PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The No. 3 Wesleyan men's crew team suffered their first defeat since the 2022-23 season as the Cardinals were downed by No. 2 Williams in three of the four varsity races on Saturday morning from Onota Lake.
In a rematch of an epic 2024 IRA National Championship race that saw the Wesleyan and Williams varsity 8 boats finish 1-2 by a mere 0.207 seconds, the first clash between the two boats since that race went the way of the Ephs on Saturday. Williams won the varsity 8 race in convincing fashion with a time of 5:52.2, which was seven seconds faster than Wesleyan's top boat which finished in 5:59.2.
Towards the end of the racing in the morning saw the Cardinals capture their lone win as the 3
rd varsity 8 saw Wesleyan triumph with a time of 6:06.4, which was over five seconds clear of the Ephs' third boat which clocked in at 6:11.8.
Williams claimed wins in the remaining two varsity 8 races, with the Ephs kicking off the day with a narrow win in the 4
th varsity 8 as Williams crossed the line in 6:17.6 while the Cardinals finished in 6:18.8. Williams also took a narrow two-second win in the 2
nd varsity 8 race, finishing in 5:58.6 while the Cardinals had a time of 6:00.6.
Racing conditions on the day saw an approximate 8-10 mph tailwind, with a significant chop over the last 1500m. Conditions improved for the final two races on the morning (3V8 and 4's).
Wesleyan's regular season is now completed as the Cardinals head into the New England Championships on May 3 in Worcester as the defending Champions of the event.
