The crew team turned in strong performances this Saturday at their home dock, despite tough conditions and an upstream race on the Connecticut River. Matching up against boats from Bowdoin College, Middlebury College, the University of Massachusetts and the University of Vermont, the Jeffs pulled in neck-and-neck with their competitors.

"The conditions were pretty miserable," said Nora Sullivan '02. "We tend to focus on technique and rowing cleanly. We rely less on brute strength. So, we weren't really ready for that kind of challenge." Captain Mark Haupt '01 agreed with Sullivan, and added, "Overall, we're pleased with how we raced. But there's still stuff we need to work on."

The Amherst heavyweight four came in third against a field of the UMass A boat, Bowdoin and UVM. The men's lightweight four snagged a second-place finish against Middlebury, UVM and the UMass B boat. For the women, the varsity eight and novice eight both took silver, behind UVM and ahead of Middlebury.

The Jeffs will travel to the Wesleyan-hosted Little III Championships this weekend.