MALDEN and WORCESTER, Mass. -- Bates rowing had a productive weekend of racing, highlighted by the men's team sweeping their opponents on Sunday. 

"The men's team was able to field five eights, allowing almost everyone on the roster to get a chance to race, including a couple of first-time races for some of our walk-ons," men's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Hannah Fitts '20 said. "We are right where we want to be right now after only one week of practice on the water."

"The opportunity to race upwards of 3-4 times in one weekend was not taken for granted by Bates women's rowing," women's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Greta O'Hara said. "With a variety of racing conditions over the course of two days and some of the top DIII crews competing this early in the season, Bates showed up to learn and grow."

Malden Racing Series Recap

The Bobcats started the weekend on the Malden River. Led by junior coxswain Darien Chiang (Quincy, Mass.) and senior captain stroke seat Luke Desmaison (New York City), the Bates men's first varsity eight out-raced Boston College, with the Bobcats crossing the finish line in 7:08.4 and the Eagles recording a time of 7:23.9. Led by senior captain coxswain Micah Shimizu (Batavia, Ill.) and junior stroke seat Hugh McCabe (Arlington, Mass.), the men's second varsity eight also won their race with Boston College, finishing in 7:02.3 to BC's time of 7:18.2. Sophomore coxswain Sara Maquera (Glenview, Ill.) and junior stroke seat Finian Guinney (Seattle) led the third varsity eight and made it a clean sweep of the Eagles, winning in 7:19.2 to BC's mark of 7:47.7.

Meanwhile, the women's first varsity eight placed second to Wellesley, but the second varsity eight emerged victorious in their race. Led by sophomore coxswain Leah Brody (Larchmont, N.Y.) and sophomore stroke seat Mia Senturk (Dublin, Ireland), the Bobcats finished the race in 7:59.3 while the Blue 2V crossed the line in 8:03.4. First-year coxswain Sophie Shaw (Great Barrington, Mass.) and junior stroke seat Charlotte Comrack (Washington, D.C.) led the women's third varsity eight to victory over the Blue as well, crossing the finish line in 8:12.2 to Wellesley's 8:25.3. Fellow first-year coxswain Riley Tran (Broomfield, Colo.) and junior stroke seat Noa Hart (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) paced the women's varsity four to an impressive win, as they beat Wellesley by nearly a full minute, recording a time of 9:08.5 compared to the Blue's 10:00.6.

The 1V for the women's team bounced back to win their petite final, defeating fellow NESCAC school Wesleyan. Led by sophomore coxswain Shoshana Levy (Arlington, Va.) and sophomore stroke seat Virginia Adams (Hanover, N.H.), the Bobcats out-raced the Cardinals 7:33.9 to 7:42.4.

Meanwhile, the women's varsity four was the only Bates boat on Saturday to also win their grand final, as the Bobcats defeated Tufts 9:19.2 to 9:35.5.

Lake Quinsigamond Racing Recap

Sunday was a perfect day for the Bates men's rowing team. 

Taking on Hamilton, WPI, and Washington College, Chiang and Desmaison led the Bobcats to victory in the 1V race as the Bobcats crossed the finish line in 6:19.83. The Continentals were the runner-up in 6:22.73.

Shimizu led the 2V again, with first-year Will Mitchell (Belvedere, Calif.) stepping into the stroke seat as Bates out-raced WPI (6:35.7) and Hamilton (6:49.6) in 6:26.8. With Maquera and Guinney at coxswain and stroke respectively for the second straight day, the 3V had the closest race for the men's team, just edging out WPI in a one-on-one battle by a count of 6:40.4 to 6:41.5. 

Only WPI went four deep among the Bates men's team opponents, and the Bates 4V and 5V beat the Engineers on Sunday, crossing the finish line in 6:48.9 and 7:06.5 to WPI's 7:25.9. Sophomore coxswain Benji Cao (Sharon, Mass.) and sophomore stroke seat Diego Davalos (El Paso, Texas) led the 4V to victory.

After losing to Wellesley on Saturday, the Bates women's first varsity eight flipped the script on Sunday.

Led by Brody at coxswain this time and Adams once again at stroke seat, Bates raced to the finish in 7:09.9. The Blue crossed the finish line in 7:15.9, with host WPI taking third in 7:25.2 and Pacific Lutheran in fourth place with a time of 7:37.

Levy and Senturk led the women's 2V to victory in their heat in 7:25.9 over Wellesley (7:31), WPI (7:54.1), and PLU (8:40). Shaw once again coxed the 3V, with sophomore Evie Fox (Dallas, Texas) stepping into the stroke seat, and the Bobcats won their only race on Sunday in 7:29.8 over Wellesley (7:30.6), Trinity (7:35.7), the Trinity 4V (7:36.6), William Smith (7:38.5), and Hamilton (7:48.5).

Tran, Hart, first-year Isabelle Switanek (Evanston, Ill.), junior Taylor Glick (Jackson, Wyo.), and sophomore bow seat Mackenzie Higgins (Minneapolis, Minn.) completed their undefeated weekend in the women's varsity four, crossing the finish line in 8:24.2, well-ahead of Wellesley (8:44.2) and Trinity (8:45.2).

The 2V took third in their grand final in 7:33.2, behind William Smith (7:30.6) and winner Trinity (7:23.6) and ahead of Hamilton (7:35), Wellesley (7:45), and host WPI (8:06.5).

Meanwhile, the 1V beat Wellesley for a second time, taking runner-up in their grand final in 7:09.4, behind only Trinity (7:07.2). The Blue were third in 7:09.5, with William Smith (7:13.67), Hamilton (7:26.8), and WPI (7:32.2) rounding out the field.

"Collectively, we improved race to race and took some of the best strokes of the season on Sunday," O'Hara said. "Changing a racing outcome not 24 hours apart is really encouraging as the team continues to progress in the next few weeks ahead of championship racing." 

Bates Lineups (Saturday): 

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Hannah de Fontaine; 2: Maggie Gill; 3: Quinn Gleason; 4: Greta Oberdiek; 5: Isabelle Martin; 6: Megan O'Donnell; 7: Olivia Smith; Stroke: Virginia Adams; c: Shoshana Levy

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: Fili Keszti; 2: Olivia Hill; 3: Ella Lisle; 4: Kiki Hillery; 5: Arden Minor; 6: Adina Suchman; 7: Ava Teleki; Stroke: Mia Senturk; c: Leah Brody

Bates W3V8 lineup: Bow: Caitlin Davidson; 2: Evie Fox; 3: Zeiva Sussman; 4: Eva Calcutt; 5: Froney Dreher; 6: Carolyn Musselwhite; 7: Merrill Doherty; Stroke: Charlotte Comrack; c: Sophie Shaw

Bates WV4 lineup: Bow: Mackenzie Higgins; 2: Taylor Glick; 3: Isabelle Switanek; 4: Noa Hart; c: Riley Tran

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Luke Johnson; 2: Peter Gratwick; 3: Conor McGuckin; 4: Roy Bellows; 5: Lando Putnam-Bagley; 6: Samuel Perozek; 7: Brendan Kelly; Stroke: Luke Desmaison; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: John Cleary; 2: Kelly McKaige; 3: Thomas Pacinda; 4: Bryce Ahn; 5: Benji Richards; 6: Will Mitchell; 7: Erik Lindholm; Stroke: Hugh McCabe; c: Micah Shimizu

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Logan Schlichter; 2: Louis Consigli; 3: Xavier Drouin; 4: Nicholas Hoerle; 5: George Udris; 6: Alex Appleton; 7: Cooper Drazek; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Sara Maquera

Bates M4V8 lineup: Bow: Soren Davidson; 2: Sam Williams; 3: Jack Tierney; 4: EJ Herrmann; 5: Oscar Green; 6: Solomon Kayobotsi; 7: Alwin Ma; Stroke: Diego Davalos; c: Benji Cao

Bates M5V8 lineup: Bow: Randy Li; 2: Aarav Worah; 3: Robert Meier; 4: Hayden Lee; 5: Timmy Howe; 6: Aidan O'Brien; 7: Billy Pierce; Stroke: Patrick Cohen; c: Hannah Daher

Bates Lineups (Sunday): 

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Hannah de Fontaine; 2: Greta Oberdiek; 3: Isabelle Martin; 4: Megan O'Donnell; 5: Quinn Gleason; 6: Maggie Gill; 7: Olivia Smith; Stroke: Virginia Adams; c: Leah Brody

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: Fili Keszti; 2: Kiki Hillery; 3: Froney Dreher; 4: Carolyn Musselwhite; 5: Arden Minor; 6: Adina Suchman; 7: Ava Teleki; Stroke: Mia Senturk; c: Shoshana Levy

Bates W3V8 lineup: Bow: Merrill Doherty; 2: Olivia Hill; 3: Zeiva Sussman; 4: Eva Calcutt; 5: Ella Lisle; 6: Charlotte Comrack; 7: Caitlin Davidson; Stroke: Evie Fox; c: Sophie Shaw

Bates WV4 lineup: Bow: Mackenzie Higgins; 2: Taylor Glick; 3: Isabelle Switanek; 4: Noa Hart; c: Riley Tran

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Luke Johnson; 2: Peter Gratwick; 3: Lando Putnam-Bagley; 4: Roy Bellows; 5: Conor McGuckin; 6: Samuel Perozek; 7: Brendan Kelly; Stroke: Luke Desmaison; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: John Cleary; 2: Hugh McCabe; 3: Erik Lindholm; 4: Bryce Ahn; 5: Thomas Pacinda; 6: Kelly McKaige; 7: Benji Richards; Stroke: Will Mitchell; c: Micah Shimizu

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Cooper Drazek; 2: Louis Consigli; 3: George Udris; 4: Alex Appleton; 5: Xavier Drouin; 6: Nicholas Hoerle; 7: Logan Schlichter; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Sara Maquera

Bates M4V8 lineup: Bow: Soren Davidson; 2: Aidan O'Brien; 3: Jack Tierney; 4: EJ Herrmann; 5: Timmy Howe; 6: Sam Williams; 7: Oscar Green; Stroke: Diego Davalos; c: Benji Cao

Bates M5V8 lineup: Bow: Randy Li; 2: Finnegan Merrick; 3: Robert Meier; 4: Aarav Worah; 5: Billy Pierce; 6: Hayden Lee; 7: Alwin Ma; Stroke: Patrick Cohen; c: Hannah Daher