The season of hope and high expectations has turned into one of frustration for Big Green crew.
Last weekend, the men's heavyweight races were moved to Lowell, Mass. at the last minute due to flooding on the Connecticut River where the races were originally scheduled.
In Cambridge, Mass., the men's lightweight and women's squads had problems of their own. Saturday, the women recorded a heartbreaking loss to a revitalized Radcliffe crew, losing by two seconds.
On Sunday, the much-anticipated race between the varsity lights of Dartmouth and Harvard for the Biglin Bowl - a competition the Big Green have never won - was postponed until May 1.
Although the switch to Lowell, Mass. denied the heavies a hometown crowd, they easily defeated Boston University and Rutgers to win the Bill Cup competition for the third year in a row. The Big Green second varsity eight and third varsity four also clinched victories.
Strong current, choppy water and gusty winds did not provide the Big Green with ideal rowing conditions, but Dartmouth broke away from Rutgers in the final 500 meters of the 2,000 meter race with a time of five minutes, 33.2 seconds. Rutgers was two seconds behind Dartmouth and BU finished third.
"Conditions were pretty rough and did not make for smooth rowing," heavyweight coach Scott Armstrong said. "The guys felt it was a poor race, as the crew never found a good rhythm on the settle. They know they will have to perform better in the future to medal at the Championships."
The Big Green face their toughest competition of the regular season when they travel to Providence, R.I. to race against Brown.
Last year, the Brown heavies were the first to win collegiate rowing's equivalent of the Triple Crown, with gold medal performances at Eastern Sprints, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta and the National Championships.
Brown should be just as strong this year and are currently undefeated, but the Dartmouth heavies, with a top-five ranking in this week's coaches' poll, aim for an upset on Saturday.
"We're very excited for this weekend and our chance to race with the defending national champions," heavyweight captain Fred Malloy '94 said. "We know we can match their horsepower, we just have to perform together to stay competitive."
Saturday in Princeton, N.J., the women's squad races Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. The Tigers are currently ranked first in the nation and the Big Green, after last week's disappointing loss to Radcliffe, are out to prove they can race at the same level as the best in the league.
"This is going to be a tough weekend but we can rally to the occasion," women's crew captain Julie Stevenson '94 said. "We want this race and we are in every position to get it."
So far, the women have lost tough races to strong crews from BU and Radcliffe, but hope to prove they are still in the hunt for medals at Eastern Sprints.
Against Radcliffe and Syracuse in Cambridge, Mass. last weekend, Radcliffe finished first with a time of 6:53.1. Dartmouth was second and Syracuse placed a distant third.
"I know that the [varsity] is frustrated with last weekend's performance and will do whatever they can to dog Princeton all the way to the finish line," women's coach Barb Kirch said. "Winning is not unrealistic, but it will take tremendous heart on our part to do it."
Also this weekend, the Big Green men's lightweight squad heads to New Brunswick, N.J. to race Yale and Rutgers for the Durand Cup.
Last year, Dartmouth won the competition for the first time in 17 years and hopes to keep the Durand Cup in Hanover for another year with a win on Saturday.
Yale should prove to be formidable competition for the Big Green. The Bulldogs easily defeated Cornell last weekend and appear to be one of the fastest crews in the league at this point in the season.
"We are more than ready for whatever they hand us," Crounse said. "If we row our own race, they won't be able to touch us."
The Big Green lights wanted to prove they are also one of the fastest crews in the league with a victory against Harvard. Dartmouth has never won a dual race against the Crimson in the 52 years of competition between the two schools and the Big Green were more than ready to end this losing streak.
Instead, a strong head wind and choppy water forced the cancellation of the varsity race after the Harvard second varsity sank during its race against the Big Green second varsity. The varsity race will take place May 1 in Cambridge, Mass.
