BOSTON, MA—The weather was overcast today at the Head of the Charles Regatta, but Williams Crew arrived as excited as ever to compete in the fall season's most vibrant race. The course was fast, as there was a tailwind carrying the boats to the finish line, and the rain held off until after all of the Williams' boats finished their races. Williams Women's Crew brought 2 eights that competed in the collegiate event.
The 1V started first with bow number 8, their place from last year's HOCR race. The boat was coxed by
Julia Lim and stroked by
Anna Owens, followed by
Ella Napack,
Erin Barry,
Isabel Mikheev,
Prairie Resch,
Ellie Iorio,
Ellie Davis and
Gabby Fazzalari in bow seat. The Williams crew had a fast start underneath BU Bridge and started chasing the boats in front of them on the 'powerhouse stretch.' Williams passed Grand Valley State University Rowing Club by halfway and chased Ithaca College until they fiercely passed them underneath Elliot Bridge. Williams finished in 7
th place with a time of 17:01.1, 2 seconds behind the University of Calgary who finished in 6
th place. Senior and 6 seat
Erin Barry shared that, "We all rowed with integrity and ended the race proud of how we rowed it. An exciting battle with Ithaca ended with a clash under Elliot bridge and Williams surging ahead, with excellent steering from our coxswain Julia. We're taking the results as motivation to go even faster as we head into our last race at Head of the Fish."
The 2V started 15
th and was coxed by
Summer Keating and stroked by
Maya Tait, followed by
Alex Bonat.
Emily Hugo,
Lola Kovalski,
Abby Murphy,
Audrey Riddle,
Isabelle Zollinger and
Ava Rust in bow seat. The boat had a quick start and gained momentum as they made the first turn, holding off Trinity for most of the race. Coxswain Keating steered them towards the inside line throughout, and they held a consistent pace despite ultimately being passed. They maintained their composure and gained back their speed to finish strong. Senior captain and 6 seat
Emily Hugo reflected that, "We had some really strong moments, and I think the boat felt even stronger than it did last week! Looking forward to getting even faster for the Fish!"
Eph's Coach
Eileen Russell shared that, "This year's Head of the Charles was as exciting as ever. Our boats executed their races as planned and came off the water feeling proud of their efforts. They enjoyed the day and the atmosphere of the event."
Eph's Head Coach
Paula Thoms reflected that, "I'm proud of the team for executing their races today with composure, relentless effort, and full trust in their coxswains to steer a great course. We will look to take another step forward this week as we prepare for Head of the Fish!"
The team left Boston excited by the speed they gained and eager to get faster as their winter training season approaches. In the meantime, the rowers are looking forward to getting on the water for the last couple of weeks and finishing strong at the Head of the Fish regatta next weekend.
