The men's crew team sped past Boston University on Saturday morning on the Seekonk River, winning all five races by at least 10 seconds to earn the Michalson Cup.
"We are working towards putting down our best race possible, and this was a great step towards that early in the season," said varsity eight coxswain Rob O'Leary '09.
Head Coach Paul Cooke '89 said the team improved in its first home race, after opening the season by winning three out of five races at Yale on the previous Saturday.
"I think we rowed with a little bit better rhythm," he said. "We learned a few things over the course of the week that showed up in the racing."
After enduring rough conditions at Yale, the Bears were blessed with light winds and calm waters, as the Seekonk overcame its reputation for choppiness to produce what O'Leary called "probably the best conditions we've seen at home in a long time." A tide shift makes comparing results between races difficult, but Cooke said it had little effect on the oarsmen.
The varsity eight got Brown off to a good start by finishing at 5:53.3, 15.3 seconds ahead of BU. The Bears fought through a slight incoming tide to quickly gain open water and pull away from the Terriers.
The tide then switched directions and the times dropped, but Bruno didn't miss a beat. The second varsity eight cruised to an equally impressive victory, crossing the finish line in 5:41.1, while BU lagged behind at 5:58.1. The Terriers put up their best fight of the day in the freshmen eight race, but the Bears' swift time of 5:38.1 was good for a ten-second margin of victory.
The final two races produced Brown's largest margins of victory on the day. The third varsity eight finished in 5:38.2, while BU followed at 5:58.7. The Bears capped a strong day when the second freshmen boat cruised to a 20.6-second victory, crossing the line at 6:34.4.
Cooke said he particularly appreciated the strong showing by the freshmen, who had lost both of their races against Yale.
"To bounce back after last week was a big deal," he said. "It's always good to see the smiles on the guys' faces after they win that first race."
Saturday went beyond a normal home meet because it featured a double dose of the Bears. The women's crew team joined the men on the Seekonk to face Radcliffe, as the teams alternated races. Those on the men's side enjoyed the experience.
"We have such respect for what the women have done over the years, so it's great to get a chance to race together," Cooke said.
Co-captain Paul Strombom '08 said he appreciated the power of the combined fan bases of the two teams.
"We get more people cheering for us, so it's definitely fun to have races with them," he said.
Both Bruno teams will once again share the Seekonk next Saturday, but the men are focused entirely on their opponent: Harvard. Strombom recalled the events of April 8, 2006, the last time the teams squared off on Brown's home course, when he was one of four sophomores on the Bears' varsity eight that beat the powerhouse Crimson squad by half of a second.
"We definitely expect some close races like that this weekend, and hopefully we'll come out on top," he said.
Cooke expressed similar thoughts.
"It's been a very strong rivalry over the years, and it's a big race for us, so we really look forward to it," he said.
