Collegiate 8 Results

Collegiate 4 Results

BOSTON, MA (October 19, 2009) – The Vassar women's rowing team competed this weekend at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Massachusetts, the world's biggest rowing regatta and a great way to finish the fall season.

Vassar competed in two events in the women's collegiate 4, and women's collegiate 8. It was the first time Vassar gained multiple entries into the regatta in quite some time.

Head Coach Rodney Mott was very pleased with the performances. "I felt that we rowed a strong race keeping the stroke rate or cadence up around 30 strokes per minute throughout the race course in the women's 4 on Saturday under pretty good race conditions with sunny skies and temperatures near 50 degrees,” sad Mott. “Senior coxswain Erika Militana steered a solid course getting us around other slower crews and keeping the crew's motivation high and focused through the huge crowds lining the shores of the river. The rowers felt good about sustaining good boat speed and finishing in top part of the large field on Saturday."

The Vassar Varsity Women's Four was made up this week end of Coxswain Militana (senior), Stroke seat Christina Peltier (senior), 3 Seat Hannah Siebens (sophomore), 2 seat Alina von Korff (junior), and Bow seat Hannah Wilkoff (senior). Vassar had a great run up the challenging three-mile course on the winding Charles river, finishing 12th with a time of 20:35 in a very strong nationwide field of colleges. Trinity College was the event's first place finisher. Vassar's strong finish guarantees it entry next year in the event.

Vassar also competed in the Collegiate Women's Eight on Sunday. Vassar finished the three-mile course in a time of 20.02 placing 30th ahead of Georgia Tech, Clark University, Union College, Tufts University, and Middlebury College. Grand Valley State University was the event's winner, followed by Williams College, and Ithaca College in third.

"I thought we handled the conditions well and executed our race plan well,” said Mott. “Sunday's conditions were tough with swirling wind gusts, and snowing with temps in the 30's all day. We rowed with a strong rhythm up the course, and coxswain Jessica Panico guided the crew through the course well. At one point we came out on the better end of an oar clash with the Jumbos of Tufts. Seniors Nicole Clark, and Caroline Jolley did a great job in the stern pair setting a good pace, and senior Bow person Reese Wong did a great job directing us through traffic and through Tufts on one of the early bridges on the course."

Vassar's line up in the eight included at Coxswain Panico (sophomore), stroke seat Clark (senior), 7 seat Jolley (senior), 6 seat Kamela Caschette (sophomore), 5 seat Erin Donohoe (sophomore), 4 seat Emma Russell (freshman) 3 seat Danielle Bonneau (junior), 2 seat Irene Kho (sophomore), and Bow seat Wong (senior).