Looking Forward to the Head of the Charles

By Lauren Williams
Photo courtesy cuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y -

                 

               You never know what to expect when you compete at the Head of the Charles. Today, the Syracuse Women’s rowing team aim to take down their collegiate competitors and better last year's performance.
 

                The Head of the Charles is an annual three-mile head race that takes place on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. A head race is a type of competition where rowers start in a single file line and compete against the clock instead of side-by-side. Roughly 11,000 rowers compete in approximately 61 races over two days.  
 

                At last year’s event the SU women's varsity “A” and “B” boats took home ninth and 12^th, respectively, in the Championship fours.  Head coach Justin Moore admitted that it was not the result that they were hoping for.

                “Finishing ninth last year was actually a disappointment for us,” Moore said. “So it’s a different crew this year and I believe in setting goals that are challenging but realistic, challenging but obtainable. We have not come away from the Charles feeling like ‘yup, we couldn't have raced any better than that.’”

                Senior Katherine Isaza will cox the varsity “A,” with sophomore Emily Carey as the stroke, redshirt junior Kari Tominy as the three seat, senior captain Georgia Hamilton as the two seat and junior transfer Deidre Fitzpatrick at bow.

                The varsity “B” sees sophomore Alyssa Vasiliou as the coxswain, senior Chelsea Frawley as the stroke, freshman Julia Vander Hoeven as the three seat, sophomore Saydee McQuay in the two seat and senior Sienna DeSantis as the bow. 

“We’ve been in [the] top ten but not the top. We want to be the top collegiate team in the [event]. This group has been so consistently fast, I’m very excited. I also really like the positioning we’re going off on. This ‘A’ crew is starting directly behind a Notre Dame crew, behind a Navy crew and behind a Don Rowing. The goal is to catch those guys if we can and they’ll be a good crew. “

Saturday seniors Amy Ludovici and Caroline Habjan finished as the top collegiate team in the Women's Championship. The pair stopped the clock at 18:46.280 after facing some of the top scullers in the world.

Sunday the focus is on the two four boats and Moore said the Orange rowers are up for the challenge and he is ready to see them get there.