LEONIA, N.J. -- The Bates rowing teams opened the 2023 spring season Saturday against Ivy League opponent Columbia University at Overpeck Park. 

On a 1,500m buoyed course, the Bobcats competed in 40 degree cloudy weather with occasional rain and a quartering headwind at 12-14mph. 

The Bates men raced the defending IRA national champion Columbia Lightweights. In the first race, the Bobcats crossed the finish line in 5:01, with the Columbia lightweights 1V winning in 4:38.39. Then the teams squared off again, with the Bobcats narrowing the gap considerably, at 5:00 to Columbia's 4:46.67. The Columbia lightweights 2V actually won the second race in 4:46.28. 

Bates' second varsity eight raced to the finish in 5:07 while the 3V crossed the finish line in 5:20 in the first piece. The 2V finished the second race in 5:21 with the 3V hot on their heels, crossing the finish line in 5:25. In both races the Columbia Lightweights finished a couple boat lengths ahead, with no time taken.

On the women's side, the Bobcats took on a Columbia program that finished sixth in the Ivy League a year ago. The Bates first varsity eight raced to the finish in the first piece in 5:44 and cut four seconds off their time in the second race, crossing the line in 5:40. The Columbia 1V won both races, with times of 5:12 and 5:20 respectively. The second varsity eight had no time taken in their first race and finished in 5:57 in the second piece. Meanwhile the 3V saw dramatic improvement, going from 5:56 to 5:48 in their second go at it. 

"It was a real solid day of racing by all when you consider we had only been on the water for a couple of hours the day before," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "Columbia is very strong competition and we really appreciate their willingness to host us for the weekend. Now that we've knocked some of the rust off our stroke we can focus our attention on preparations for a double regatta weekend in Boston."

The Bates women are back in action next Saturday when the Bobcats take on Simmons. Meanwhile, the men race next Saturday against the Harvard Lightweights.

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Benjamin MacDonald; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Charlie Berman; 4: Isaac Levinger; 5: Timothy Bates; 6: William Siebert; 7: Luke Desmaison; Stroke: George Fauver; c: Aidan Braithwaite

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Riley Young; 2: Conor McGuckin; 3: Oliver Firmenich; 4: Charles Renvyle; 5: Samuel Marchman; 6: Benjamin Auerbach; 7: Kelly McKaige; Stroke: Ian Van Loo; c: Isabel Beck

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Alwin Ma; 2: Daniel Rodriguez; 3: Micah Johnson; 4: William Conway; 5: Jimmy Staller; 6: Jack Stephenson; 7: Andrew Frey; Stroke: Wiley Anderson; c: Rowan Cody

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Darya Lee; 2: Genesis Bussey; 3: Josephine Stevens; 4: Molly Connors; 5: Livia Bernhardt; 6: Katarina Dickson; 7: Eliana Weissmann; Stroke: Casey Winter; c: Lucy Del Col

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: Hannah de Fontaine; 2: Hope Stamp; 3: Isabelle Martin; 4: Olivia Szachta; 5: Ollie Young; 6: Quinn Gleason; 7: Lydia Barker; Stroke: Hannah Burdick; c: Olivia Seline

Bates W3V8 lineup: Bow: Elizabeth Gramley; 2: Emily Everett; 3: Eloise Botka; 4: Dominique Bunnell; 5: Olivia Smith; 6: Abigail Somosky; 7: Lauren Cockrill; Stroke: Miryam Keller; c: Isabella Sobolewski