Saratoga Springs, NY – This Saturday, Men's Crew traveled to Saratoga to close out their fall season at the Head of the Fish regatta. Held on the Fish Creek, The Fish is an unusual yet beloved head race, known for its 3.2k distance, s-turn, and unique fish head trophies. The entire team made the day trip to the regatta, and with 8 entries, everyone had an opportunity to show what they had worked on during the fall.
The day started off strong, with a fleet of four Williams boats racing in the Collegiate Four event. A substantial headwind that would linger for the remainder of the day conjured up at the beginning of the race, but despite this, Williams fared well, finishing 1
st, 2
nd, 12
th, and 23
rd out of 39 entries. Williams 'A' took home the fish head trophy with a time of 11:55.04, marking the third year in a row that Williams won the Collegiate 4 event.
The next race of the day for the Ephs was the Collegiate Eight event. The headwind from before continued, with substantial chop, but the all the crews in the event were ready for the tough conditions. Williams placed 3
rd with a time of 10:52.38. Finishing ahead of Williams were familiar competitors MIT in 2
nd with a time of 10:35.01 and Wesleyan in 1
st with a time of 10:28.83.
Directly following was the Collegiate 2V Eight event, with Williams posting strong results. The Ephs brought home 2
nd and 10
th place, with times of 11:03.95 and 12:11.39, respectively. Wesleyan won once again with a time of 10:53.54.
The last race of the day for Williams was the Frosh/Novice Four. It was the first race at Williams for all 5 of the athletes in the boat, and they did not disappoint, finishing 3
rd out of 14 crews with a time of 13:48.28. Middlebury won the race with a time of 13:32.44.
Sitting 3 seat of the F/N Four,
Charlie Halverson was pleased with his first race, saying: "The headwind made for an interesting first race for everyone, but the guys stayed together as a team and we fought hard. It was really fun to pass other boats and was a great learning experience. Shoutout to Max Mallet for coaching the novices all fall and being patient through our slow progress over the past couple of months!"
When asked about the day, Coach
Marc Mandel had this to say: "We've definitely had a productive fall-season on Onota Lake, highlighted by our athletes' commitment to improving from one day to the next. Being able to race these last two weeks has been a valuable opportunity to stay in touch with the competitive side of the sport and get a preview of the speed of the NESCAC/D3 field. With Tufts winning at the Head of the Charles and Wesleyan way out in front at the Head of the Fish in the first and second eights, it's clear the level of development and speed within our league is very high. Saturday's racing also provided the opportunity for many first-years and novice athletes to race for Williams for the first time, which is always an exciting moment as a coach."
Now that the fall season has concluded, Men's Crew will transition off the water, using these months ahead to gain fitness and perfect their technique for the spring season.
