The conditions were ideal for fast racing, with a small following current, a gentle tailwind and very calm water. The Big Green, however, fell just short, losing to Brown by a narrow margin.
Despite mixed results, the varsity four came out strong with a 6:29.9, just edging Brown who crossed with a time of 6:30.4.
"I corrected them on their catch times, which is when the oar goes in the water and rhythm calls," said varsity four coxswain Gabriel Garcia de Paredes de la Guardia '16. "At the final 500 meters of the race it's all about pushing them. In the end it's about asking them how bad they want it."
A close victory brings a lot of momentum to the team's efforts.
"It really fires up the whole program when a boat does well like that," captain Ryan Ganong '13 said. "It was great to see those guys working so hard."
In the first varsity eight race, Brown earned an open water victory with a 5:21.0 finish, overtaking the Big Green, who finished in 5:32.9.
The third varsity eight race was also fairly close, as Brown finished with a 5.38.4, just two seconds ahead of the Big Green, who crossed the finish line with a time of 5:40.7.
"Although it wasn't the outcome we wanted, we were still very encouraged by our performance in the race," Jamie Billings '16 said. "Considering Brown was one of the top teams in the nation last year, we were pleased we were able to give them a close race."
The second varsity eight race, which Brown's top freshman boat also raced, went to the Bears. Brown won with a 5:30.7, ahead of their freshman boat that placed second with a time of 5:34.2. Dartmouth placed third with 5:44.2.
Ganong said racing at home brings an added benefit.
"Being on your home course is great and makes for a fun time as well," he said. "But the biggest thing is definitely having the fans there. I know the whole team really appreciated having a bunch of friends down at the finish line especially early on a Saturday. The weather was also just beautiful."
The Big Green will split up next weekend for the first time this season. Half of the team will travel to Seattle to compete in the Windermere Cup, while the rest will race against Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
The team is focused on building on the past weekend's races to improve.
"We're working on sharpening our technique, working on going together as a crew and everyday we go out and work on our fitness as well," Ganong said. "We're not really trying to change anything but just stay focused and get sharper."
