Heavyweights Secure Beanpot Win, Lights Beat MIT

The Radcliffe heavyweights and lightweights wrapped up the dual season last Saturday as the heavyweights competed against other Boston schools in the Beanpot, while the lightweights took on MIT and Wisconsin in the Muri Cup.

With perfect weather and ideal rowing conditions on the Charles River, both crews fared well against their respective competition, ending the regular season with added momentum before entering the postseason.

NO. 18 HEAVYWEIGHTS VS. BEANPOT

With a first-place finish in the Varsity Four B, and two runner-up and two third-place finishes, No. 18 Radcliffe (3-7) relied on its depth to win the fourth annual Beanpot Regatta. The Black and White amassed 43 points–just three points ahead of Northeastern–to claim its fourth-consecutive team championship trophy.

For the rowers, the win provided strong evidence that their efforts are starting to produce winning results.

“It’s always a great feeling to come out on top,” co-captain Christine Baugh said. “Winning the Beanpot team championship is a testament to the depth and strength of our team, and, especially in a season like this, is testament to the resiliency of each and every athlete. It did not start our way this year, so we really had to work hard to get to where we are today.”

While the coaches worked hard all week preparing for the Beanpot, Baugh felt that it was only a matter of time before Radcliffe’s talent would begin to shine through.

“Coaches work hard to do what they think is right to make us faster each week, but it’s also finding that right combination of people and lineup to make the boats go fast,” she said.

The Black and White started out strong against its competition in the varsity eight race, claiming the lead for the first 1,000 meters. From that point on, it was a three boat race, as Northeastern and Columbia both made big moves to stay in contention for a first-place finish.

In the end, it was the Lions who crossed the finish line first at 6:43.18, while the Huskies completed the course in 6:45.55. The Black and White wasn’t far behind, taking third place with a 6:46.38 finish.

“We were excited to have had that start and stick close to the crews,” Baugh said. “All we have to do is figure out how to stick with them and move past them in that last bit of the race.”

The varsity four B established its rhythm early on and never looked back. In a dominant race, Radcliffe recorded a time of 8:01.74, finishing more than four seconds ahead of second-place BU.

The Black and White also finished second in the second varsity eight (7:02.33), second in the varsity four A (7:51.33), and third in the third varsity eight (7:23.27).

With a team championship in hand, Radcliffe just might have found the momentum builder it needs as it looks ahead to the EAWRC Sprints, set to take place in two weeks’ time.

“We definitely feel like we have the potential to do well in Sprints,” Baugh said.

For seniors like Baugh, though, there is added incentive to perform well in the postseason.

“We’re going to put it all out there, and see what we have, because this is it for some of us,” she said.

NO. 4 LIGHTWEIGHTS VS. MIT/NO. 1 WISCONSIN

The fourth-ranked Radcliffe lightweights (4-3) also saw success on the Charles last Saturday, claiming the Muri Cup by defeating MIT. Top-ranked Wisconsin, which participated in the regatta as a guest, won all three races, as expected from its status as the two-time defending national champions.

“All the boats were happy with their performances,” co-captain Amanda Pfabe said. “We were really excited to be able to race against Wisconsin and end our regular season rowing against MIT. We performed well.”

The varsity eight maintained contact with the Badgers for the first 1,000 meters of the race, but in the end, Wisconsin proved to be too fast and experienced for the Black and White. The Badgers finished with a time of 6:49.1, with Radcliffe coming in nine seconds behind at 6:58.8. The Engineers took third with a time of 7:15.6.

“I think that the first varsity boat has gotten a lot better at staying internal, staying composed, and focusing on what we can do to make our own boat go faster,” Pfabe said. “I think we did that well today.”

The second varsity eight clocked in at 7:13.3, 22.6 seconds ahead of MIT, while the Varsity Four B and Varsity Four A boats finished their races with times of 8:03.6 and 8:16.9, respectively–good enough for a second- and third-place finish.

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.