CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Williams College men's crew made its fall racing debut at the Head of the Charles on Sunday, racing two eights and a four in the largest three-day regatta in the world against collegiate teams across New England and the country.
The conditions on the regatta were mild and uncharacteristically calm for the Charles River. There was a slight headwind on much of the 4,702-meter course, setting the Ephs up for powerful and connected racing.
In the men's collegiate 8+ race, the first varsity eight was coxed by
Emma Cilke '28 with
Travis Carroll '29 in stroke seat, followed by
Quinn Carroll '27,
Peter Roper '30,
Jack Wagner '27,
Kyle McHugh '28,
Atlas Barnes '29,
Lucas Wu '29 and
Aidan Spellacy-Urken '28 in bow.
The Ephs started in between Temple and St Joseph's University. They battled both crews aggressively down the course, not passing or getting passed by either boat. Ultimately, the Ephs finished in sixth out of 38 crews in a time of 14:34.348.
Three-seat Barnes, competing in his debut for the Williams' varsity boat, reflected positively on the race, "I am very proud of how the crew raced today. It was a very scrappy race. Head racing is always tricky, but we should be happy with this result and we are looking forward to the spring."
The second varsity eight also competed in the men's collegiate 8+ race. The boat was coxed by
Georgia Badenhope '28, with
Soren Anderson-Flynn '29 in stroke seat, followed by
Aidan Beyer '29,
Justin Schoenfarber '28,
Niko Vavpetic '30,
Noah Peters '29,
Peter Repovic '30,
Winslow Winterer '29Â and
Neel Verma '27 in bow.
The Ephs were positioned in between WPI's first varsity boat and the Coast Guard Academy's first boat. The crew started the race strong, holding a solid rhythm through the Powerhouse Stretch. Williams gained ground on WPI throughout the race, getting close to them around the Eliot Bridge. While the Ephs did not pass WPI, they were energized by the support from fans and placed 23rd out of 38 crews in a time of 15:10.300, a strong result in a field of largely first varsity crews.
Four-seat Peters was enthused by the competitive racing environment on the Charles, "It was really fun. I loved the energy at the Eliot. We had a great start to the race, and the crowd and the alumni kept us going."
During the men's collegiate 8+ event, Marist, Tufts and Temple took the top-three spots, with times of 14:20.284, 14:25.063 and 14:26.132, respectively.
The varsity four competed a few hours earlier in the day during the men's collegiate 4+ race. The boat was coxed by
Anna Arcese '30 with
Alden Rolfe '27 in stroke seat, followed by
Alden Knox Weaver '27,
Andrew Kurgan '28 and
Zach Cantrell '27 in bow.
The crew started in between Notre Dame and Bucknell. Williams got off the line fast and went stroke for stroke with Bucknell down the course in a closely contested showdown. Arcese held a tight line throughout the race, setting her veteran crew up for success in an event that the Ephs have not raced since 2024. The crew finished 24th out of 35 crews in a time of 17:25.915.
In the men's collegiate 4+ race, Stetson University, Florida Tech and UC Santa Barbara earned the top-three positions, clocking times of 16:12.943, 16:16.265 and 16:17.612, respectively.
The Ephs compete in a scrimmage with the Dartmouth Lightweights on the Connecticut River in Hanover, New Hampshire, on Saturday, Oct. 31.
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