MALDEN and WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Bates rowing teams took on a number of their NESCAC and NCAA peers over the weekend, with races held Saturday and Sunday on the Malden River and Lake Quinsigamond, respectively.

The weekend started with the rowing teams taking on Wesleyan on the men's side and Tufts on the women's side Saturday in the Malden Racing Series. While all three crews for both teams finished second to the Cardinals and Jumbos, the afternoon was a different story for the women's team.

Led by senior captain coxswain Lucy Del Col (Wellesley, Mass.) and first-year stroke Cal Dagner (Crozet, Va.) the women's first varsity eight outraced two-time defending NCAA Division III champion Wellesley, crossing the finish line in 6:54.59 in the petite final, while the Blue raced to the finish in 7:00.26. 

Showing their depth, the second varsity eight, led by senior coxswain Oli Seline (Delaware, Ohio) and first-year stroke Charlotte Comrack (Washington, D.C.) outraced the Wellesley 2V with a time of 7:20.81. The Blue finished well-behind the Bobcats in 7:34.67.  

"Day one of our second consecutive double-regatta weekend went well," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "The crews raced twice and made improvements with each piece. We'll focus our attention on continuing that trend as we look toward day two tomorrow in Worcester."

On Sunday, the action moved to Lake Quinsigamond, and the women's first and second varsity eights picked up where they left off. The 1V won their heat in 7:24.4, ahead of Wellesley (7:27.68), William Smith (7:30.05), and Clark (7:40.44). Then the 2V won their heat in 7:38.55, also beating Wellesley (7:41.69), Clark (7:49.79), and William Smith (7:50.24).

The men's team had a huge day on Sunday. It all started with the first varsity eight. Led by junior coxswain Izzy Beck (Upper Montclair, N.J.) and sophomore stroke George Fauver (Bedford, N.Y. ), the Bobcats took first place in their only race of the day with a time of 6:24.8, ahead WPI (6:28.17), Hamilton (6:32.4), RIT (6:48.65), and Washington College (6:53.78).

On top of that, led by first-year coxswain Darien Chiang (Quincy, Mass.) and senior captain stroke Andrew Frey (Berkeley, Calif.), the second varsity eight won their race against WPI, RIT, and Hamilton with a time of 6:27.4. Then, the third varsity eight, led by sophomore coxswain Micah Shimizu (Methuen, Mass.) and junior stroke Ian Van Loo (Seattle, Wash.) won their race against WPI and RIT with a time of 6:35.23. 

The women's first and second varsity eights came back for their respective grand finals, with the 1V taking second place to Trinity by 3.86 seconds. WPI, Wellesley, Hamilton, and William Smith all finished behind the Bobcats. The 2V took third place in their grand final, trailing Trinity and Hamilton but ahead of Wellesley, WPI, and Clark.

The women's team will get another shot at Trinity next Sunday when they race the Bantams and the Radcliffe Lightweights. Meanwhile, the men's team will take on the MIT Lightweights and Trinity. 

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Hannah Burdick; 2: Olivia Smith; 3: Olivia Szachta; 4: Livia Bernhardt; 5: Katarina Dickson; 6: Isabelle Martin; 7: Maggie Gill; Stroke: Cal Dagner; c: Lucy Del Col

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: May Fastaia; 2: Elizabeth Gramley; 3: Hannah de Fontaine; 4: Tatum Holley; 5: Quinn Gleason; 6: Rylee Eaton; 7: Miryam Keller; Stroke: Charlotte Comrack; c: Oli Seline

Bates W3V8 lineup (Saturday): Bow: Claire Scott; 2: Sula Harf; 3: Olivia Dekker; 4: Dominique Bunnell; 5: Froney Dreher; 6: Maggie Kornfeind; 7: Madeline Kemp; Stroke: Julia Buzacott; c: Audrey Kamine

Bates W3V8 lineup (Sunday): Bow: Claire Scott; 2: Sula Harf; 3: Olivia Dekker; 4: Dominique Bunnell; 5: Froney Dreher; 6: Maggie Kornfeind; 7: Madeline Kemp; Stroke: Julia Buzacott; c: Sarah Wallace

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Luke Desmaison; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Jimmy Staller; 4: Isaac Levinger; 5: Lando Putnam-Bagley; 6: Conor McGuckin; 7: Charlie Berman; Stroke: George Fauver; c: Izzy Beck

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Erik Lindholm; 2: Hugh McCabe; 3: Brendan Kelly; 4: Kelly McKaige; 5: Oliver Firmenich; 6: Charles Renvyle; 7: Riley Young; Stroke: Andrew Frey; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Leo Sullivan; 2: Will Conway; 3: Benji Richards; 4: Nick Hoerle; 5: Alex Appleton; 6: Micah Johnson; 7: Luke Johnson; Stroke: Ian Van Loo; c: Micah Shimizu

Bates MV4 lineup (Saturday): Bow: Henry Gunderson; 2: Salem Aqraa; 3: Soren Davidson; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Melinda Kostrinsky

Bates MV4 lineup (Sunday): Bow: Henry Gunderson; 2: Aidan O'Brien; 3: Soren Davidson; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Melinda Kostrinsky