The club rowing team posted strong finishes this past weekend at the Knecht Cup in Mercer Lake, N.J., with four crews winning medals, including golds for the first varsity men and women. It was the first regatta of the season for the Polar Bears. Over 70 schools from all over the nation competed, including several Division I and II programs.
Bowdoin entered seven crews, including first varsity men, first and second varsity women, lightweight men, first novice men, and first and second novice women.
Out of the seven boats that raced on Saturday, five advanced to the finals on Sunday. Four out of those five crews medaled.
The women’s first varsity boat posted the fastest time out of more than 100 women’s fours at the regatta, winning by a margin of 25.78 seconds.
The boat was made up of coxswain Sophie Berube ’16, captain Katie Ross ’14, and juniors Emily Martin, Courtney Payne and Mary Bryan Barksdale.
The men’s first varsity boat rowed the second fastest time of all fours in the regatta.
This boat was manned by coxswain Jennifer Helble ’14, and juniors Cal Brooks, Chris Breen, captain Nathan Post and Mark Endrizzi.
Second varsity women, which included coxswain Maddy Livingston ’16, Amy Spens ’15, and sophomores Nora Hefner, Erica Hummel, and Audrey DeFusco captured a silver medal.
First novice women—made up of coxswain Emma Young ’15, Emily Lowell ’15, Sarah Steffen ’16, and first years Holly Rudel and Liza Tarbell—captured the bronze, thanks to a last minute surge in the final 200 meters of the race.
“The Knecht Cup was a huge success for the program and the crews’ stellar performances took everyone by surprise,” said Ross. “Now we know how much potential we have across the fleet [and] our results from the Knecht Cup set a high bar that we’re all committed to improving upon as we approach the rest of our regattas this spring.”
The team is looking to peak at its final race, the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, which will take place in Philadelphia on May 9 and 10 and is the largest intercollegiate rowing event in the United States.
“We raced against crews from all over the eastern seaboard and the southern U.S., including some from as far as Texas and Oklahoma [this past weekend],” said Post. “Most of our races are against other crews from New England, so seeing these competitive crews at Knecht is great preparation for [the Dad Vail Regatta].”
Bowdoin will row in Lowell, Mass. this weekend.