Power Tens kept the team on task.
The second boat, which started off in the last spot, launched itself three slots ahead, a result of a steady rhythm dictated by sophomore coxswain Erica Udow.
"She [was] good at using pressure - when one side pushes harder than the other side - when it was necessary and predicting when we were going to turn," freshman Elizabeth Webb said.
Webb's leadership certainly helped the squad when it ran into a strong headwind.
"The headwind made it harder to get the blades in the water," Webb said. "I remember in our last race we had the same problem, and I think we're getting better at dealing with wind."
Despite both crews' strong finishes, the race was a bittersweet one for many of the seniors.
"I can't believe it's the last one," Gallagher said. "I thought about how this is the last time I'll be rowing on the Charles. I hope it's not though. I hope someday I'll get on the Charles again."
For senior Laura Sherman, who participated in the event for the first time this year, the Head of the Charles was an appropriate way to end her fall rowing campaign.
"We came as freshmen to watch this and didn't really know what was going on, but now this is what we're about, and this kind of epitomizes our rowing ... It's a great way to end your fall rowing career."
