The Radcliffe lightweight eight won its race on the Charles Saturday with a time of 7:56, defeating Mount Holyoke and Wellesley by margins of more than 15 seconds.

Lightweight Co-Captain Sarah Yeates described the race conditions as "really horrible with a lot of rough wind and water."

"It didn't feel like the best row we've ever had," Yeates said. "Rowing into a headwind slows you down."

Difficulty

The Radcliffe eight has had difficulty finding competition this year and Yeates attributed the problem to a lack of funding at some schools for lightweight women's crew. As a result of the lack of competition, the lights have rarely raced against other varsity eight boats.

"I was particularly happy with the lightweight eight because it has been a while since they've been able to be what they set out to be," lightweight Coach Holly Metcalf said. "They settled down as a group."

The lightweight four also won their race on the Charles on Saturday in a time of 8:33, more than 15 seconds ahead of Wellesdley and MIT.