In the last home race of the season, the No. 2 women's crew swept four races against Columbia and Cornell on the Seekonk River Saturday in yet another dominant performance. The Bears haven't lost a race since the first meet of the season against Princeton.
"I think (our performance) was good," said Head Coach John Murphy. "These are good programs, Cornell and Columbia, and we, as well as they, have had a lot of rough weather to deal with the last week or so. I think everybody rode well, and we're pleased."
Brown's varsity eight faced a strong challenge from the Lions and the Big Red but pulled away steadily for the victory. The Bears crossed the line at 6:17.16, the Lions came in at 6:30.23 and the Big Red trailed at 6:42.07.
"They were good," Murphy said. "There are a lot of seniors in there, they've worked hard and they have a lot of experience. Columbia gave us a real good run in that first 700 or 1,000 meters, and it was close. I was very pleased they kept the pressure on us, and we were able to pull it out."
The second varsity crew also finished first in its race at 6:36.21, followed by Cornell at 6:54.02 and Columbia at 6:58.57.
The novice eight continued its string of impressive performance. The Bears crossed the line first at 6:50.51, followed by Cornell "A" at 7:15.23, Cornell "B" at 7:27.17 and Columbia at 7:40.08.
"(The novice eight) did well," Murphy said. "They've had a great season so far. They've got plenty of tough racing left, but we're very pleased with the progress they've made and their spirit and their accomplishments."
In the varsity four race, Brown "A" and "B" took the top two spots, at 7:53.25 and 8:03.46, respectively, while Columbia trailed behind at 8:35.47.
Murphy said he was pleased with the way all the boats performed.
"I think it shows that there's good depth and a good talent level," he said. "If just one boat won and all the others lost, I think it would be something to be concerned about, but I think that any time in a rowing program when all the boats do well it's a real good sign of the depth of the program."
Many seniors said they felt mixed emotions upon completing their last race on the Seekonk.
"I wasn't as sentimental and nostalgic as I thought I might be," said co-captain Elizabeth Fison '07. "We have so much more to do before I'm done with rowing. We've got a lot to look forward to."
Sarah Brooks '07 and Devorah West '07 expressed similar sentiments.
"It's very bittersweet," Brooks said. "We had a really great day with great weather, so it was the perfect way to end our time here racing. But it's also very sad because I know I'll never race on this course again."
"But we also have another dual race and then Eastern Sprints and Nationals," West said. "So it's not the end yet."
The weather was perfect, sunny with calm water - a far cry from what the team fought through earlier in the year. Murphy said the conditions on Saturday made rowing much easier.
"I think you can really think about the rowing and it's not a survival thing," he said. "You get some of those days when it's really rough, and all the teams worry about just surviving the rough water. On a day like this you can really think about being the best you can be, so that was a lot of fun for us."
Fison echoed her coach's comments and noted that the weather brought out many fans.
"It was really nice to have the calm water," she said. "The weather has been a little rough, so it was really nice to have a beautiful day. And it's great to have the spectators here."
The team was also pleased that the men's team competed at the same time against Northeastern, allowing the two squads to support each other. The men's varsity eight, ranked No. 5 in the nation, defeated the Huskies by a time of 5:33.7 to 5:42.5.
Murphy said he was particularly happy to share the day with the men.
"I enjoyed that very much," he said. "I used to coach on the West Coast. I coached at (University of California-Berkeley) and then I coached at (University of) Washington, and they always did that. When you went to race somebody, you got everybody, the men and the women. It was a big event. They don't do that that often on the East Coast. I enjoy it, I think the men and women on the teams enjoy it, and it's better for spectators. It's better all around, and I wish we could do more of it."
Murphy said he sees parallels between the men's and women's teams.
"I think these teams are very similar," he said. "They get along well. I think their goals and their work ethic and their maturity are very similar. I'm very impressed with this men's team. I enjoyed that race that they just rowed out there. I followed as many as I could, but I got to follow the varsity men at the end. I enjoyed every minute of it. I think it was a great race and I wish I could see more of their races."
The Bears have their last dual meet of the season next Saturday against Yale and the University of Tennessee on the Housatonic River in Derby, Conn. The Bears will compete in the Eastern Sprints May 13 in Camden, N.J.
