Bates' women's varsity eight basks in the glow of victory following its win in the Women's Collegiate Eights at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 19, 2014. (From left to right: Elise Emil '17, Elizabeth Sangree '15, Jenna Armstrong '15, Mallory Ward '15, Kate Traquina '17, Rebecca O'Neill '15, Savannah Stockly '17, Eliza Barkan '15, Alison Simmons '16.) (Photo by Andriel Doolittle)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Guided expertly by sophomore coxswain Kate Traquina (Wayland, Mass.), the Bates women's varsity eight claimed first place among 30 boats in the Women's Collegiate Eights event on Sunday at the 50th Head of the Charles Regatta.
It is Bates' first-ever victory at the world's largest fall regatta.
The Bobcats navigated the serpentine 4,800-meter course on the Charles River in 17:25.60, outpacing rival and runner-up Trinity by 1.77 seconds. Wellesley was a distant third in 17:27.37.
"It's very important to understand that Kate Traquina is the MVP of this particular result," said head coach Peter Steenstra. "She grew up on the Charles and was able to provide an impeccable course for her crew, allowing them to maximize their effort and efficiency. It's very likely this win would not have happened without Kate at the helm."
Bates' second varsity eight placed higher than any other W2V8 in 11th place, covering the course in 18:11.53, with senior Emma-Kate Lindsay (Harrison, N.Y.) at coxswain. The Bates W2V8 only trailed Ithaca's WV8 by 0.34 seconds for 10th place.
"What it means is that the entire team is in good racing form heading into the mandatory NESCAC off-season," said Steenstra, "and this should provide and incentive to the women to maintain this form as we look toward the spring racing season. But for right now, I just want these women to savor the victory."
Bates also fielded a women's varsity four in Saturday's competition, which unfortunately was involved in a collision with the University of Illinois' boat at Anderson Memorial Bridge. Bates' boat was T-boned, suffered a broken oar and had no choice but to accept last place in the race.
Bates competes in the CBB Chase next Saturday, Oct. 25, in a fall season-concluding regatta hosted by Colby in Sidney, Maine.
Bates WV8 lineup: 8: Elise Emil; 7: Elizabeth Sangree; 6: Jenna Armstrong; 5: Mallory Ward; 4. Rebecca O'Neill; 3: Savannah Stockly; 2. Eliza Barkan; 1. Alison Simmons; Cox: Katherine Traquina.
Bates W2V8 lineup: 8: Molly Pritz; 7: Emma Conover; 6: Olivia Stockly; 5: Caroline Caldwell; 4: Elizabeth Scholle; 3: Rosemary Kyne; 2. Sophia Merelas; 1. Emilie Muller; Cox: Emma Lindsay.
Bates WV4 Lineup: 4: Hannah Weiss; 3: Grace Jurkovich; 2: Rebecca Moore; 1: Laura Rand; Cox: Nancy Tran.
