The men's and women's crew teams competed in a regatta on Oyster River in Durham, NH this past Saturday, April 24. Both Colby teams competed against strong teams from the University of Vermont (UVM) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in a 1700-meter course. The men's second varsity eight boat pulled out a second place finish against two teams from UNH.
The men's second varsity eight finished with a time of 5:59, just six seconds behind UNH's first novice boat. In this race, the Colby men were able to put some distance between themselves and third place, finishing 26 seconds ahead of UNH's second novice boat.


The men competed in three other races against UNH this past Saturday. In the men's varsity eight, Colby competed head-to-head with UNH and finished 12 seconds off the pace. The men's novice four-man boat competed with UNH as well and was able to keep it close. However, the Wildcats beat out the Mules, finishing at 6:56, which was six seconds ahead of Colby. Colby fielded two boats for the men's varsity four man race. Colby's A-boat finished in second place, nine seconds off of UNH's mark, while Colby's B-boat brought up the rear.


The women's crew team continued its tough schedule this past Saturday, racing against strong UVM and UNH teams. The women's varsity eight placed third behind strong showings from UNH and UVM. The women's second varsity eight boat finished in third as well, with a time of 7:50.8, about a minute off the brisk pace set by UNH. The Mules also fielded a four-woman boat that similarly fell to third against both UNH and UVM.


'The men's crew season was defined by consistency and a newfound tenacity,' Tim Corkum '11 said. The men's varsity eight and second varsity eight regularly found themselves in the top three in regattas, including a second place finish by the varsity eight in Worcester, Mass. on April 17. John Lewallen '10 led the Colby men. He was recently promoted to the stroke seat and is now setting the pace for the men's varsity eight. Colby has also received what Corkum describes as a 'phenomenal' freshman year from Pat Adams '13.


The women's crew team was led by its four seniors: co-captains Jasmine Bruno '10 and Fiona Braslau '10, Ruth Doherty '10 and Chelsea Nahill '10. These four leaders exhibited great leadership throughout the season. 'They have given so very much to our team this year [and] they are truly the glue that holds us together,' Amy Paulekas '11 said. The Mules have a very young team that will return 15 rowers next fall.


Both the men's and women's crew teams are looking to end their seasons on a high note at the final two regattas of the season. The teams will travel back to Worcester, Mass on May 1 for the New England Rowing Championships and again on May 9 for the ECAC National Invitational Regatta.