The men’s crew claimed four first place finishes out of five races Saturday against St. Lawrence University and Hamilton College.

The varsity 8, second varsity 8, third varsity 8, and varsity 4 all posted wins. High winds and choppy waters challenged the rowers. Junior Neil Shapiro said despite the conditions, the crew saw improvement.

“With the conditions it’s really hard to improve from last week, but we were definitely stronger this week and showed more pressure,” Shapiro said.

Freshman Jordan Weltman said all the boats improved on their finishing speed, something the crew had struggled with earlier in the season.

“We’ve been training really hard, trying to get a better ratio in each boat, working on the sprint at the end,” Weltman said. “Considering the conditions, we had some great races today.”

With its first win in the spring, the varsity 8 improved to 4–6 on the season. The second varsity improved its record to 5–3, and the third varsity improved to 4–3. Junior Jon Covney said the key to the crew’s success was the intensity they demonstrated in the face of high winds.

“We were able to keep our focus, rowed together, and ended up winning,” Covney said.

The next action for the Blue and Gold is at 8 a.m. against the College of the Holy Cross, Colby College, Connecticut College and Tufts University in Worcester, Mass.