BOSTON -- The Bates rowing teams competed in the annual Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday, with the women's first varsity eight taking 10th in their collegiate eights race and the men's first varsity eight coming in 12th. 

Led by sophomore coxswain Hannah Herbst (Larkspur, Calif.) and sophomore stroke Virginia Adams (Hanover, N.H.), the Bates women's first varsity eight navigated the serpentine 4,800-meter course on the Charles River in 17:40.284. The 10th-place showing out of 37 boats marks the 15th straight year the Bobcats have placed a women's crew in the top 10 of the collegiate eights race at the Head of the Charles. 

Meanwhile, the second varsity eight took 20th place in the collegiate eights race, matching their showing from last year. They would have placed two spots higher if not for an unfortunate brush with a bridge that caused them to miss a buoy and take a five-second penalty, turning a time of 18:13.209 into a time of 18:18.209.

The Bobcats also entered a boat in the women's collegiate fours race. Led by sophomore coxswain Shoshana Levy (Arlington, Va.) and sophomore stroke Kat O'Connell (Larchmont, N.Y.), the Bobcats placed 10th out of 40 boats with a time of 19:39.986. It's the best showing in the women's collegiate fours race for the program since 2021.

On the men's side, the first varsity eight improved by a significant margin from last year's 26th-place showing, taking 12th out of 42 boats in the collegiate eights race with a time of 15:04.156.

The always-tricky Eliot Bridge proved to be a challenge for men's first varsity eight coxswain junior Darien Chiang (Quincy, Mass.), as Colby and Bucknell were there along with the Bobcats. Bucknell refused to yield, so the Bates oars overlapped with Colby's and clashed, slowing both crews down.

"Being sandwiched between two boats is a tricky situation to be in no matter where you are, let alone the Eliot turn," Chiang said. "But we focused on controlling what we could. At the end of the day we always want our bow ball to be ahead, but I prioritize the safety of the athletes in the boat first." 

Bucknell's refusal to yield did not help them, as they placed 15th, three spots behind the Bobcats.

The Bates men's team also entered a boat in the collegiate fours race. Led by senior captain coxswain Micah Shimizu (Batavia, Ill.) and sophomore stroke Peter Gratwick (Oakland Park, Fla.), the Bobcats took 26th out of 40 boats in 17:30.527, their best showing in the men's collegiate fours at the Charles since 2022. 

"All in all it was a good day for the Bobcats," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "But it's clear we've got some work ahead of us if we want to achieve the goals we've set for ourselves this spring." 

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Olivia Smith; 2: Maggie Gill; 3: Quinn Gleason; 4: Greta Oberdiek; 5: Isabelle Martin; 6: Mia Senturk; 7: Caitlin Regan; Stroke: Virginia Adams; c: Hannah Herbst

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: Merrill Doherty; 2: Kiki Hillery; 3: Arden Minor; 4: Adina Suchman; 5: Hannah de Fontaine; 6: Megan O'Donnell; 7: Ava Teleki; Stroke: Olivia Hill; c: Leah Brody

Bates WV4 lineup: Bow: Caitlin Davidson; 2: Evie Fox; 3: Mackenzie Higgins; 4: Kat O'Connell; c: Shoshana Levy

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Brendan Kelly; 2: Samuel Perozek; 3: Thomas Pacinda; 4: Roy Bellows; 5: Lando Putnam-Bagley; 6: Bryce Ahn; 7: John Cleary; Stroke: Luke Desmaison; c: Darien Chiang

Bates MV4 lineup: Bow: Logan Schlichter; 2: Nicholas Hoerle; 3: Cooper Drazek; 4: Peter Gratwick; c: Micah Shimizu