The first novice boat of the heavyweight team, however, coasted to a sound victory against Boston University, while the other varsity boats faced stiffer competition in the Edward Bill Cup.
The Big Green women's crew posted mixed results on Saturday against Radcliffe and Syracuse University.
On Saturday, the lightweights traveled to Derby, Conn., where Yale overwhelmed Dartmouth and swept all five races.
Dartmouth's first varsity eight posted a time of 5:48.1 against Yale's 5:41.4. The second varsity boat did not fare any better, finishing 11 seconds behind Yale.
The first freshman crew moved up on the Bulldogs and posted the day's closest result, finishing in 6:10.6 to Yale's 6:08.8.
The Bulldogs continued to dominate the field, as both of Yale's varsity fours topped the Big Green by wide margins.
Following the upset, Dartmouth returned to Hanover on Sunday, but could not recover against Columbia on its home waters. While all the Big Green boats navigated in tightly contested races, none could follow through for a victory.
The first varsity eight posted a time of 5:43.58, nearly five seconds behind Columbia. The second varsity eight boat finished the race at 5:48.9, also crossing the finish line five seconds after the Lions' boat.
Columbia also snagged the novice eight race, brushing past Dartmouth's boat by a one-second margin.
After two weekends of less than ideal racing conditions, the women's team was blessed with mild winds as it headed west to Syracuse, N.Y., to contend for the Elizabeth O'Leary Cup.
The Big Green varsity eight hung in with the boat from Radcliffe for the first third of the race, yet the Radcliffe eight established itself in the third 500 meters of the course, and held the lead through the finish. Dartmouth crossed the finish line nearly seven seconds behind Radcliffe with a time of 6:55.4, taking second place ahead of Syracuse.
The second varsity eight boats began the race in a tight competition, yet the Radcliffe boat took full control and sped ahead once the boats passed the midpoint of the race. The Big Green did not bounce back in time, and the boat clocked in at 7:11.4, four seconds behind Radcliffe.
While Dartmouth came up short in the end, captain Kate Harney '09 said that the boats held their own in the head-to-head battles.
"Radcliffe stepped it up after the first 500 meters, and we just did not follow through," she said. "But it's good to see more direct competition. All the boats were fighting it out."
The novice four took home Dartmouth's only victory, defeating Syracuse by a comfortable 16-second margin.
Syracuse won the novice eight, as Dartmouth and Radcliffe battled for the second spot. The Big Green freshmen edged past Radcliffe in the final meters of the race, crossing the finish line less than a second ahead of the Radcliffe rookies.
Harney said that the races thus far have primed the boats for upcoming regattas.
"I think we all felt a little more relaxed," Harney said. "This weekend really added fuel the fire. We now have a few more races underneath our belts. At this point, we're working within the boats to make each one a little faster"
Dartmouth's heavyweight crew could not capitalize on the home-course advantage against BU and Rutgers University. Boston University captured its fourth-consecutive cup, winning four out the five races.
Dartmouth's novice boat took the lead from the start, and maintained a comfortable distance from the other competitors. The Big Green finished the course in 5:39.0, while BU took second with a time of 5:47.5.
The first varsity eight stayed within reach of the boat from BU, yet the margin was too much to overcome. The Big Green crossed the finish line eight seconds behind the Terriers with a time of 5:37.4. Rutgers University rounded out the field in 5:45.5.
The second varsity eight also came up short, crossing the finish line in 5:47.0. BU won the race with a time of 5:35.2.
The heavyweights will play host for Brown next weekend as the two schools battle for the Atalanta Cup.
The women's crew will head south to Philadelphia, Penn., to face Ivy League rivals Princeton and host the University of Pennsylvania.
The lightweights will travel to Ithaca, N.Y, to take on Cornell for the Baggaley Cup.
