Freshmen shine with 1st place in women’s rowing at the top of the fish regatta

Cornell Women’s Rowing spent Halloween evening in Saratoga, New York to compete at the top of the Fish Regatta.

Despite limited experience on the shared water, the Red’s Freshman 8+ boat stole the show with a time of 11: 37.89 and brought first place and an accompanying ceremonial fish head back to Ithaca.

“I was proud of her,” said Anna Duan when she was sophomore. “They only rode together once before this weekend so they really showed up and impressed us.”

The Red’s 1V boat was determined to gain ground over Syracuse, its main competitor and state rival. The previous weekend at the helm of Charles, Cornell finished 23 seconds behind the Orange.

With a surprising first place from Syracuse’s 2V boat, the 1V boat grabbed the Orange Silver and was followed by Cornell, narrowing the gap. The Reds finished last weekend 10 seconds behind the Oranges, improving the 23-second gap at the head of Charles.

Another bright spot for the Red was their 4V boat. In a race that was mostly filled with 2V boats, the Red’s 4V secured third place. With the addition of assistant coach Tracy Eisser ’12, Cornell women’s rowing immediately took advantage of having a two-time Olympian on the coaching staff.

In view of Eisser’s youth and alumni status, the Reds rowers appreciate her presence not only as an accomplished rower, but also as a friend.

“She fits in well with the team,” said Alexandra Martschenko in her second year. “Tracy drove to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and not long ago rowed at Cornell. She is definitely someone we can identify with. “

The Reds are now looking forward to a crowded spring schedule with races almost every week. The Reds performed well last weekend, but the focus for the team has been on familiarizing themselves with the course on which the Reds will compete for higher stakes in the spring.

Duan and Martschenko are looking forward to the intense out-of-the-water training that will take place over the winter, especially their training trip to Florida in January. From New Year’s Day to the beginning of the spring semester at the end of January, the Reds can go on the water again for the first time in weeks and use the trip as a connecting experience.