Jumbos weather the storm at 52nd Head of the Charles

Men’s crew gave the Jumbo community, already enjoying the company of friends and families this Parents’ Weekend, yet another reason to celebrate. A quartet of the team’s most elite upperclassmen battled through the cool and windy conditions on Sunday to place 11th in the collegiate fours division at the 52nd Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, besting 32 other varsity teams from all across the nation.

Lining the bridges and quays of the Harvard section of the Charles River, throngs of students, families, coaches, tourists and vendors buzzed with excitement as the rowers glided across the water. Walking along the course, one could find everything from food trucks selling lobster rolls and sausages to Jaguar automotive booths to rowing machine demonstrations.

Overall, there were 2,256 entrants representing 820 clubs at the event, which has become an annual New England tradition. All ages and experience levels were present, from high schoolers through 70-80-year-old teams of seniors. Even amidst the poor conditions, some crews maintained paces upwards of 12 mph along the three-mile course, adding to the electric atmosphere.

Nestled by the docks upriver, the Tufts camp eagerly anticipated the return of its racers, senior tri-captains Zach Merchant and Doug Burt, junior tri-captain Andrew MacMillen and junior Ashton Knight. Thanks to the navigational efforts of first-year coxswain Emily Kim, the Jumbos dexterously navigated the challenging course. The stiff competition, the 20 mph headwinds and the sheer number of boats on the river veritably challenged the Jumbos as they pushed hard yet maneuvered smoothly across the water.

Recording a final time of 18:39.54, the four rowers edged out NESCAC rivals Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates and Colby, though they ranked behind second place Middlebury and noteworthy crosstown competitor Boston College in 10th. With its strong performance, Tufts earned a spot in the top quarter of 43 finishing teams. Needing only to place in the top half of the competition to be recognized, the team is thus guaranteed a berth in next year’s Head of the Charles race.

While excited to have the opportunity to compete, the Jumbos did not make special preparations for the regatta.

“Our training for the Charles was no different than the training we are doing now, because our team is much more focused on preparing long term for the spring season,” Burt said.

The Head of the Charles is only Tufts' second of three races during the fall season. The Jumbos opened on Oct. 2 at Green Mountain Head Regatta in Putney, Vermont, where five Jumbos finished within the top 22 individual racers in the 19-34 age group. In Vermont, MacMillen stole the show, placing seventh out of 34 entrants in the 19-34 age group for single rowers. Feeding off of his strong performance, he rowed the critical stroke seat at the Head of the Charles, setting the team’s pace and coordination.

Coach Noel Wanner, a Cambridge native, has been a critical factor in the team’s rise since he was hired for full-time duties in 2014 from Middlebury. There, Wanner had been the head coach of the men’s and women’s club teams since 2008 and gained valuable experience working on the administrative side of NESCAC rowing programs. A graduate of Wesleyan, Wanner got his start as a varsity rower in the early 1990s and stayed on as an assistant coach after graduation.

“[Wanner] has completely turned this team around, and it is showing in every facet of the program," Burt said. "Guys are making huge improvements in their strokes, are more motivated to put in extra work and have fallen in love with the sport. Personally, I am jealous of the freshmen because they get four years with him instead of two and a half.”

Wanner is picking up where the team’s former program director, Gary Caldwell, left off after his retirement this summer. Caldwell saved the Tufts crew program from the brink of extinction in the 1990s: though it lacked funds and enthusiasm at the time, he took charge and turned the team's hopes around. In his attempts to rebuild and surpass prior high water marks, Caldwell raised funds for the construction of the team’s beautiful William A. Shoemaker boathouse on the Mystic River (completed in 2006) and hired Wanner as a full-time coach. Thanks in large part to Caldwell and Wanner’s combined efforts, the team has high hopes going forward.

“The team has consistently improved since my freshman year," Burt said. "Several members of the crew team who graduated over the past couple of years made a remarkable change to our team culture, and we are finally seeing the fruits of their labor.”

The Jumbos will look to maintain their strong position and improve next weekend at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY, the last of their races for the fall season before winter training begins in early November. The race promises to host some of the best Div. III crews in New England, including NESCAC rivals, and provides a more direct barometer for the team versus local opponents. Savoring his last year with the team prior to graduation, Burt is poised for his final fall contest.

“The Fish is a great opportunity for us to showcase our hard work from the fall to see how we stack up against the competition," Burt said. "It’s a really fun regatta, too, because of the variety of events that everyone competes in. Our guys are training harder than ever and it shows on the water - our speed continues to get faster and faster.”