The Dartmouth women's rowing team won two of three scrimmage races contested Friday, March 26 against Cincinnati in Oakridge, Tenn. In the first varsity eight event, Dartmouth won by 10 seconds.
The Big Green got off to a good, aggressive start, taking the early lead. The Dartmouth rowers were then gradually increasing their lead, being in control throughout the whole race.
"I was really happy about that [race]," said coach Molly McHugh. "I think that the first boat did a great job and rode a solid piece for our first race."
The second varsity eight/first novice event saw Dartmouth steal the first two spots, with the novice boat finishing two seconds ahead of the second varsity (junior varsity) team. Cincinnati's second varsity and first novice eights finished eight and 20 seconds behind the winners, respectively.
The Big Green's superior fitness proved decisive in the second part of the race, when both boats managed to gain a solid lead over their opponents in what was otherwise anyone's race.
"The race was very competitive and I was really happy for our first novice boat, which won their first race," McHugh said. "The good news is that we are going to have some good competition between the second varsity and the first novice boat in the spring."
The last event was a mixture between three Dartmouth fours, a Cincinnati four and a Cincinnati second novice eight. In the closest of races, the Cincinnati four won by only half a second. Their second novice eight finished third, only a second ahead of the Dartmouth B-four team.
"It's good to be in a close race, because it gets you ready for spring," said McHugh.
The next event for the Big Green rowers will be against Northeastern, Buffalo and Boston University Saturday, April 3 in Cambridge, Mass. It will also be their first official event for the 2004 season. Boston and Northeastern were only a second apart in a race last weekend.
"We have really high expectations for the spring. We are really excited that the river broke over the weekend, so that we can get back on the water," said McHugh. "This weekend is going to be a real test, but we are hoping to come out on top."
