MALDEN and WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Bates rowing teams competed on the Malden River Saturday, and on Lake Quinsigamond Sunday, in an action-packed weekend of racing that saw the men's second varsity eight go undefeated.

"It was a very big weekend of racing for us with the men's team racing three times and the women's team racing as many as four over the two days," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "We learned a lot about ourselves and have a better picture of how to move forward with our training as we prepare for the championship portion of our season."

Racing started Saturday morning on the Malden River with the women matched up against defending national champion Wellesley. The Blue's 1V edged the Bobcats with a time of 6:45.9, while Bates crossed the finish line in 6:48.7. The Bates 2V finished runner-up to Wellesley as well, but the third varsity eight emerged victorious. Led by senior coxswain Isabella Sobolewski (Washington, D.C.) and sophomore stroke Miryam Keller (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), the Bobcats beat the Blue by more than three seconds, although due to a timing error, no official times were recorded.

Following those races, the men's first and second varsity eight crews took on the University of Massachusetts, and the Bobcats won with ease. Led by senior coxswain Aidan Braithwaite (Milton, Mass.) and first-year stroke George Fauver (Bedford, N.Y.), the 1V raced to the finish in 6:11.7, well-ahead of the UMASS 1V, which crossed the finish line in 6:28.7. 

The men's second varsity eight turned in an even more dominating performance. Led by sophomore coxswain Isabel Beck (Montclair, N.J.) and sophomore stroke Ian Van Loo (Seattle, Wash.), the Bobcats took the win over the UMASS 2V with a time of 6:26.2, compared to the Minutemen's mark of 7:02.8. 

Back on the women's side of the ledger, the first varsity eight bounced back from their narrow loss to Wellesley with a victory over Wesleyan. Led by junior coxswain Lucy Del Col (Wellesley, Mass.) and senior captain stroke Casey Winter (Malvern, Pa.), the Bobcats raced to the finish in 6:51.03, topping the Cardinals by more than six seconds.

The men's second varsity eight completed a 2-0 day on the Malden River with a win over the Wesleyan 2V. Bates raced to the finish in 6:01.4, to Wesleyan's 6:07.1.

On Sunday, the action moved to Lake Quinsigamond, and the women's team got the day started with a trio of victories. Led by junior coxswain Olivia Seline (Delaware, Ohio) and sophomore stroke Lydia Barker (Wellesley, Mass.), the women's second varsity eight out-raced Hamilton, WPI, and Washington College in their heat with a winning time of 7:03.

The first varsity eight won its heat as well, in a group that featured last year's 1V gold medal winner at the NCAA Championships, WPI. The Bobcats out-raced WPI, Hamilton, and Washington College in 6:48.2. The women's 3V won its race over Wellesley, Hamilton, WPI, Trinity, and Clark in 7:02.2.

The men's first and second varsity eights rolled to victory, with the Bates 1V out-racing WPI, Hamilton, RIT, and Washington College in a blazing fast time of 5:57.86. The 2V had no problem winning its race in 6:11.1 over WPI and RIT. 

Bates also entered a number of fours this weekend and the men's varsity four led by first-year coxswain Micah Shimizu (Batavia, Ill.) and junior Daniel Rodriguez (Jacksonville, Fla.) won its race Sunday over WPI in 7:06.9, 1.6 seconds ahead of the Engineers. 

In the grand finals for the women, the 2V finished third on Sunday in 7:05.8, behind Wellesley (6:56.7) and Hamilton (6:59.4), both of whom cut significant time off their marks in the earlier heats. Meanwhile, the Bates 1V placed second to Wellesley in 6:52.1. The Blue crossed the finish line in 6:48.1. Bates was able to hold off hard-charging Trinity, which placed third in 6:52.4

The Bobcats are back in action this Saturday when the men race MIT and the women take on the Radcliffe Lightweights.

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Darya Lee; 2: Hannah Burdick; 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 -- Saturday: Bow: Hannah de Fontaine; 2: Hope Stamp; 3: Ollie Young; 4: Olivia Szachta; 5: Quinn Gleason; 6: Isabelle Martin; 7: Genesis Bussey; Stroke: Lydia Barker; c: Olivia Seline

Bates W2V8 lineup -- Sunday: Bow: Hannah de Fontaine; 2: Hope Stamp; 3: Lauren Cockrill; 4: Olivia Szachta; 5: Quinn Gleason; 6: Isabelle Martin; 7: Genesis Bussey; Stroke: Lydia Barker; c: Olivia Seline

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

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

Bates W4V8 lineup: Bow: Claire Scott; 2: Merrill Doherty; 3: Julia Buzacot; 4: Rylee Eaton; 5: Olivia Dekker; 6: Tatum Holley; 7: Olivia Smith; Stroke: Maggie Kornfeind; c: Hannah Braslau (1st race), Nicola Lynch-Collier (2nd race)

Bates WV4 lineup: Bow: Madeline Kemp; 2: Tatum Holley; 3: Claire Scott; 4: Maggie Kornfeind; c: Hannah Braslau

Bates W2V4 lineup: Bow: Julia Buzacott; 2: Merrill Doherty; 3: Olivia Dekker; 4: Rylee Eaton; c: Nicola Lynch-Collier

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Benjamin MacDonald; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Timothy Bates; 4: Isaac Levinger; 5: Charlie Berman; 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: Saunders Thompson; 3: Micah Johnson; 4: William Conway; 5: Jimmy Staller; 6: Jack Stephenson; 7: Andrew Frey; Stroke: Wiley Anderson; c: Rowan Cody

Bates MV4 lineup: Bow: Samuel Hallett; 2: Zachary Jawor; 3: Leo Sullivan; 4: Daniel Rodriguez; c: Micah Shimizu