Cornell thwarted Dartmouth's female rowers Saturday, while both men's varsity teams brought home victories.
The varsity heavyweights kept the Cochrane cup at Dartmouth, defeating MIT and Wisconsin Saturday in Cambridge, Mass.
Wisconsin, a traditionally strong team, was ranked ninth in the country before the competition. Dartmouth was ranked 11th.
Wisconsin was first off the line and maintained its lead despite early challenges from the Big Green. At the race's midpoint, a strong headwind cost Dartmouth a few seats, but the team was able to recuperate with 500 meters left.
At this point the first boat sprinted to a two-second victory. MIT's varsity finished 12 seconds behind Dartmouth.
James Jarrett '97 said he is "extremely pleased. It was a big win for Dartmouth. Conditions made it tough to row, but the boat stuck together as a whole,"
Jarrett said Trevor Peterson '96, the varsity coxswain, had a large share in the team's victory. "He got the crew together and got the momentum going. I think he helped a lot," Jarrett said.
Dartmouth's JV and first freshman boat lost to both MIT and Wisconsin. The second freshman eight beat MIT.
The heavies will compete with a high-ranked Syracuse team this weekend.
The lightweight oarsmen had a strong showing against MIT Saturday, outdistancing the competition by an enormous 22 seconds. The Big Green started strong and never wavered, adding to their lead throughout the 2,000-meter course.
According to Varsity Coach Dick Grossman, injuries have become a greater problem in recent weeks. "A few of the days during the week have been difficult in terms of resting those people," he said.
But Grossman is confident about his team's next race, the Eastern Sprints. "We've won the last two years. People would like to go for three," he said.
The toughest competition at Sprints will come from the Princeton Tigers, the only team to defeat the Dartmouth lightweights last year.Dartmouth did not fare as well in women's competition, losing all but one race to Cornell in Ithaca.
Dartmouth's varsity had a fine start, but was unable to maintain its lead in the rough waters, losing by a sizeable six-second margin.
Varsity Coach Barbara Kirch said "the conditions got a little rough and we didn't handle them well. Cornell did."
"Our JV was overwhelmed by the conditions," she added.
Kirch said the team's start was "the best we've had all season."
The first freshman boat stomped their Cornell counterparts.
The women have a break from competition this weekend, as they gear up for the EAWRC Regatta.
Kirch said she anticipates good results at Easterns. "I think our varsity is certainly a finalist boat. How they place in the finals depends on how much they want it," she said.
