BOSTON -- The Bates men's first varsity eight placed 13th out of 38 boats in the collegiate eights race Sunday at the world-famous Head of the Charles Regatta.

Led by junior coxswain Sara Maquera (Glenview, Ill.) and first-year stroke seat Luke Humblias (Brookline, Mass.), the Bobcats navigated the serpentine 4,800-meter course on the Charles River in 14:53.460. It's the fifth time in the past six seasons that the Bates men's first varsity eight has finished in the top 15 at the HOCR.

"The MV8 had a battle with the 2V8 from Tufts for nearly the entire course," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "Sara was on them fairly early in the race, but Tufts wouldn't yield at Weeks Bridge so she essentially had a moving obstruction for the entire course. Sara finally had clear water after the final bridge but the Tufts boat steered right into her, causing a collision. The fact that we still finished 13th despite nearly stopping twice says a lot about the speed of this crew. That's the Charles for you!" 

The Bobcats also entered their second varsity eight in the same race and the 2V took 33rd in 15:34.926, the best finish for a Bates men's second varsity eight crew since 2021.

Bates is back in action this Saturday when they take on rivals Bowdoin and Colby in the CBB Chase.

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: John Cleary; 2: Erik Lindholm; 3: Luke Johnson; 4: Will Mitchell 5: Brendan Kelly; 6: Roy Bellows; 7: Benji Richards; Stroke: Luke Humblias; c: Sara Maquera

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Hugh McCabe; 2: Bryce Ahn; 3: Patrick Cohen; 4: Sam Williams; 5: Will Post; 6: Nicholas Hoerle; 7: Jack Tierney; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Benji Cao