The men's and women's crew teams did not fare well over the weekend at the 47th annual Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, placing near the bottom of the pack in nearly every race category they participated in.
Sunday's action saw Tufts compete in the men's collegiate eights followed by the women's collegiate eights and the women's lightweight eights. The men's varsity eights team featured sophomore Jeremy Rosenblatt as coxswain, junior Kyle Flood on stroke, junior Will Hickey in the 7−seat, sophomore Denis Richard at 6, sophomore Ian McConnell at 5, sophomore Sang Wook Park at 4, sophomore Jeffrey Thibodeau at 3, senior Michael Bai at 2 and sophomore Nathan Yuen in the bow seat. The team placed 35th out of 39 teams with a 17:05.562 finish time.
"The results might not seem great, but as a team we feel pretty good about the race we had," McConnell said. "We had one of our best personal times of the season so we're happy about that. It's important to remember that it is the premier regatta with teams from around the country. It's the best of the best. Just being there is special."
The women's varsity eights team featured senior Gillian Hodes as coxswain, senior Margaret Debski at stroke, sophomore Caroline Ricard in the 7−seat, senior Lily Carey at 6, freshman Rebecca Perrin at 5, freshman Katharine Fitzgerald at 4, senior Kara Breen at 3, freshman Virginia Trumbull at 2 and senior Georgia Gunner as the bow. The women's lineup did not fare much better than the men's, finishing 24th in a field of 29 with a time of 19:05.652.
The lightweight women's eights squad closed the day on a down note, placing eighth out of nine with a 19:59.563 finishing time. The Jumbos' lineup featured junior Sara Honickman as coxswain, senior tri−captain Erika Parisi on stroke, freshman Hanna Buechi in seven, freshman Isabella Stelle in six, senior Miriam Gutman in five, senior Hannah Will in four, freshman Brett Mele in three, freshman Rachael Filer in two and freshman Sonia Chokshi in the bow seat.
"We knew going into the weekend that we'd be going against very tough teams from Div. I schools that recruit nationally," Parisi said. "We are happy with the way we focused on our own technique, and we feel we did the best we could."
Saturday's results were not much better for Tufts, which was among a prestigious field of racers in the collegiate fours event. The men's collegiate fours team was unable to eclipse the 20 minute mark, placing 37th out of 39 teams with a 20:00.42 finish. Sophomore Carter Palmer handled stroke for the squad, with classmen Andrew Rogers, Timothy Peng and Luke Abdow in the third, second and the bow seat, respectively. Sophomore Jessie Howard sat in front as the boat's coxswain.
The one shining light in an otherwise disappointing weekend for the Jumbos came in Saturday's women's championship doubles, which saw senior Kathleen Holec and junior Ali Maykranz top the collegiate field. The Jumbos, after starting 18th in a field of 22, surpassed three other college teams in the open−field event and finished 16th overall with a time of 21:05.333.
A second doubles team, featuring juniors Caroline Patterson and Kate Brena, finished third among college fours and 20th overall with a 22:20.797 finishing time.
"We were the fastest collegiate doubles team, and that's among world−class athletes," Holec said. "We're happy with the way we performed and the atmosphere was incredible."
Both the men's and women's varsity teams will conclude their fall seasons this weekend at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Meanwhile, the women's lightweight eights team will travel to Worcester, Mass., on Saturday for the Quinsigamond Fall Novice Championships. Especially considering their season so far, the Jumbos would love nothing more than to go out on an encouraging note.
"We have a few different races going on this weekend and we can't wait to get another opportunity in the water," Parisi said. "We'll be in smaller boats on an easier course [than the Charles] so we expect positive results."
