Williams Sports: Men's and Women's Crew
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MALDEN, MA – The Williams men’s crew faced Tufts, Tulane, Boston College, and a powerful Harvard team in their weekend regatta coming away with several wins and valuable experience racing against one of the nation’s most highly regard rowing programs. Each boat completed two races and due to the width of the Malden River faced one opponent each time.
The Williams 1V boat faced Tulane and the Harvard 3V in their races, taking an open water win on Tulane and losing a tough race to Harvard. Against Tulane, the 1V dipped below the six-minute mark to cross the line in 5:57, easily outdistancing their opponent who finished over twenty seconds back. Against Harvard it was a tight race down the course, but the Crimson pulled away in the final 1,000m clocking a winning time of 5:43 to the Eph’s 5:48.
The men’s 2V boat began their day with a solid race against Boston College, eventually taking the win over the Eagles in the closest race of the day for all Williams boats. The 2V outpaced Boston College by three and a half seconds, about a boat length, to finish in 6:15. The Harvard 4V took a commanding lead on the Ephs in their head-to-head race and never looked back, handing the Williams 2V their only loss of the day. The Ephs finished in 6:20, thirty seconds back from the Harvard crew.
The 3V took two wins on the day with a great race against the Tufts 2V and thanks in part to an unfortunate DNF by the Harvard 2nd novice boat. Racing against the Tufts 2V on their home course, the Ephs pushed the pace and moved away from the Jumbos, crossing the line in 6:33, nine seconds ahead of their opponents. The 3V toed the line with the Harvard 2N and got out to a good start, but during the race another Harvard boat rowing in the opposite direction in the warm up lane drifted into the path of the Harvard 2N, now moving at full speed. The Harvard boats sideswiped each other, snapping several oars in the Harvard 2N, forcing them to abandon the race. The Williams 3V went on to finish in 6:28 and take the win.
The Williams novice men had a difficult day taking on two Harvard crews and losing in both races, though making their mark against the Harvard 2N with a close race. The 2N and the Williams 1N made it a tight race down the course, but the Harvard boat pulled clear and made it a four second win, crossing the line in 5:55, to Williams’s 5:59. Against another Harvard boat the Williams 1N was consistent, finishing in 6 minutes flat, almost identical to their time from their other race, but the Harvard crew pulled away early and took an open water win on the freshman boat.
The men’s crew will face WPI, MIT and Conn in their next regatta on April 12 at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA.
Women’s crew dominates competition at Lake Quinsigamond
WORCESTER, MA — Under cloudy skies at Lake Quinsigamond, the Williams women’s crew competed well against UNH, Smith, Colby, and host Holy Cross, winning each race they entered and proving once again how deep their program is. Each boat raced once on the popular Worcester course in what will be their first of many trips down the course this spring.
The women’s first varsity boat overcame a chaotic first 500 meters in their race to distance themselves from UNH and Holy Cross “After the first 500 meters,” said Emily Cheston ’08, stroke of the 1V boat, “we made a collective decision to change the rhythm in the boat and move forward.” The 1V walked through UNH, who had been neck and neck with them through the first quarter of the race, and took an open water victory with a 6:44, nine seconds up on the field.
The women’s second varsity boat was up from the start on Holy Cross and UNH, having half a length on the field with 400 meters down as they passed the boathouse and the large crowd of spectators that had gathered. The 2V took open water on Holy Cross and continued to pull away, racing to the win in one of the widest margins of the day. The 2V time of 7:05 was 17 seconds better than runner-up Holy Cross and their ability to push the pace despite limited competition is a testament to the mental toughness and competitive nature of the boat.
The Williams 3V boat competed in the most subscribed and closest race of the day. On the line with Colby, Smith, and Holy Cross, the 3V got out to a strong start, even with Smith and Holy Cross. With 1,000 meters down they had pushed Smith off their stern, but remained only a few seats up on Holy Cross. Through the third 500 meters of the race the Williams boat slowly distanced itself Holy Cross and came through the finish a little less than a length up on Holy Cross and four seconds ahead to finish in 7:13.
The Williams 1N capped off a successful day for the Ephs with the fourth win of the day, taking a 17 second win over UNH and Holy Cross. The 1N, shifting their lineup slightly from their last regatta, took an early lead on their opponents and moved away, racing to a solid time of 7:15 for a commanding open water win.
The Williams women will return to Lake Quinsigamond next weekend to race WPI, MIT, and Conn.
