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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Men's lightweight rowers finish sixth at Eastern Sprints

The Dartmouth heavyweight freshman eight finished second in the third level final and 14th overall at Eastern Sprints Sunday in Worcester, Mass.
The Dartmouth heavyweight freshman eight finished second in the third level final and 14th overall at Eastern Sprints Sunday in Worcester, Mass.

Despite tough competition, the lightweight team managed to get three of four teams into the grand finals -- a feat that Dartmouth lightweight coach Steve Perry said the team has not accomplished in several years. However, the heavyweight team failed to put a boat in the final despite a solid effort.

Perry described this season's competition as "very tight," with teams "beating up on each other all season long."

Perry's words have never been more evident than on Sunday, when eighth-seeded Cornell won the varsity eight race with a time of 5:53.2. Dartmouth came off the line first, but was unable to keep up the fast pace. During the last 500 meters, the Big Green fell off dramatically and finished sixth in the grand finals with a time of 6:02.7 in a very close race.

The junior varsity team raced very well on Sunday morning and qualified for the grand final. However, the Big Green finished sixth overall and 28.4 seconds behind the victorious Big Red.

The Dartmouth JV squad, like its varsity counterpart, came off the line very quickly. Racing on the outside in lane six, however, the Big Green men had a natural disadvantage that kept them from finding their rhythm throughout the rest of the race.

Although he was pleased with the JV squad's day overall, Perry was discouraged by the team's final race on Sunday. "I would be lying if I said the JV race was anything but disappointing," he said.

The third varsity squad improved on Dartmouth's previous two sixth-place finishes by coming in fifth in the grand final.

The Navy Midshipmen put up a blistering pace that was too quick for any of the competition. Their 6:41.8 time bested Dartmouth's 7:06.1.

In the freshman race, Dartmouth placed second in the petite final, just eight seconds behind Cornell.

Dartmouth will now spend the next two weeks preparing for the IRA National Championships on June 1-3 in Camden, N.J.

The Eastern Sprints are normally held a week earlier than this year's race, giving teams at least three weeks to prepare for the IRA.

Perry explained that the national race features much of the same competition Dartmouth confronted at the Eastern Sprints, but doubts Cornell will pull off the upset again. The coach said that he believes Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and even Columbia all have a good chance to place at the National Championships.

Moreover, the race and the preparation leading up to it will provide the underclassmen with valuable experience for next year's racing season.

The heavyweight rowing team did not fare as well as its lightweight counterpart at the Eastern Sprints. The varsity eight finished fourth in the third final race, good enough for 16th overall. Dartmouth finished in 6:12.2 while Holy Cross took the third final title with a time of 6:03.0. Princeton's 5:41.6 was good enough for the Ivy League title.

The second varsity eight participated in the petite final. Its 7:01.2 time was good enough for fifth and 11th overall as Boston University rowed to victory with a time of 6:38.4.

"The results, for all crews, were a bit disappointing, but we made some improvements," Big Green captain Robert Carey '06 said. "The second varsity beat Rutgers, whom they had lost to earlier in the season. The varsity lost to Rutgers by two seconds, but closed the gap from 11 seconds earlier in the season."

In the freshman eight race, Dartmouth took second in the third level final and 14th overall, finishing two seconds behind Syracuse for first place in the final.

The heavyweight team will also participate in the IRA National Championships that begin on June 1. The Dartmouth men hope to improve on their performance this past weekend against the nation's stiffest competition.