Radcliffe Heavyweight Crew Splits Weekend Races

It was a weekend of Ivy League competition and local opponents for the No. 14 Radcliffe women’s heavyweight crew, as the team competed on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday morning, the Black and White faced tough opposition and lost to Ancient Eight rivals Princeton and Cornell in the Class of 1975 Cup. Then, on Sunday, Radcliffe rowed to victory against Northeastern and Boston University in the Beanpot Regatta.

RADCLIFFE VS. BOSTON UNIVERSITY/NORTHEASTERN

On the heels of Saturday’s races, the Black and White got set to take on local Boston opponents in the Beanpot Regatta on Sunday.

“Today’s race was important because it’s out of conference,” said sophomore four seat Lauren Tracey. “These out-of-conference races help rank us in the NCAA and help us get to the tournament.”

The regatta against the Huskies and Terriers was held in the familiar waters of the Charles River, and the Radcliffe women looked right at home as they swept the competition away, winning all five of the day’s events.

In the varsity eight race, the Black and White finished with a 6:50.6 mark that put them well ahead of Northeastern (7:01.6) and BU (7:09.3).

“We had a big move around the 1000 meter mark,” junior stroke Eliza Flint said. “Once you’re out ahead by that much, you can just keep going. Mentally, you’ve sort of overcome all the other boats.”

The Radcliffe crew picked up some hardware with the win, as the successes of the crews secured the Beanpot Trophy, the Rowlands Trophy (Radcliffe vs. Northeastern), and the Allen-DeWolfe Trophy (Radcliffe vs. BU).

“It’s always nice to win; can’t deny that,” Tracey said. “It was definitely a good race too. Across the board, I think everyone’s happy with their races.”

The other two varsity eight races ended with similar outcomes. In the second race, the Black and White left the Huskies (7:07.6) and the Terriers (7:23.7) more than 10 seconds behind, crossing in 6:56.0.

Radcliffe had two boats in the third varsity eight event. The first squad came in with a time of 7:13.9 to beat out Northeastern (7:17.2), and the B squad followed behind at 7:32.0, leaving BU to finish fourth at 7:52.5.

Solid performances by the varsity four boats rounded out the clean sweep for the Black and White. In the first race, the Radcliffe crew took 7:38.0 to finish, putting it nine seconds ahead of the second-place Huskies.

The second varsity four run saw the Black and White race past the Terriers, as its time of 7:42.8 was more than 25 seconds faster than the 8:08.6 put up by BU.

“It was just get out there, get ahead, and do the best we possibly can,” Flint said. “And I think we did that. It’s definitely a step in the right direction. Great progress.”

RADCLIFFE VS. PRINCETON/CORNELL

In the 38th Class of 1975 Cup, Radcliffe played host to conference opponents Princeton and Cornell on Saturday morning. The Black and White came into the contest as defending champions, having edged out the Tigers last year in Ithaca to notch their 12th title in the showdown.

“For the Ivies, it’s nice to see where we are within our own league,” Tracey said. “These races count towards where we’re ranked in the Ivy League and how we’re ranked going into the final Ivy Tournament.”

The Radcliffe squad hoped to mimic that performance this time around as it competed at home, but the day would yield mixed results for the Black and White.

In the day’s marquee matchup between the three schools’ varsity eight boats, the Radcliffe crew’s time of 6:57.2 was not enough to carry it to victory. The Black and White were outshined by Princeton’s 6:47.7 finish, and the team crossed just a few seats behind the Big Red boat which came in at 6:54.6.

“We weren’t in that solid base, and we sort of lost it,” Flint said. “Everyone was trying so hard, and we were all fighting. But unfortunately we were all fighting against each other to fix it.”

Other events fared better for Radcliffe. In the first varsity four, the Black and White crossed in 7:47.9 to down Princeton and Cornell with almost seven seconds to spare.

The second varsity four race ended in similar fashion. The Radcliffe boat matched the first varsity four’s time exactly at 7:47.9, and the Tigers (7:52.8), the Big Red (8:08.6), and Princeton C (8:33.2) followed behind.

“Those fours are such strong, competitive, phenomenal rowers in those boats,” Flint said. “They’re all kind of at the same level, and they’re just such strong, strong athletes. It’s a huge credit to them to come out on top.”