The women's and men's teams can boast third and fourth place finishes, respectively, at the Head of the Charles. In addition, Bates Crew consistently finish in the top five at other major regattas like the Head of the Connecticut. In the highly competitive spring sprint season the team has been incredibly successful. Over the last three years the team has collected four New Englands Championships and two third place finishes. At the 1994 Dad Vail regatta, in Philadelphia, the novice team, participating for the first time, advanced two boats to the semi-finals.
In addition to attending these major regattas the team also attends several minor regattas to insure that the novice and second boat crews get the experience they will need as they continue to compete. The success of these crews has allowed the team to collect several trophies as the overall team points leader. In the fall of 1992 the team collected the overall trophy at the New Hampshire Championships while in the spring of 1994 the team captured the Vermont Championships.
The team has been allowed to enjoy these championships because of the dedication of the athletes. Bates Crew has a reputation as being one of the fittest teams on campus. Because there are races in both the spring and the fall the team is dedicated to training year round. When they are not on the water many members of the team voluntarily participate in a comprehensive fitness program designed by the coaching staff. This program allows the athletes to maintain their fitness level without any interference in their academic lives.