In races Saturday, the women's varsity crew team lost to the mighty Princeton squad but defeated the University of Pennsylvania, while the men's varsity heavyweights were trounced by Brown.
The varsity women finished just ahead of Pennsylvania but 12 seconds abaft Princeton.
"We were a little disappointed because we thought we could be closer to Princeton," varsity rower Katie Woodcock '95 said.
But few teams have finished closer to the Tigers this season, she said.
"They have been the powerhouse in our league for quite some time," Woodcock said.
This Saturday the women will row against Cornell in the last regular-season meet. Cornell has already defeated the Big Green once this season at a race in San Diego, Cal.
But Woodcock said the squad is not discouraged. "We're a very different crew ... We've improved our start tremendously, we've got a higher stroke rating and a really good sprint," she said.
Dartmouth's varsity heavyweight rowing team also suffered a loss to a perennial powerhouse,falling nine seconds short of number-one ranked Brown on the Connecticut River.
Coach Scott Armstrong said he was somewhat cheered by his team's performance.
"Brown has beaten most of its opponents by between six and 15 seconds. It shows Dartmouth is competitive with most of the other crews out there," he said.
Armstrong said the varsity eight "rowed much more aggressively and with more determination. At times they hung in there with the stronger Brown crew."
The race was "mentally and physically the best race of the year ... but technically this crew is still rough. They pull very hard, but they aren't as efficient as they should be," Armstrong said.
Dartmouth's JV and first freshman boats both lost their races, but the Big Green's second freshman boat was victorious, winning their competitors's shirts.
"It is great to have someone around the boat house in a Brown shirt," Armstrong said.
Pete Hasenkamp '98, who was on the boat that beat Brown, said "there is a lot more to Brown's name than to any other school on the East Coast. To be one of the few freshman crews to beat them is something we are all proud of."
