As it has been said, this is a “re-loading” year for the team, with very small third and fourth year classes to lead the way. Each training session is valuable for the younger guys to build experience and leadership. Since the Charles, there’s been a lot of progress and many individuals have been taking the opportunity to step up amid the reshuffling and mixed line-ups.
This past weekend the team wrapped up fall traveling with the Bald Eagle Collegiate Invitational in Indianapolis, Indiana; once again Midwestern hospitality did not disappoint. We enjoyed a successful day, including two different races for almost the entire team. Overall the day showed progress since earlier this season for both the rookies and the varsity squads.
The day got a bit of a slow start with a few short delays to let the fog burn off, but everything ran smoothly once things got going. Total we raced 6 eights, 4 fours, and 4 pairs, bringing home 48 medals. Each boat competed and medaled against their equals, but you’ll find them grouped by boat class below.
Novice Eights (2nd, 10th, 20th of 22 total entries)
The A entry finished in 14:15.6 claiming silver amongst the 1Ns. The B entry finished in 15:21.0 and claimed bronze amongst the 2Ns. The C entry finished in 14:33.6 and were edged into 4th place by a tenth of a second by Michigan.
Varsity Pairs (4th, 11th, 16th, 17th of 21 total entries)
New this year, the pairs entries were not simply the V8 broken down; guys self-selected their seats into four pairs. The A pair finished in 16:43.6 and claimed bronze amongst the A pairs. The B entry finished in 17:19.11, third among the B pairs. The C pair finished in 17:43.9, third among the C pairs. The D pair finished in 18:04.1, third amongst the D pairs.
Novice 4 (3rd of 10 total entries)
The novice four, the first racing any rookies have done outside of eights, claimed a hard earned bronze medal.
Varsity 4s (4th, 5th, 22nd of 35 total entries)
The A entry finished in 15:16.4 and placed 4th amongst 13 A boats. The B entry, self-titled “The Beef Four”, took home gold and a highly coveted eagle trophy with a time of 15:16.4. The C entry finished in 16:15.4 and placed 15th against the 24 entries in their group.
Varsity 8s (3rd, 7th, 17th of 27 total entries)
The A entry took home bronze with a time of 13:48.7, narrowly behind Wisconsin and Michigan. This is almost A MINUTE closer to the Michigan’s V8 than we were at the Charles. The B entry took home silver with a 14:05.4 amongst the 2V8s. The C entry, like the 3N were also edged out of bronze by Michigan by a tenth of a second, placing 4th with a time of 14:33.6.
The medals and close finishes this past weekend have us excited as we shift the mentality into winter training mode this week. Everyone is settling in for the long haul and more than ready crack on with preparations for ACRAs May.
Come join us in Charlottesville on November 17th for Class Day Races and Alumni Weekend—the last hoorah, before the winter training grind really sets in. You can find the day’s programme and reserve your spot on the King’s Cup Tour HERE!