UVic rows to victory in Head of the Charles

The Vikes rowing team had a great time in Boston earlier this month at the 38th annual Head of the Charles Regattathe largest single day regatta in the world.

UVic rowers captured two podium finishes with a first place in the lightweight women’s fours and a second place in heavyweight women’s fours. The men also finished a strong twelfth place against a very tough field.

The 2002 race pitted approximately 7,000 rowers and 1,500 boats against one other, and attracted up to 350,000 spectators.

The lightweight fours crew of Lindsay Jennerich, Lysanne Lavigne, Sheryl Preston, Amy Herlinveaux, and coxswain Natalie Hanak took the top spot on the podium with a time of 18 minutes and 52.2 seconds, shaving 32 seconds off last year’s winning time. The victory was the first ever for a UVic women’s 4+ shell.

Starting from the 21st position, the heavyweight women’s four stroked their way to a second-place finish. Rowing in the boat were Emily Poupart, Romina Stefancic, Emily Ledingham, Andrea Davis, and coxswain Sarah Walsh. They finished with a time of 18:58.19, four seconds ahead of last year’s race winners from Germany.

The men’s eight finished just out of the top 10, ending up in 12th place with a time of 15:22.6. The U.S. men’s national team won the race in a time of 14:53.2.