In this past weekend's races on the Malden River, the men's and women's crew squads came away with confidence−building wins in the second and third meets of the season. On Sunday, the Jumbos matched wits with new NESCAC opponent Hamilton, while Saturday saw a mix of NESCAC teams like Bates and Wesleyan, as well as non−conference rivals like New Hampshire (UNH) and Wellesley.
"I think overall, this weekend was good for both teams because we both had wins," junior Bianca Velayo said. "It definitely brought up everyone's confidence in what the teams are capable of."
Against the Continentals on Sunday, the men's team secured its first victory of the season after facing tough losses against UNH, Bates and Wesleyan the day before. In the varsity eight race, co−captains senior Stephan Juergensen and junior Daniel Ambrozavitch led the boat to victory in a 6:06.72 finish, roughly five seconds ahead of the Continental competition. Though it was the squad's only win on the day, as the second varsity four boat lost by a 12−second margin, it was an important accomplishment to build momentum as the season progresses.
"It felt good to get a ‘W' for the season on Sunday," Ambrozavitch said. "The other races were against strong programs, but at the same time, we didn't come off the water afterwards feeling like we had rowed our best race. From Saturday to Sunday, we didn't have the best races, but we made a couple big steps in the middle 1,000 that helped us close out successfully at the end."
With poor conditions and strong competition on Saturday, the men's team couldn't muster what it needed to overcome traditionally powerful programs, including UNH. In the second varsity four race against the Wildcats, the Jumbos trailed by 33 seconds for a 7:31:24 finish, while the varsity eight boats fell to the Cardinals and the Bobcats by 26− and 23−second margins, respectively.
"UNH took third in New Englands last year, so they're a perennial fast crew," Ambrozavitch said. "But at the same time, we didn't have a good race as far as our own boat was concerned ... We had a couple bad starts Saturday, and when the boats went out of site, everyone started trying to work on their own, and that's when we lost it and couldn't get back into it after the first 500 meters."
For the women's squad, the weekend brought mixed results. On Sunday's match against newly minted NESCAC competitor Hamilton, the women's varsity eight secured a close victory that was just three seconds ahead of the Continentals' finish, but Hamilton countered the loss with a strong showing in the second varsity eight race, in which the Continentals' rowers enjoyed a nine−second margin at the finish line.
"We've never played Hamilton before because they are new to the NESCAC, but they were a competitive team," Velayo said. "When the [first varsity eight boat] was passing the dock, Tufts was up, but it was really close. Hamilton was making moves to inch up, but our varsity boat held it up at the end and it was a proud moment."
At Saturday's dual meet, the competition was divided into different races comprised of winners or losers of the meet's initial races. For Tufts' varsity eight squad, an initial 26−second loss to the Bobcats sent the boat into a consolation match against the Wellesley Blue Pride, but the rowers did not fare any better, suffering a 15−second defeat.
Though the second varsity eight split races with a six−second victory over Wesleyan and a 28−second loss against Bates, the consistency of the novice A boat stood out as exceptional on the weekend. Undefeated so far this season, the A boat of the novice squad secured victories over Wesleyan and Wellesley by 15−second and 33−second margins, respectively. As the season continues, the novice squad should face stiffer competition, but the groundwork for success is evident in its accomplishments thus far.
"The A boat has won all its races so far this season," Velayo said. "The novice squad is definitely excited for next week's six−lane racing because they should be going up against their toughest competition so far this season ... Everyone's really excited to see how they're going to do next week; so far they're doing wonderfully."
Up next, the men's and women's squads will travel to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. to face off against a full slate of seven teams in the two−day meet. Among the competitors against whom the Jumbos will race are NESCAC rivals Conn. College and Colby, as well as Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), whose men's program secured a fourth−place finish in the Head of the Charles last year.
"They're all good teams, so we have to be fearless," Velayo said. "No matter how the other teams have done, we can't be afraid of them, we have to do our job. We have to be careful not to go out there and expect to lose, because nothing is set in stone."
"WPI had made some tremendous strides in the past couple years," Ambrozavitch added. "They've gone from mediocre to a really competitive team. We match up pretty well against Conn. College and Colby, and I think we'll be splitting into fours, which is good to get some experience doing that before New Englands. It should give us a chance to see what we're up against in that tournament."
