CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Bates women's rowing team shined in the Collegiate Eights race at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday, with the first varsity eight finishing in fourth place and the second varsity eight taking ninth out of 36 boats, good for a pair of top-10 performances. It's the first time since 2017 that both varsity eights placed in the top 10 at the HOCR.
"Anytime you can have multiple crews finishing in the top 10 of a field of nearly 40 boats is a good day at the Charles, especially with rosters as young as ours," said head coach
Peter Steenstra.
Women's first varsity eight junior coxswain
Olivia Seline (Delaware, Ohio) and her crew navigated the serpentine 4,800-meter course on the Charles River in 16:54.873. The Bobcats finished 22 seconds behind NCAA Division II powerhouse Mercyhurst University, which won the race in 16:32.228. Defending NCAA Division III champion Wellesley College took second place in 16:40.742 while fellow NESCAC school Tufts University landed in third at 16:44.883.
It's the ninth straight year the first varsity eight has placed in the top 5 at the HOCR.
Meanwhile, the second varsity eight finished ahead of a number of 1V boats with their impressive ninth-place showing. Senior coxswain
Isabella Sobolewski (Washington, D.C.) led her crew down the course in 17:08.462, the second-fastest time among all 2V boats in the race, and ahead of 1V boats from the likes of NCAA gold medalist WPI and Wesleyan, among others. This marks the third-best showing by the 2V in program history at the HOCR.
The Bobcats also entered a boat in the Collegiate Fours race on Sunday. Led by senior coxswain
Hannah Braslau (Chelmsford, Mass.), the varsity four took 17th place out of 35 boats in 19:52.888.
Bates WV8 lineup: Bow:
Darya Lee; 2:
Hannah Burdick; 3:
Josephine Stevens; 4:
Maeve Mikulski; 5:
Livia Bernhardt; 6:
Molly Connors; 7:
Casey Winter; Stroke:
Katarina Dickson; c:
Olivia Seline
Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow:
Lauren Cockrill; 2:
Hope Stamp; 3:
Ollie Young; 4:
Olivia Szachta; 5:
Hannah de Fontaine; 6:
Quinn Gleason; 7:
Lydia Barker; Stroke:
Genesis Bussey; c:
Isabella Sobolewski
Bates WV4 lineup: Bow:
Jillian Martin; 2:
Mia Goodwin; 3:
Eloise Botka; 4:
Miryam Keller; c:
Hannah Braslau
