Harvard rowers grabbed top spots at the Sprints World Indoor Rowing

Championships, held last Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center in Boston.

Rowers from across the world and from many universities came to Boston to compete in the event, called "Crash-B's."

Representing the Crimson, junior Patrick Todd placed third in the lightweight collegiate division and sixth overall. Sophomore Michael Blomquist was fifth among collegiate heavyweights and twelfth overall.

Senior Jason Craw, who is also captain of the Harvard men's heaveyweight team, joined Blomquist in the collegiate final, placing eighth in that category and sixteenth overall.

"I pulled a personal best, but it was nothing too extraordinary," Blomquist said. "I was glad we got two heavyweights in the collegiate final. Last year, I don't think we had any."

Todd, the highest placing Harvard lightweight, hoped to win the collegiate

event but instead settled for third. He said he was pleased with the team's performance.

"There were a lot of personal bests on our team," Todd said. "We are in

good standing for the spring."

Although Crash-B's was held indoors, Todd said the results could correlate to success on the water.

"The more power we have on the [ergometers] the more power we will have in the water," he said.

Crash-B's were started at Harvard's Newell Boathouse in 1980 by a small group of Olympic and World Team rowers and has since grown to become a major international competition.

Rowers covered a distance of 2,000 meters on ergometers. Blomquist recorded the best Harvard time--just over six minutes--for that distance.