Women’s Light Row 8+ Wins Gold at Head of the Charles

Princeton rowing teams traveled to Boston last weekend to participate in the Head of Karl, the largest two-day regatta in the world.

The men’s heavyweight team sent a 4+ and an 8+ boat, with both boats securing top 10 finishes in their respective Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. The 4+, petted by junior James Quinlan, finished fifth overall (16:20.679) but third behind Dartmouth and Cornell. The winner of the Men’s 4+ Championship was a US Training Center boat with alumnus Andrew LeRoux ’20. The 8+, petted by Junior Floyd Benedikter, finished eighth (14:23.345), followed by the University of Washington, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, Syracuse, Brown and Northeastern.

The women’s open crew was represented by one 4+ and two 8+ boats. The 4+, petted by sophomore Emma Cavendish, finished eighth (19:00.166) and sixth among the college boats. First place boat featured Kelsey Reelick ’14 in the lift seat. In the 8+ championship, the 2V took 12th place (16:40.549), petted by the second class Klara Thiele. The 1V boat, petted by sophomore Lucy Koven, had an impressive second place finish (15:48.090) behind Stanford. One of the boats behind the Princeton 1V was the Rowing Canada Aviron, assembled almost entirely by the Canada gold medal winning team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“We’re really excited to have a full team and to be able to race again this fall and spring,” said junior Camille Vandermeer, a member of the second-placed women’s openweight boat. “The newcomers have already made a big impact on the team and it will be exciting to see how the rest of the season unfolds.”

The men’s lightweight crew sent two 8+ boats to the Head of the Charles, with both contestants finishing in the top five. The second boat, stroked by senior Henry Vecchione, finished fifth (14:48.284). The first boat, to be petted by senior George Dickinson, finished third (14:43.485), trailing only Yale and Cornell.

Finally, the women’s lightweight crew was represented by a 4+ and an 8+ boat. The 4+, petted by junior Camille Boylan, finished in third place (19:34.387), leaving the Tigers behind only MIT and Boston University. The 8+ overwhelmed the competition, securing a gold medal (16:37.246) and beating second-place boat, Georgetown, by almost 20 seconds. Junior Stroke Sarah Polson, Freshman Cecilia Sommerfeld, Sophomore Kalena Blake, Senior Rebecca Mays, Sophomore Lily Feinerman, Sophomore Anella Lefebvre, Sophomore Bonnie Pushner, Senior Daisy Devore and Junior Helmsman Margaret Murphy made up the boat that won the championship.

Murphy then raved about her boat and shared the excitement after the race: “I’m so incredibly proud of my team. It was exciting to race the Head of the Charles. The most nerve-wracking thing for me wasn’t even the race itself, but the anticipation of the results after crossing the finish line. As we pulled into the dock, our trainer just held up a finger to let us know we’d taken first place. The sheer joy that came over all nine of us is a moment I will never forget.”

The Tigers host their 13th annual Princeton Chase at Lake Carnegie on Sunday, November 7th.

Lizzie Evanko is a contributor to the sports section. She can be reached at [email protected].

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