The Brown women's crew team continued its early success by sweeping Rutgers in all three races Saturday in New Brunswick, N.J. The Bears have won 12 of their first 13 races in the first three meets of the season.
Head Coach John Murphy said he appreciates the results.
"I was very pleased with their effort," Murphy said. "They've been showing steady improvement. They raced well, and we're very happy with the results."
Brown's varsity eight blitzed Rutgers by 22 seconds, finishing in 6:28.5, while the Scarlet Knights crossed the line at 6:50.5.
In the second varsity eight race, two Brown crews finished in the top two spots, at 6:46.2 and 6:57.1 respectively, while Rutgers finished third, clocking in 6:57.1. Brown also smoked Rutgers in the freshman/novice eight race, taking first place with a time of 6:39.6. Rutgers followed at 7:05.2.
Murphy said the team-wide success across the board is a sign of the team's depth.
"I think we do have quite a bit of depth," he said. "Unfortunately, so do some of our competitors. But I do think we have a lot of depth, and I'm sure it will make a difference in the long run."
Murphy said though there are still plenty of races left in the season and nothing is guaranteed, he knew early on that the team had a chance to be this good.
"It's hard to really expect anything," Murphy said. "I think you hope for success and you work for it. I thought in the fall there was really good spirit and leadership from the seniors, good, strong sophomore and junior classes, and I'm very impressed with our freshmen class, so I thought we had a chance. I definitely thought we had a chance."
Co-captain Elizabeth Fison '07 said talent is best complemented by a sense of community, which creates a winning team.
"My goal is for the whole team to come together and to share success for the whole crew," Fison said. "It's not about one boat or another boat. I really want our whole team to come together and keep having the success we've been having."
Fison said she was pleased with the team's early success, but she added that there are still a lot of competitions left.
"I think you go into every season hoping for the best," Fison said. "We work all year for this, and it's been a goal all year for us to do this well. ... I think (our early success) does (build our confidence) in a sense, but at the same time we have a long way to go and a lot of tough competition ahead. We need to keep working hard."
After starting the season with three road competitions in a row, Brown finally heads home for two straight meets on the Seekonk River, including Friday at 5 p.m. against Boston University, a prospect that excites the team.
"Yeah, that's fun," Murphy said. "We don't have to load the trailer and travel. And a lot of people at Brown and local people have a chance to see it, which is good."
It is an especially sweet prospect for the seniors.
"As a senior, it's really exciting to have these last two home races on the Seekonk," Fison said. "I think it would be really cool if a lot of people showed up to support us."
