Bates College

Guided by senior captain coxswain Maya Seshan, the Bates women's first varsity eight made history by claiming first place out of 27 boats in the Women's Collegiate Eights at the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday.

The three-time defending NCAA champion Bobcats become the first program to take first place at the Head of the Charles in the Collegiate Eights race three consecutive years. It's the fourth time in program history Bates has won the Collegiate Eights race, tying the Bobcat women with Williams College for the most wins since the race was first established in 2002. Bates set a course record in the Women's Collegiate Eights in 2017 before winning last year for the second straight time. Bates also won the event in 2014.

Seshan (Wilton, Conn.) and her crew navigated the serpentine 4,800-meter course on the Charles River in 16:26.595, outpacing runner-up Wellesley by more than 20 seconds. The Blue raced to the finish in 16:47.200 and WPI finished third with a time of 16:53.028.

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Saylor Strugar; 2: Emma Wheeler; 3: Lillian Kinder; 4: Grace Bake; 5: Hannah Beams; 6: Hannah Fitts; 7: Grace Smith; Stroke: Catharine Berry-Toon; c: Maya Seshan