Revamped 'Cliffe Crew Races Today

Despite convincing triumphs in its first two races of the season, including an eight-second win over the defending national women's rowing titlist, the Radcliffe crew is not standing pat.

And when the 'Cliffe eight edges up to the starting line for today's race with Princeton, Vesper, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, cox Nancy Hadley will be looking at four new faces in the 'Cliffe shell.

The changes come after a week of extensive seat-racing, which Radcliffe coach John Baker set up to give the 'Cliffe rowers who didn't perform in the "first" boat in the earlier wins a chance to challenge for the positions of those who did.

As a result Cathy Barbash, Judy Levine Connie Cervilla, and Katy Moss will move into the "first" boat for today's race. The new 'Cliffe seating shapes up with Barbash at bow, Levine at two, Cervilla at three, Charlotte Crane at four, Jenny Getsinger at five, Moss at six, Allison Hill at seven and Ginny Smith at stroke, Nancy Hadley will cox.

Baker is not worried about breaking up his winning lineup. "We didn't have much chance to seat-race before the first regatta," Baker said Thursday. "We didn't get our fours until late in preseason, and we couldn't really tell much from seat-racing in eights."

Baker said that the seat-racing isn't over, even now. "Everybody is improving so much and at different rates that it's only fair to give everyone a good shot at making the 'first' boat." he said. "Besides we want to get together our best unit for the sprints and nationals."

In today's feature race, which will be held on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J., Radcliffe will meet a serious test to is claim as best women's crew in the East. The Princeton eight, like Radcliffe is undefeated and has already beaten UConn, one of the top women's teams in the East.

And for Princeton women a contest with Radcliffe is of the magnitude of a match with Harvard for a Yale man. The Princeton eight has been known to pull all stops to win a race, and there is no love lost between the women of Princeton and Cambridge.

"Princton doesn't spare anything when they play Radcliffe," Baker said. "This could be a real grudge match."

Radcliffe defeated Princeton a year ago, but the New Jersey women bounced back in the Intercollegiate Sprints to out distance the 'Cliffe squad by half a length.

Radcliffe also could be challenged by Vesper, a team that gave the 'Cliffe trouble a year ago. Vesper always ranks high in women's rowing circles, and while it has already lost once this season (to the Philadelphia squad Radcliffe defeated) it will be no pushover.

Radcliffe was temporarily sidetracked in practice this week when a group of Cambridge juvenilles pelted the 'Cliffe rowers with rocks as they rested "dead" in the water after seat racing. Some damage was done to the fours that the squad was using and Debbie Harrington was injured in the knee.

Baker beached the launch and chased down one of the juveniles and turned him in to police. Harvard and Baker are considering filing a complaint against the youth.