The men's crew began the spring season by sweeping three races from Yale on Saturday on the Seekonk River. The Bears looked strong as they began their defense of last season's Ivy League title.
"Yale's got a really strong program, and our guys did a great job of racing them down the course," said Head Coach Paul Cooke '89.
On an unusually calm day on the Seekonk, Brown won all three races by comfortable margins. The varsity and the freshman boats each won by more than nine seconds, while the second varsity boat posted a five-second edge.
Matt Wheeler '09 said the strong performances across the board were a "testament to the attitude we have in the boathouse right now. All three boats have been racing each other for months now, as hard as we can. We just went out there and did what we knew how to do."
The varsity eight began the morning by trouncing Yale, clocking in at 5:43.0 while the Bulldogs trailed 9.9 seconds behind. The Bears jumped out to a quick lead that continued to grow to open water midway through the two-kilometer race.
Christian Crynes '10 was in the bow seat, followed by Gavin Crynes '10 in the two seat, Wheeler in the three, Cole Bonner '10 in four, Ben Duggan '10 in five, Scott Morgan '10 in six, Nick Ritter '10 in the seven seat, Sean Medcalf '09 at stroke and coxswain Rob O'Leary '09.
O'Leary said it was important to begin the spring on the right foot.
"Coming into it we're always a little unsure about where we stand, so it was good to come out of the first race with a win," he said.
The second varsity eight dispatched two Yale boats almost as easily. The Bears finished in 5:46.45, while the Bulldog boats lagged behind at 5:51.86 and 5:54.11.
The freshmen wrapped up the morning with a dominant performance in their first race on Brown's home course. Brown's first novice boat finished first with a time of 5:42.77, followed by Yale at 5:51.90 and Bruno's second boat at 6:00.16.
The freshmen's strong showing pleased Cooke.
"It was a bit of a surprise," Cooke said. "The freshmen have been doing a nice job lately, but as much as the varsity is an unknown, the freshman (eight) is even more so, so for them to have such a successful race was a real thrill. It's great for the future of the program."
The freshmen also impressed the varsity rowers.
"We've been watching them train all year," Medcalf said. "They came in as sort of a rag-tag bunch. To see them just handle that race and really take control, that was really good."
The Bears will need the momentum they earned this weekend when they travel to California to face stiff competition at the San Diego Crew Classic next weekend. Brown will face top crews from across the country, including Ivy League foes Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
"San Diego is going to be really tough," Wheeler said. "Almost every powerhouse in the country is going to be there."
But O'Leary said the Bears will be ready.
"We're going to keep training and definitely get ready for a big race next weekend," he said.
