Crew hits the water running

“Overall, this year’s winter training went really well. Everybody was really dedicated this year,” said Mark Haupt ’01. “We worked out six days a week with rowing machines and 3 days a week in the weight room.”

The squad began their season early, participating in the Connecticut River Valley Erg Sprints at the University of Massachusetts on Feb. 17. Coming off of a dominating fall season, Captain Anna Cabot ’03 flew past most of her competition in the 2K sprint, pulling her final stroke at 7:23 to take a seventh-place finish. For the men, Pavel Chernyshov ’03 pulled a 6:43.3 to come in ninth place overall.

“The sophomores are very talented for the women. It’s really great for the program. Since they’ve been more competitive the last couple of years, they’ve attracted a lot of talented rowers,” said Haupt.

The Jeffs also participated in the Crash-B Erg Sprints in Boston on Feb. 25 to further refine their technique before hitting the water two weeks ago.

The crew team will row against a bevy of opponents this semester. Their first regatta will be on March 31, when they travel to Worcester for a meet against both Assumption College and Clark University. Following a stint at Fairfield University, the Jeffs will return home to the Connecticut River to host Bowdoin and Middlebury Colleges on April 14.

Following the home trial, the team will participate in the Little Three Championships against Williams College and Wesleyan University at the Cardinal boathouse, farther south on the Connecticut. Finally, the team will attend the New England Fours Championships on April 28 and the New England Championships on May 5. Capping the season will be the Dad Vail Regatta, held in Philadelphia over the weekend of May 11.