MALDEN, Mass. -- The Bates women's first varsity eight made a big statement on Saturday, defeating the 1V from No. 1 nationally ranked Wellesley in the final to highlight a strong day of racing for the rowing teams on the Malden River.

Led by sophomore coxswain Lucy Del Col (Wellesley, Mass.) and junior stroke Casey Winter (Malvern, Pa.), the No. 2 nationally ranked Bobcats defeated No. 8 Wesleyan in the 1V semifinal on Saturday, racing to the finish in 6:54.03. The Cardinals came in well behind, in 7:17.65.

Then the Bobcats took 10 seconds off their time in the final against No. 1 Wellesley, crossing the finish line in 6:44.72. The Blue finished in 6:47.6. Bates is the four-time defending NCAA champion. Wellesley is the last team besides Bates to win the national title, having won it all in 2016. 

"I am very pleased with our first race against Division III opponents this year," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "It's a long season but this is a promising start."

In the 2V semifinal, the Bobcats defeated the Cardinals by 11 seconds. Led by junior coxswain Isabella Sobolewski (Washington, D.C.) and sophomore stroke Genesis Bussey (Bronx, N.Y.), Bates raced to the finish in 7:08.3, with Wesleyan crossing the line in 7:19.2. The Blue were waiting in the final though, and out-raced the Bates 2V 7:02.38 to 7:10.13.

The third varsity eight had a great day for the Bates women, winning both their races. Led by sophomore coxswain Olivia Seline (Delaware, Ohio) and first-year stroke Hannah Burdick (Lyme, N.H.), the Bobcats out-raced both Tufts (7:15.58 to 7:29.88) and Wellesley (7:06.11 to 7:23.81). Meanwhile, the fourth varsity eight won its only race of the day, with first-year coxswain Isabel Beck (Montclair, N.J.) and first-year stroke Rylee Eaton (Little Deer Isle, Maine) leading Bates (7:17.44) past Tufts (7:49.73). 

On the men's side, the first varsity eight out-raced Wesleyan in its semifinal. Led by senior coxswain Evan Saltman (Newfields, N.H.) and senior stroke Espen Wheeler (Paradis, Norway), the Bobcats raced to the finish in 5:54.91, while Wesleyan crossed the line in 6:05.03. Host Tufts (6:01.88) edged the Bobcats (6:05.96) in the final.

The men's second varsity eight also won its semifinal race, with junior coxswain Aidan Braithwaite (Milton, Mass.) and first-year stroke Colton Sochia (Dallas, Texas) leading Bates to the finish in 6:16.16, with the Cardinals recording a time of 6:25.32. Just like the 1V, the 2V came up just short in the final to the host Jumbos, as the Tufts men went undefeated on the day on their home river.

The Bobcats are back in action Sunday with races against WPI and a number of other crews starting at 9:10am.

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Eliana Weissmann; 2: Katarina Dickson; 3: Sophia Marota; 4: Maeve Mikulski; 5: Ollie Young; 6: Molly Connors; 7: Lillian Kinder; Stroke: Casey Winter; c: Lucy Del Col

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: Darya Lee; 2: Eloise Botka; 3: Livia Bernhardt; 4: Hope Stamp; 5: Mary Trafton; 6: Olivia Szachta; 7: Alexa Bowerfind; Stroke: Genesis Bussey; c: Isabella Sobolewski

Bates W3V8 lineup: Bow: Beatrice Johnston; 2: Emily Everett; 3: Josephine Stevens; 4: Margaret Horvat; 5: Sydney Paul; 6: Miryam Keller; 7: Lydia Barker; Stroke: Hannah Burdick; c: Olivia Seline

Bates W4V8 lineup: Bow: Claire Scott; 2: Dominique Bunnell; 3: Abby Marriott; 4: Abigail Somosky; 5: Kathryn Richards ; 6: Julia Buzacott; 7: Madeline Hogan; Stroke: Rylee Eaton; c: Isabel Beck

Bates WV4 lineup: Bow: Madeline Kemp; 2: Chelsea Griscom; 3: Olivia Dekker; 4: Maggie Kornfeind; c: Kerry Ettinger

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Sean Christiansen; 2: Xavier Fallone; 3: Thomas Monahan; 4: Jasper Tucker; 5: Charlie Berman; 6: Steven Sparks; 7: Robert Sobolewski; Stroke: Espen Wheeler; c: Evan Saltman

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Benjamin MacDonald; 2: Benjamin Auerbach; 3: William Corcoran; 4: Charles Renvyle; 5: Alexander Burbelo; 6: Jack Fruechte; 7: Maxwell Cavallaro; Stroke: Colton Sochia; c: Aidan Braithwaite

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Tom White; 2: Nicholas Van Ingen; 3: Oliver Firmenich; 4: Sander Katz; 5: Samuel Marchman; 6: Solomon Sakakeeny-Smith; 7: Riley Young; Stroke: Ian Van Loo; c: Rowan Cody

Bates MV4 lineup: Bow: Micah Johnson; 2: William Conway; 3: Jimmy Staller; 4: Andrew Frey; c: Celia Tolan

Complete results below:

W3V8:
Tufts: 7:13.6
Wellesley: 7:22.05

M3V8:
Tufts: 6:12.9
Bates: 6:14.81

W4:
Wesleyan: 8:31.35
Bates: 8:44.75

WV8 - Semifinal:
Wellesley: 6:49.54
Tufts: 6:52.86

W2V8  - Semifinal:
Wellesley: 7:04.09
Tufts: 7:17.29

WV8 - Semifinal:
Bates: 6:54.03
Wesleyan: 7:17.65

W2V8 - Semifinal:
Bates: 7:08.3
Wesleyan: 7:19.2

MV8 - Semifinal:
Bates: 5:54.91
Wesleyan: 6:05.03

MV8 - Semifinal:
Tufts: 6:07.83
UMass: 6:19.98

M2V8 - Semifinal:
Bates: 6:16.16
Wesleyan: 6:25.32

M2V8 - Semifinal:
Tufts: 6:23.5
UMass: 6:34.9

W3V8:
Bates: 7:15.58
Tufts: 7:29.88

M3V8:
Bates: 6:50.26
UMass: 7:32.99

MV4:
Tufts: 7:15.32
Bates: 7:30.84

WV4:
Wesleyan: 8:41.29
Wellesley: 8:49.78

WV8 - Consolation:
Tufts: 6:56.29
Wesleyan: 7:00.94

WV8 - Final:
Bates: 6:44.72
Wellesley: 6:47.6

W2V8 - Consolation:
Tufts: 7:22.74
Wesleyan: 7:42.87

W2V8 - Final:
Wellesley: 7:02.38
Bates: 7:10.13

MV8 - Consolation:
Wesleyan: 6:05.27
UMass: 6:19.04

M2V8 - Consolation:
UMass: 6:37.36
Wesleyan: 6:51.12

M2V8 - Final:
Tufts: 6:09.36
Bates: 6:15.99

MV8 - Final:
Tufts: 6:01.88
Bates: 6:05.96

M3V8:
Tufts: 6:28.84
UMass: 7:27.81

W3V8:
Bates: 7:06.11
Wellesley: 7:23.81

WV4:
Wellesley: 8:31.94
Bates: 8:38.56

W4V8:
Bates: 7:17.44
Tufts: 7:49.73

M4V4:
Tufts: 7:13.28
Wesleyan: 8:20.58