"We were pumped," women's team captain Jamie Chapman '12 said. "This was the first time Columbia has come to this race, and it's always good to race an Ivy. All four boats won, which is a great tone to set for the season."
In the first varsity eight race, the Big Green edged out Northeastern by four-tenths of a second to win the 2,000-meter race in 6:29.3. Dartmouth took an early lead and held on late to secure the victory.
The second varsity eight won in considerably different fashion. After falling behind early to the Lions, the Big Green ramped up the pace to move into the lead late for the victory in 6:40.4.
"The [second varsity team] had a rough start and then gradually [made up ground] on Columbia to beat them, so really good racing in that boat," Chapman said.
The first varsity four got out ahead of the competition in its race, finishing four seconds ahead of second-place Columbia in 7:36.3. The second varsity four had a tougher time but still came away with a victory, reeling in the Huskies' boat in the final stretch to win in 7:51.8.
Dartmouth is confident in its fitness, and seeing that translate to success on the water was exciting, Chapman said.
"Pulling out the racing instincts is a promising thing to see because we know we have the fitness, but there's always room for improvement in the boat," she said.
One the men's side, the Big Green went into the event excited for its first race of the season, especially against Columbia, as it provided a unique challenge, according to captain Joseph Polwrek '12.
In the first varsity eight race, the Big Green came up short, taking second behind the Lions by more than five seconds, 5:48.7 to 5:53.9.
"[Dartmouth and Columbia] were able to pull away from the other crews pretty quickly, but Columbia was able to get the lead and slowly extend it," Polwrek said. "We made a move to come back, but they were able to counter it."
In the second varsity eight, Dartmouth outpaced Holy Cross, 5:58.5 to 6:04.0, to take the victory. The Dartmouth freshmen also competed well, taking first in the novice eight race with a time of 6:05.7, over six seconds ahead of second-place Columbia. The Big Green did not enter a boat in the varsity four race.
"We were really happy with how the freshmen did," Polwrek said. "We are excited about their crew, and they have a lot of good talent."
Polwrek said the Big Green likes its chances for success this season.
"We have lots of hard workers and talent," Polwrek said. "I like the team we have, and I think we're going to continue to improve."
The men's heavyweight squad will face its next test on Saturday when it takes on Yale University in New Haven, Conn., while the women will also be in New Haven to compete against both Yale and Boston University.
