BOSTON, Massachusetts – The Marist Men's Rowing Team attended the Head of the Charles (HOCR) on Sunday, where they competed in the Collegiate Eight and Collegiate Four events.
 

ABOUT THE RACE

• The Head of the Charles is the largest rowing regatta in the world, with athletes from around the globe and across the country from all ages and ability levels competing in Boston, MA.
• Racing is conducted over a 4.8-kilometer, or roughly three-mile stretch, of the Charles River winding between Boston and Cambridge.
• Crews race single file in a "head race" or time trial format endeavoring to complete the course in the fastest time.

 

COLLEGIATE FOUR

• In the collegiate four event, Marist started in the 10th position after having placed 12th the previous year.
• The crew was moving well on the race course and overtaking the crew from Carleton University (a Canadian college in Ottawa), who started in the 9th position ahead of Marist.
• During one of the final turns through the Elliot Bridge, Marist and Carleton came into contact, which slowed the Red Foxes.
• Shortly after this contact, the Marist crew was assessed a one-minute penalty for their part in the collision, which referees deemed as unsafe.
• The crew raw time would have placed them in eighth position, but the substantial penalty dropped them to 27th in a field of 40 crews.
• The winning crews were UCLA (First), Orange Coast College (Second), and UC Santa Barbara (Third).

 

COLLEGIATE EIGHT

• In the collegiate eight event, Marist started in fifth position after having finished in fifth the previous year.
• Marist had a clean course with speedy crew MIT and Hobart ahead, and posted the second-fastest time of the event to place second, just behind MIT.
• The final podium was MIT (First), Marist (Second), and Hobart (Third) in a field of 38 crews.

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??The fellas earned a medal this weekend in the Collegiate 8+ at HOCR. Props to @mitmensrowing @hobartrowing @hcrossmrowing for some great racing . . . . . . #HOCR #fallracing #headrace #trickortreat #earnedthetreat #eatthetreat #gofast #oneweektillfishy ??????

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QUOTES FROM THE COACH

• The Head of the Charles is often referred to as a coxswain's specialty course.
• A technical course with tight areas and several sweeping or sharp turns, as well as six bridges, make it a challenge to navigate, and create many opportunities to upset the racing order. As a result, collisions between crews are extremely common, and much of the challenge at the race is about mitigating the risk of contact with other teams to maintain a fast pace.
• Our four-man crew unfortunately overtook another boat at an inopportune moment, and ended up suffering a collision and a penalty.
• We felt coming into the day that we had an opportunity to podium in this event, so it was definitely a disappointment to not come away with a better result.
• In the men's eight we are delighted to have made it onto the podium. With such a technically difficult course, winning crews almost always come from the top three-five starters. This crew was able to start with better opportunities and a clearer path owed to the three-most recent HOCR crews who helped move Marist further and further up the starting order each year.
• After a great showing at Navy Day last weekend, we were determined to go for the win in Boston. However, with MIT having a strong season and this being their home course, the cards were certainly stacked in their favor today.
• We are delighted to have taken second with such a deep field of talented teams, and are looking forward to getting back on the water and training hard towards the fall season's conclusion next weekend. – Head Coach Campbell Woods

 

UP NEXT

• The Red Foxes race this coming weekend at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday.
• On Sunday, they face a variety of IRA competitors at the Princeton 3-Mile Chase in Princeton, NJ.