After disappointing results in last week’s Smith Cup against crosstown Harvard, the men’s crew team thoroughly dismantled the Beantown rival Boston University Terriers, finishing in 6:03.1 minutes compared to the mark of 6:09.5 for BU.

Last week, the crew underachieved.

“It was very disappointing, ” said NU coach John Pojednic last week. “They are a very young and inexperienced crew, who I think reacted poorly. I do not feel that we rowed to the best of our ability.”

Senior Mark Shamp agreed.

“We never settled, we were just frantic,” he said.

However, on the Charles River last Saturday, the crew performed fluidly as a single unit.

“We had a pretty tough week,” said senior Brad Burns. “We had just hopped into our lineup 11 hours before the race but we felt confident.

“We got our rhythm back, especially compared to the week before,” he said.

It was especially pleasing for the crew to continue its dominance over a crosstown college.

“We have a pretty big rivalry with BU,” Burns said. “As with any school in Boston area, it’s a big deal to win races against them. It’s great not only to get back to winning again, but it helps alumni support and morale as well.”

The second varsity boat for the Huskies pulled across the line almost a full two seconds later (6:16.6 to 6:18.2), while the freshman NU boat bested BU by exactly seven seconds (6:19.8 to 6:26.8).

Going forward, Burns likes the ability of the crew to come together for the stretch run of the season.

“We’ve got a few new guys in, that rode on Saturday,” he said. “The boats moving well through the water, we’re more confident now. Every day we’re improving, and with time we should be ready for the end of the season. This Saturday, the Huskies will take to the Seekonk River in Rhode Island to battle Brown in the Dreissigacker Cup. The varsity race starts at 11 a.m.