The Radcliffe heavyweights enjoyed a near perfect day and a great race yesterday. Finishing 14th overall in the preliminary results, the Black and White rowed the three-mile course in a time of 16:59.20.

"The place wasn't as high as we would have liked," senior coxswain Diane Marks said, "but there were a lot of teams we beat that we were pleased to beat, so we're happy about that. It's really just a chance for us to see who's out there."

"I thought we had a great race," Tomford said. "We just focused on moving up on the crew ahead of us on the turn around Weeks Bridge."

"Weeks is definitely the most critical turn, that's where you have a real home course advantage," she added. "Our coxswain can practice it."

Weeks Bridge, in fact, proved to be pivotal in Radcliffe's race this weekend. It was the fortuitous spot where the Black and White chose to pass the crew ahead of them in front of the home crowd.

"You can't ask for a better racing experience than to pass someone at Weeks Bridge," Marks said. "You come around the turn and you pass your boathouse and the men's boathouse, and everyone is cheering for Radcliffe. It's just a great experience."

While the spectators at Weld Boathouse were a welcome sight to the Radcliffe rowers, sometimes the more avid spectators can be a bit distracting.

"There were people up in the rafters of the B.U. Bridge yelling, `Dartmouth's catching up with you!'" Tomford said incredulously. "And this is somewhere in the first 30 seconds of a 15 minute race."

Unruly spectators aside, Head of the Charles is truly a coxswain's race. Unlike the shorter 2,000 meter races in the spring where crews start from a dead stop and race even with another boat in a straight line, Head of the Charles requires some serious strategy. Not only do crews have to navigate the numerous turns, but they also need to deal with passing boats that have left before and after.

"The coxswain makes a lot more decisive moves at Head of the Charles," Tomford said. "We just wanted to pass as many as we could and stay ahead of the rest."

"Our strategy kind of depended on the boats around us," Marks said. "We were lucky to have University of Michigan behind us, pushing us."

Radcliffe finished 10th among the collegiate boats, behind Ivy League rivals Brown and Beantown rivals Northeastern.

"We were psyched to come in second among Ivy League schools, and we were psyched to beat Princeton," Tomford said.

Princeton was the crew that edged out Radcliffe at the NCAA's last spring.

Despite the fact that names like Princeton and Radcliffe are still prominent in national competition, the sport is changing rapidly.

"The Ivy League used to dominate, but now because of Title IX and joining the NCAA, the sport is reaching out to a much broader base of athletes," Tomford said. "It's not so regionally based anymore."

Tomford's observations are borne out by the results. Seven of the top eight teams were state schools, with the University of Virginia finishing first among the collegiate boats.

Even with the marked increase in national competition, Radcliffe looks good for the upcoming races left in the season. With half the boat returning from last season's squad and last season's coxswain as well, Radcliffe is gelling despite the fact that their season is significantly shorter than other schools due to Harvard's late start date.

"We've only been out on the water for two weeks, but I think we all have confidence in each other," Tomford said.

"That's what I love about the sport," she added. "There's this time when you think you can't pull any longer and you do, and you know your teammates are going through the same thing, and somehow, you finish the race."