The Colgate Men’s Rowing team made an impressive home debut last weekend against regional power Dowling. On the inhospitably chilly Lake Moraine, Hamilton’s finest boaters dominated the Golden Lions with first place finishes in both the varsity eights and fours. The Colgate A boat, manned by junior Peter Engebretson (stroke), junior Andrew Hatzenbuhler, sophomore Edward Gastel, junior Doug Herling, sophomore Kurt Miller, junior Bryan Pape, senior Tom Leonard, junior Austin Sigety (bow) and junior Mary Dekar (cox), finished in first with a time of 4:34, seven seconds ahead of Dowling’s crew. The Colgate B boat finished the short course with a time of 4:44. Both of Colgate’s varsity four boats also crossed the finish line before Dowling. The Raiders A boat finished with a time of 4:57 while the Raiders B crew finished with a time of 4:59. Dowling’s boat trailed closely behind, concluding the race with a 5:00 finish.

The Raider men are eager to continue their winning ways when they travel to Camden, New Jersey this weekend to compete in the Knecht Cup. Held on Cooper River, the annual event will host over 50 rowing programs, among them national powerhouses Temple, Marist, Georgia Tech and the ever-familiar Dowling. Senior Matthew Green looks forward to better weather this time around, as he described last year’s conditions as “below freezing.” The men will field a varsity pair, a varsity four and two varsity eight boats. Last year, Colgate’s top varsity eight boat won the petit final with a time of 6:04.1. The defending champions will battle Hobart, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Marist in their opening heat.

After a week off from official competition, the women will also head south to participate in the Knecht Cup. The women will field a varsity four, a novice four and two varsity eight boats. The women finished impressively in last year’s contest, making the petit finals and placing fourth.