BOSTON, Massachusetts - Marist Women's Rowing spent this past Saturday at the 61st Annual Head of the Charles, in Boston, MA. Marist's current athletes raced in the Club Four and the Club Eight events, along with 2 entries of Alumnae boats in the Alumnae Eight and Alumnae Four events. The weather brought a strong headwind and cool temperatures.  

Our Alumnae Eight (bow #19), consisted of coxswain Abby Cieplinksi '23, Lisa Chase (D'Aniello) '08, Sydney Ford '20, Kassie Nicholson '22, Avalon Johnson '24, Summer Starrett '25, Gabby Insero '25, Caroline Voorhis '23, and Genevieve Anderson '23. This crew finished 28th out of 48 with a time of 19:29.547.  

"The Alumnae raced well this weekend at the Charles! They stayed strong despite windy conditions and choppy water. Lisa held the crew at a 30-32 and brought it up for a sprint in the last 500m. We were able to hold off the crew behind us and maintain distance on the crew in front of us for the duration of the race. Although it can be difficult to row such a lengthy course without passing another team, my crew remained motivated and focused, which made the race fun and exciting! Overall, I am really pleased with how they performed. I am honored to continue to represent Marist at this prestigious regatta as an alum. Go Red Foxes!" 

-Abby Cieplinski '23 
 

Our Alumnae Four (bow #8) consisted of coxswain Ariana Novero '26, Natalia Miklos '24, Shelby McDougall '26, Natalie Ronan '26, and Ashley Surette '23/M'24. Guaranteeing a bid for next year, this crew finished with a time of 20:45.217 putting them 7th out of 25 crews.  

"It was such a great weekend seeing everyone on the team! The Head of the Charles is always so exciting because of the incredible energy surrounding the event. I am so proud of the girls and the enthusiasm they brought to the boat. We pushed hard and stayed strong all the way through the finish. Finishing seventh was a great accomplishment, and I am so grateful to have shared this experience with such an amazing group of women!" 

-Ariana Novero '26  
 

The lineup for the Club Four event (bow #19) consisted of coxswain Brooke Dini, Anna Iannucci, AraBella Pyles, Sophia Warburton, and Grace Stoner. This crew finished with a time of 21:22.264, which placed them 37th out of 48 crews.  

"The Charles was such a great race! This crew definitely proved they worked for their seats with the determination they had the entire 3 miles. They kept great consistency and maintained their goal for this race, which was staying focused on their own boat. They held composure through the bridges, cheering crowds, and when competitors were close. I'm really proud of the race this crew pulled, and of their determination to do it as a team. I also really enjoyed steering down this course!" 

-Brooke Dini '28 
 

The Club Eight (bow #11), consisting of coxswain Grace Foley, Amelia Nelson, Maddie Lombardi, Sophie Forster, Kora Eckelman, Cali Tigar, Jenna Jaffe, Abby Deane, and Gabrielle White. This crew finished 27th out of 40 with a time of 18:21.814. 

"Our boat had a really fun day and were able to push through the tough weather conditions! We focused on staying calm and controlled, putting all of our energy into our power as a unit. We definitely want to keep working together and continue to make ourselves stronger going forward!" 

-Grace Foley '27 

From Coach Sanford 

"Our crews were excited for the opportunity to race down the Charles once again!  It was great to see our Alumnae crews racing and mingling with our current athletes.  Although our results were a bit off of what our expectations were, the crews had a productive day and are looking forward to getting back to work." - Tom Sanford, Director of Rowing & Head Coach of Women's Rowing