Sunday Report
The Tufts University Women's Varsity Eight capped off a great weekend's racing with a convincing three length victory over University College Dublin in Sunday racing in the Grand Final of the Women's Senior (2) Eight at the Reading Amateur Regatta. It marked the 2nd victory in as many days for the ladies squad from Medford, MA as they dispatched the ladies from Dublin in a workmanlike fashion, drawing to open water in the first 400 meters of the sprint distance 1,00 meter race.

Tufts moved aggressively right from the start, off the blocks at 44 strokes a minute, and settling into a racing cadence of 39. After establishing a comfortable margin the Jumbos reduced their rating to 37 and ran out the string to a comfortable margin with a winning time of 3:44.

In earlier action, Tufts Varsity Women's Four rowed a spirited race against another boat from UCD. Tufts took an early lead of three sets, but UCD fought back to level at 500 meters gone, and then slowly edged away form Tufts over the last 600 meters of the course en route to a 1.5 length victory over their US opponent. UCD was timed at 4:18, with Tufts finishing in 4:23.

Saturday Report
Tufts Women's University Women's Varsity Eight began the first of two weekend's rowing competition in England with a bang on Saturday, emerging victorious in the Women's Senior (2) Eights event at the Reading Amateur Regatta on the Thames in Reading, England. Tufts bettered the University College Dublin in round one of the racing with a time of 5:18 and a verdict of easily over a 1,500 meter course.. The race was decided in the early going as the Jumbos opened up a lead of a length in the first 400 meters and were never headed as they pulled away to a multi length victory.

In the finals the going was a bit tougher, Tufts in a true nail biter. Headington College came out swinging and the two crews traded the advantage of one seat or another over the first 1,000 meters. Tufts was down by two seats with 500 meters to go, but spurred on by the call for sprint from senior coxswain Lauren Ungerleider the Jumbos responded and pulled out to a narrow 2/3 length victory with a time of 5:26, in the strengthening afternoon breeze.

The Varsity Four fell to a bit bad luck in the draw, set up against eventual Senior Four winner City of Oxford. Despite a row characteristic of the tenacity of the boat, made up primarily of rowers from the 2nd Varsity Eight, City of Oxford moved out from the start rather aggressively and eventually ran the string out to two full lengths, winning in a time of 5:52 to the Jumbos 5:58.

See a photo gallery from the racing here, thanks to Gary Caldwell for the photos.