By Mike Greenway
Staff Writer

On Sunday, the men’s and women’s rowing teams traveled to Worcester, Mass. to compete at Worcester Polytechnical Institute. The women’s program had three teams compete while the men had two teams compete. The first meet of the year can always be a little tough, especially when a team is limited to how much time they are able to spend on the river practicing.

Coach Carter explained, “As normal, we go in a little hamstrung since we have spent quite a bit less of time on the boats as compared to our opponents.”

The women’s first varsity took on Vassar, Wellesley, and the home team, WPI.

WPI used the home venue to their advantage as they picked up the victory. Vassar came in second, with Bates in third and Wellesley last.

“It was a case of first-race jitters,” said Carter. “They seemed a little nervous and a little jumpy. I believe they will be much more competitive in the weeks to come.”

Competing against the same schools as the women’s first varsity, the women’s second varsity came away victorious with a very impressive showing. Wellesley followed Bates across the finish line taking second, while WPI placed third and Vassar took fourth. The second varsity’s time was actually a bit faster than the first team, showing the depth Coach Carter has to work with.

The novice squad followed up the second varsity in convincing fashion as well by winning their race handily. Not even a faulty oar towards the end of the race (leaving a rower unable to row) could stop Bates from defeating Vassar and two teams Wellesley had in the race.

“They had complete control of each race, which was very encouraging for the remainder of the season,” said Carter.

It was especially encouraging since the second team consists of a few walk-on novices who are competing for the first time.

The men competed against the same schools, with the exception of the University of Rhode Island, who competed instead of Wellesley. In the first varsity boat, Bates was able to pick it up as the race went on to move from fourth to second, finishing just behind Rhode Island.

Carter felt that the effort was “a very patient and mature race on their part. They remained really relaxed and calm even though they fell behind early.”

Their performance caught the eye of many of the spectators, including WPI’s coach, who was very impressed and concerned about having to face Bates again later on this season.

The second men’s varsity faced stiff competition, placing fourth behind Rhode Island and two teams from WPI.

Next weekend, the teams head to Mass. to compete against Tufts, the University of New Hampshire, Washington College, and Wellesley. The format of the race is very unique in that only two teams can race at once, since the venue is not very wide. This makes for a match format in which two teams will compete, with the winner advancing to a randomly matched race.

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