COVENTRY, Conn. -- The Fairfield University rowing programs headed upstate for a meeting with the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island, and returned home with a pair of wins. The men's varsity 8 and novice 4 each brought home the gold with victories over three competitors.

"I thought the varsity 8 showed a great deal of determination in winning its race on Sunday," Head Coach Dave Patterson said. "Dave Brems, our stroke, was determined to keep his season undefeated through week two and led his crew to a close victory with a dramatic finish over the final 250 meters."

Dramatic is an understatement when you consider that the Stags won the competition by three-tenths of a second over the Rhode Island A boat. Fairfield crossed the line in 6:53.8, just nudging out the Rams' time of 6:54.1. The Stags entry included Dave Brems, Kyle Halloran, James Jessup, Jared Strauss, Scott Grady, Alex Papa, Ben Andrews, Steve Ligouri, and coxswain Matthew Greninger.

The novice 4 did not have nearly as close a race as their varsity 8 teammates. The Stags coasted to victory in 8:09.0, nearly 20 seconds better than UConn's boat which finished the race in 8:28.3. The novice 4 included Greg Behrens, Matt McDonagh, Chris Melcher, and John O'Hara.

"The men's novice four were determined to make up for their disappointment in the first race of the season," Patterson said. "The men unleashed everything that had to show their strength with a convincing victory, giving them their first experience of crossing the line first this season."

The freshman eight just missed out on completing the sweep for the Stags, taking second place with a time of 7:17.4, just over a second behind winner Rhode Island. The shell included Greg Behrens, Matt McDonagh, Chris Melcher, John O'Hara, Ben Andrews, John Tiene, Ray Lunch, Jorge Espino, and coxswain Michelle Mistretta.

"The team seemed to open up what looked like a convincing lead," Patterson said. "But URI seized on an opportunity when our boat ran into some steering troubles, which gave the other boat a chance to win the race."

The women's team finished third in both of its races against UConn A & B boats, finishing the varsity 8 in 8:13.3 and the novice 8 in 9:24.5. The varsity 8 included Becca Bowes, Mary Crowley, Lindsay Ryan, Alysse Merullo, Karisten Strong, Lauren Lipyanka, Christina DiCioccio, Sam Rosen, and coxswain Susan Clancy. The novice 8 was comprised of Katie Hanson, Mary Catherine Taylor, Margaret Miller, Brianna Kouri, Lorna Baggott, Alex Doomany, Kate Halloran, Caitlin Liguori, and coxswain Daria Anuszkiewicz.

The two teams return to action next weekend when they compete in the Knecht Cup on the Cooper River.

"We will only be racing fours and a pair at the Knecht Cup," Patterson said. "Both the men and women are a lot more confident about their competitiveness in the smaller boats, using these small boat races as an opportunity to build a platform for success. For the men, the lightweight four looks to be the best chance for competitive success."