WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Bates men's rowing team impressed on Lake Quinsigamond Sunday, with the top three boats winning their races over fellow IRCA Division III schools WPI and Hamilton.

Led by sophomore coxswain Darien Chiang (Quincy, Mass.) and junior stroke seat Luke Desmaison (New York City), the Bates men's first varsity eight outraced WPI and Hamilton, winning by open water. The Bobcats crossed the finish line in 5:58.6 while the Engineers finished in 6:08.95 and the Continentals took third in 6:10.95.

The Bates second varsity eight followed with a victory as well. Led by senior coxswain Izzy Beck (Upper Montclair, N.J.) and junior stroke seat George Fauver (Bedford, N.Y.), the Bobcats prevailed in 6:09.8, with WPI coming in second in 6:18.97 and Hamilton third in 7:05.2

Meanwhile, the Bates third varsity eight had the largest margin of victory. Led by junior coxswain Micah Shimizu (Batavia, Ill.) and junior stroke seat Wiley Anderson (Ithaca, N.Y.), the Bobcats outraced the WPI 3V by more than 12 seconds with a time of 6:16.4.

"The men's crews put together some very good 2000m pieces and learned a little about themselves as they prepare for a race against No. 1 ranked Trinity on Easter morning after exam week," said head coach Peter Steenstra.

Bates men's rowing takes to the Charles River next Sunday for a showdown with the Bantams and the MIT Lightweights.

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Erik Lindholm; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Jimmy Staller; 4: Conor McGuckin; 5: Oliver Firmenich; 6: Charles Renvyle; 7: Lando Putnam-Bagley; Stroke: Luke Desmaison; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: John Cleary; 2: Ian Van Loo; 3: Thomas Pacinda; 4: Leo Sullivan; 5: Alex Appleton; 6: Ben Auerbach; 7: Luke Johnson; Stroke: George Fauver; c: Izzy Beck

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Cooper Drazek; 2: Hugh McCabe; 3: Benji Richards; 4: Sam Perozek; 5: Nicholas Hoerle; 6: Kelly McKaige; 7: Peter Gratwick; Stroke: Wiley Anderson; c: Micah Shimizu

Bates M4V8 lineup: Bow: Finian Guinney; 2: Micah Johnson; 3: Randy Li; 4: Sam Williams; 5: Xavier Drouin; 6: Lorenzo Songsare-Shevy; 7: Robert Meier; Stroke: Diego Davalos; c: Hannah Daher

Bates MV4 lineup: Bow: Jack Stephenson; 2: Aidan O'Brien; 3: Soren Davidson; 4: Mason Choiniere Barr; c: Melinda Kostrinsky

Bates M2V4 lineup: Bow: Nate Oh; 2: Aarav Worah; 3: EJ Herrmann; 4: Ryan Berger; c: Benji Cao