But Wisconsin--currently ranked first in the country after defeating five-time defending national champ Washington earlier in the year--held off Radcliffe to secure the victory.

Likewise, the JV Badgers edged the Black and White JV entry by less than a boat length.

Radcliffe and Brown jumped to an early lead, but as the Black and White pulled ahead of the Bruins, the Badgers made a move of their own, vaulting into the lead.

The race marked the first time the Radcliffe JV had competed with its newest lineup, featuring Vicky Keane at stroke in place of the injured Liza Paschal.

"It worked out pretty well, since we only got together on Thursday," Co-Captain Mary Farrell said. "We'd raced five weeks with the other boat, and had beaten everybody."

But despite a sprint late in the race, the Black and White couldn't catch the Badgers, and had to settle for its first loss of the season.

Petite Threes

For the JV lightweight eight, the big question last week wasn't what lineup to send to the Sprints, but what race to enter. When competition from Penn failed to materialize, the lights had to choose between several options--one of which was to petition to enter the JV heavyweight race.

A coaches' panel okayed the move early last week, freeing the lightweights to enter the heavyweight final-qualifying heats. The crew finished fourth in the heats, and third in the petite finals, a consolation race.

In other action, the heavyweight varsity four placed third in petite finals, and the first novice shell finished sixth in grand finals. Both the second and third novices copped petite final titles.