Strong Weekend of racing at the Schuylkill and Chase
Head of The Schuylkill
With thick grey clouds and continuous rain throughout Friday night, naturally it was time for the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. The entire UD squad travelled to Philadelphia Saturday to compete in the Philadelphia fall rowing classic.
The first event for UD was the frosh/novice 8+. Of 28 total entries, the young blue hens finished 5th (14:18:7067) and 10th (15:06:8800), respectively. Soon there after two more frosh/novice eights competed in the Club 8+ event, finishing 15th (14:30:4133) and 30th (17:08:1100).
The final frosh/novice crew competed alongside the JV lightweight crew in the Men’s Open Light Championship 8+ event. The frosh finished a respective 3rd place (15:37:4300) earning the bronze medal, while the JV lights finished with the fastest time earning the gold medal (14:37:3067).
In the final event of the day, the Varsity Heavies and Lights took to the water to compete in the Men’s Open Heavy Championship 8+ event. The V heavies crossed the line in a time of 13:47:2033 finishing a respective 7th place. Through the strong headwind, the V lights managed to cross the line in a time of 13:21:1400 earning the silver medal, and proving to be the fastest collegiate crew at the regatta.
Princeton Chase
The following morning the frosh and varsity lightweights traveled to Princeton, NJ to compete in the prestigious Princeton 3-Mile Chase. Much to the contrary of the previous days racing, the top collegiate crews in the nation were welcomed with sunny skies, warm temperatures, and even a tailwind.
The varsity and JV lights were first to hit the water for UD, competing in the Men’s Varsity Lightweight 8+ event. In a tough field comprised of the fastest varsity lightweight crews in the nation, the fightin’ 150’s finished 7th in a competitive time of 13:40:746. The JV lights respectively finished 28th (15:09:007), still beating out the JV crews from both Dartmouth and Columbia. Princeton won the event in a time of 13:19:685; still, the V lights finished ahead of top varsity crews including Cornell, Georgetown, and Dartmouth.
Lastly the Frosh Light crews took the water to race in the Men’s Freshmen Lightweight 8+ event. With a lost skeg mid race, the frosh A boat managed to finish a respective 7th (14:53:961), still beating both Georgetown and St Joe’s. The frosh B boat finished 13th in a time of 16:14:089.
Both the varsity and frosh/novice crews look to build upon these strong performances throughout the remainder of the fall season, and to keep moving in the right direction as they head into winter training.