This weekend Amherst had some very stiff competition. There were many close finishes. Last year, Conn. College won the women's and overall points trophies at New England Fours, and Simmons also had some very strong crews, so Amherst was in for some tough racing.

The first race of the day was the women's varsity four. Simmons, Conn.,(currently ranked one and two in the coaches' poll,) and Franklin Pierce were entered in this event. The race started off well for Amherst. The women had a quick, smooth start, and were out in front, but Conn. and Simmons gradually surged ahead throughout the body of the race despite Amherst's steady power. The women attempted some moves at the 1000m mark, but were unable to pick it back up on them. Their sprint at the end was strong, but Simmons and Conn. already had a few lengths on Amherst, so Amherst took third. Not bad for competing against the top two crews in New England. Amherst had just changed the line-up this past week, moving Barmettler to stroke, so the crew is confident that with more practice, they will greatly improve and take Conn. and Simmons by surprise next time they face them.

Next were the varsity men. Boats competing were Conn A, Conn B, Clark, and Franklin Pierce. The men also had a good start off the line with a strong 20 high at 40 strokes per minute, settling to a steady 31 strokes per minute. Conn A and Amherst separated from the field by 750m in, and at the 1000m mark, Conn A had three seats on Amherst. Although Conn A was rowing at a higher rate in the second thousand, the margin remained the same until the 1700 meter mark. Due to some confusion, Amherst called the sprint earlier than desired, and Conn A pulled away in the last 15 strokes. Despite a surging Conn B, Amherst held on to second place until the finish.

The biggest race of the day was the first novice women's four. These women had a smooth start, and settled into a solid rhythm at 28 strokes per minute. Although this crew tends to be a bit rushed, today they looked relaxed and focused. Simmons and Conn pushed the crew hard until about the 1000m mark where Conn fell behind. Amherst was in first place from this point on, finishing about a boat length ahead of Simmons, a great victory for this crew.

Next was the second women's novice crew, a lightweight boat, up against Simmons and Conn. The crew had a strong start, but Simmons pulled ahead, and came close to cutting Amherst off because of the strong winds. Lawrence called a power ten early on that pulled her crew away from Conn, and around the 1500m mark, they pulled up to Simmons some. They finished in second place. Once again, this crew rowed with great technique. Lawrence was proud of her crew's perfect timing and solid set.

The last Amherst race of the day was the men's novice four. Off the start, Amherst was in the race, but at around 500m, Conn started to pull away, followed by Franklin Pierce soon after. Culter called a power ten, and the crew made up some ground, but remained about a length behind for the remainder of the race. Their start had been at a higher rate than they had previously practiced, which threw them off a little, but in general, the race felt solid for this crew.