Marist Rowing Has Great Performances at HOCR

BOSTON, MA – After a successful debut to their fall racing season at the Hadley Chase, the women’s rowing team enjoyed an unprecedented day of racing at the Head of the Charles.
Conditions were windy but unseasonably warm on Saturday and Marist took advantage of the conditions in its first race of the day in the Club 4. The crew of Marie Ryden, Elisabeth Kamm, Selena Mildon, Eliza Hartford and coxswain Isabelle Koch, who won the Hadley Chase a week ago, were excited to see if they could better last year’s fifth place finish at The Charles. With a time of 18:44.285, the Marist crew finished the challenging three mile course in first place, ahead of 53 other programs and became the first women’s crew in program history to win a gold medal at the Head of the Charles.

Coaches Tom Sanford and Julia Rigothi explained that “the lineup has really clicked and the athletes in it are hardworking and dedicated individuals who really earned their win. They are very excited, as are their teammates. The Club 4 crew was presented with their gold medals by current and former national team and Olympic female athletes. The entire team understands that the success of any particular crew on any given day is attributable to the depth and hard work of the entire team. This win is an accomplishment for all 48 members of the current team, as well as each and every female rowing alumnae who paved the way for our current athletes.”

Next up was the Club 8, comprised of coxswain Caitlin Green, Abigail Gragg, Lydia Giguere, Shawna Gilson, Amanda Guy, Kate Beebe, Elizabeth Colby, Morgan Zuch and Maddy Gragg. This crew raced hard and felt they put a solid piece together. A time of 18:44 put them 25th of 31 crews. These athletes will build on the positive parts of the race and enjoy the fact that they represented Marist in this event for the first time in several years.

The final event of the day for Marist was the Championship 2x. Sydney Ford and Bernadette Winby navigated the challenging course and performed very well in a field of crews consisting of current and former national team athletes from multiple countries and elite clubs. Several races at The Head of the Charles have Special Medals for its competitors and this event was one of them. Unbeknownst to this crew until Sunday morning, they earned a gold medal for Rowers Representing an Undergraduate Institution in a Championship Event!

Alumnae Julia Rigothi ‘17 and Hilary Saeger ‘07 competed in the championship double for ARION and Riverside respectively. Rigothi finished in 8th, and Saeger placed 4th overall, taking 1st in the lightweight subdivision.

The entire program is excited about the results so far this fall and are ready to get back to work in preparation for The Head of the Fish on Saturday, October 27. With 15 entries planned for next weekend, the team is very excited for a lot of strong racing performances.