Virginia rowing began its fall campaign Sunday in Boston, Mass., at the world's largest regatta — the Head of the Charles. The Cavaliers placed third in the Women’s Championship Four event and eighth in the Women’s Championship Eight competition, both a one-place improvement from last year’s efforts.
The iconic 4,800-meter course at the Head of the Charles runs through the heart of Boston via the Charles River, challenging coxswains to navigate six bridges, sharp turns and intense head-to-head competition. Boats race in traditional head-race style, starting about 15 seconds apart, with crews pushing to overtake those ahead while fending off competitors chasing them from behind — all during the chaos of Boston’s busiest weekend.
"A big thing we started to do [in practice] is being on the level that you'd want to be on race day," senior Meagan Goldsmith said. "It's a hard feeling to achieve, but I think practicing what we do on race day every day helps emphasize the idea that every time you get in the boat, for practice and for a race, you're doing the most intense thing you could possibly do."
Especially at a race as large as Head of the Charles, focus is crucial to a crew’s success. As Virginia entered this pivotal point in its season against top collegiate programs, the Cavaliers were looking to improve on last year’s performance at this event where their varsity eight placed ninth overall and fourth among collegiate crews, just behind Michigan, while in the varsity four, Virginia secured fourth overall and second among collegiate boats, narrowly trailing Columbia.
The Cavaliers sent two boats to Boston — the varsity four and the varsity eight. A four is a rowing shell with four rowers, each with one oar, and a coxswain who steers the boat and directs the crew. An eight is a sweep shell with eight rowers and a coxswain in the stern.
The varsity four started second out of 18 boats, following Columbia and ahead of Brown. The lineup went as Coxswain: Chloe Lee, Stroke: Kate McGee, 3-Seat: Riley Richardson, 2-Seat: Skylar Morrison, Bow: Paula Lutz.
Virginia’s squad fought hard to push the two crews immediately behind them, Brown and Dartmouth, out of reach. Senior coxswain Chloe Lee navigated the challenging course with ease, seamlessly taking the notoriously difficult 90-degree turn after the Weeks Footbridge without adding extra meters to her boat’s course.
The Cavaliers were unable to creep up on Columbia though, rowing the race route with a final time of 18:01 to come second in the collegiate contest to the Lions’ 17:50. In the Championship Four competition however, Virginia improved to third place with bow 11 Penn AC rowing the course six seconds faster.
An hour later, Virginia’s varsity eight squad — Coxswain: Brie Joe, Stroke: Lauren Jochims, 7-Seat: Catherine Williams, 6-seat: Jenna Hajji, 5-Seat: Paige Loh, 4-Seat: Meagan Goldsmith, 3-Seat: Ava Schetlick, 2-Seat: Sydney Fratamico, Bow: Sofia Coppola — faced 29 other crews, starting eighth behind Michigan and immediately followed by Brown's A boat.
The Cavaliers’ varsity eight proved the fire in their bellies as they approached the Harvard Weld boathouse — about 2,700 meters into the race, they began to make their move on Michigan. Virginia kept closing the gap between the two boats as it got closer to the Anderson Bridge, leaving spectators in awe as the Cavaliers continued to push their power.
Virginia took the inside of the course as they rounded the corner before the Eliot Bridge, pressing persistently as they walked the Wolverines. Continuing to gain seats on them, the Cavaliers’ bow was even with Michigan’s 4-Seat before they sped under the final bridge of the course.
Virginia crossed the finish line with 12 seconds over Michigan, showcasing a strong push and grit as it came out on top over their previous victor. The Cavaliers’ final time of 15:56 earned them eighth place in the Championship Eight competition and sixth between collegiate boats, with Yale coming in first with 23 seconds over Virginia.
This year marks a new era for Cavalier rowing as Coach Wesley Ng steps in as only the second head coach in the program’s history, following the legendary Kevin Sauer. In his first season, Ng aims to return Virginia to their former dominance after a 13th-place finish at least year’s NCAA Championship and a second-place finish at the ACCs, where Syracuse snapped the Cavaliers’ 13-year championship streak.
Ng’s debut at the Head of the Charles displayed promise, as both the varsity four and varsity eight boats demonstrated improvements in speed competition. As the Cavaliers adjust to Ng’s coaching style, they are poised for a strong season.
Virginia’s next competition is the Princeton Chase Nov. 3 in Princeton, N.J., where the Cavaliers will race five eights in the Women’s Open 8+ event and three fours in the Women’s Open 4+ contest.
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