The weather may have been gloomy, but the women's crew team shined brightly against Mt. Holyoke, Vermont and Tulane on the Medford River this past weekend.
On a windy Sunday morning that created choppy water, the Tufts first varsity boat squared off against Tulane's first varsity boat. Tulane, which is undergoing a rebuilding period this year, was taken down by the Jumbos quite handily by a time of 7:19.84 to 7:36.20.
Tufts started off in the near lane of the staggered course, forcing it to start behind the Green Wave's boat. Still, the Jumbos got enough momentum to overcome the space between the two boats and, around the 400-meter mark, broke contact with Tulane and had open water for the rest of the course.
Part of Tufts' success may have come from a new race strategy the team implemented before the start of the race.
"Typically our third-500 is our weakest point so we decided to do a mini-sprint for about 16 stokes to give us a little push," senior co-captain Sara Douglass said. "As it ended up, we weren't next to Tulane anymore, but it was so good to see if we could get faster on our own accord."
Things were slightly different on Saturday, when both Mt. Holyoke and Vermont provided stiffer competition. Despite the cloudy weather, rowing conditions were perfect due to a lack of wind. The men's crew team was also racing at home this past weekend, which gave the entire event a regatta-type feel.
"We had around 16 men's boats and another eight or nine women's boats so it was the first real regatta we've ever had at our boathouse," Douglass said. "It was great to have a lot of spectators and that atmosphere which we don't get until later on in the season."
This heightened atmosphere seemed to energize the crew team as the Jumbos came out on top in nearly every event.
In their first race of the morning, the Jumbos faced a talented Mt. Holyoke team that gave them everything they could handle.
To start, Tufts began the race in the second lane, ahead of Mt. Holyoke. It didn't stay that way for long, however, as the Lyons came roaring back and overtook Tufts around the 700-meter mark.
As senior coxswain Alison Ungerleider saw that the Lyons had more than a half-boat advantage on the Jumbos, she decided to deviate from the typical game-plan and called for a sprint earlier than usual.
The team started its sprint roughly 50 strokes from the end, as opposed to 30 strokes from the end, and went from being a half-boat down to just pulling ahead of the Lyons for the win with a time of 6:59.81. Mt. Holyoke came in at 7:00.49.
Senior co-captain Caitlin Gallagher attributed this late burst to not only Ungerleider's veteran experience as a coxswain, but also as a testament to the team's overall fitness.
"It's a unique aspect of this boat right now," she said. "We have the fitness and technical efficiency to do something like that. It's nice to have that card to play in your back pocket when you need it."
The Jumbos' strong conditioning and physical capabilities also allowed them to face off against UVM in their second race of the day and post an even better time than they had in their first race.
The Jumbos' heat against the Catamounts was very similar to their heat against Tulane, where eventually Tufts had open water and won easily by a time of 6:52.22 to 7:08.23.
Normally UVM has always been a very strong team and provided Tufts with an intense rivalry, but the Jumbos simply ruled the water this weekend. The win marked the first time that Tufts has beaten UVM at home.
"I think the biggest thing is that it's still pretty cold in Burlington and they haven't had a lot of water time," Gallagher said. "I think the fact that we had a lot of water time helped us gain the upper hand."
In the second varsity, meanwhile, Vermont edged Tufts 7:03.31-7:05.21, but the Jumbos bounced back against Mt. Holyoke, earning a 7:14.29-7:19.75 win.
The third varsity also handily defeated the Lyons 7:27.02-7:36.90, but the novice boat stumbled, falling to Mt. Holyoke 7:25.97-7:42.48. The novice boat also had the challenge of facing off against Tulane's second varsity boat and lost by a time of 7:27.87-7:54.65. Still, the boat scored a 7:41.59-8:11.00 win over UVM.
For their next meet, the Jumbos will head to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. for a showdown with Ithaca, Holy Cross, Colby and Conn. College. The competition will get increasingly difficult for the team as the season moves along, but the Jumbos only look at this as extra motivation and a chance to prove their talent. Douglass saw this weekend as the start of a string of successful showings for the Jumbos.
"I think we learned a lot this weekend and we're more excited for next weekend," she said. "Each time we race we get excited about what were going to do and what were capable of."
