George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Head of the Occoquan
Rowing Competes at Head of the Occoquan
11/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Crew
Nov. 4, 2002
FAIRFAX STATION, VA - The GW men's and women's crews made the short trip to the Occoquan reservior on Saturday, Nov. 2, to participate in the Head of the Occoquan Regatta, held at Sandy Run Regional Park, in Fairfax Station, VA. More than 50 collegiate and club crews would race in the regatta, making it one of the largest fall regattas in the mid-Atlantic region. For the varsity this would be the end of what has been one of the more successful fall seasons, and for the novice, it would be their first race representing the Buff and Blue.
The weather was sunny with only a slight wind throughout the day. Temperatures were in the high 50s making it perfect for racing.
The Colonials would enter eight crews in six events (two GW crews were entered in each of the men's and women's novice eight events). As the results of the racing came in, a familiar trend began to appear. The GW rowers would find themsleves in the position of runner up, in the first four events they raced. For three of the events (both novice men's and women's eights, and the Women's Championship eight), it would be the U.S. Military Academy who would come in first, and leave the Colonials to take home the silver medal. In the fourth event, the men's championship eight, was won by the Pennsylvania Athletic Club.
For the novice, although they finished second in the first race of their collegiate rowing career, it was a good start. Most have never rowed before coming to GW. Next week they travel to Princeton, NJ, for the Belly of the Carnegie where they will look to build upon the experiences they learned from this past weekend.
For the varsities, the silver medals bring some disappointment. The previous results from the fall made the GW crews one of the favorites though it was not meant to be. For the men, the entry by Penn AC, was a crew filled with national team rowers and one which they could not overcome in the battle for the gold. For the women,confusion at the start, left them rattled and unable to find the rythmn which is so critical to speed and has earned them success throughout the fall.
"I was very excited to see all of our crews finish in the top five in their respective events, especially the freshmen who displayed great overall depth with two top five results," GW men's coach Matt Boyle said. "Our Varsity crews did not have their best race and still achieved great results, showing me that we have potential for major improvements in the spring."
Results from the the Head of the Occoquan:
Women's Novice Eight (out of 33 crews)
1. U.S. Military Academy 17:30.5
2. GW 'A' 17:40.6
3. George Mason 17:58.4
8. GW 'B' 18:17.5
Men's Novice Eight (out of 23 crews)
1. U.S. Military Academy 14:46.6
2. GW 'A' 15:08.2
3. Bucknell 15:34.8
4. GW 'B' 15:45.3
Women's Championship Eight (out of 12 crews)
1. U.S. Military Academy 15:52.3
2. GW 16:10.6
3. Water Street Rowing Association 16:32.4
Men's Championship Eight (out of 11 crews)
1. Penn AC 13:38.4
2. GW 14:02.7
3. U.S. Military Academy 14:24.3
Men's Club Eight (out of 25 crews) 1. George Mason 14:31.8 2. U.S. Military Academy 14:42.6 3. Carnegie Mellon 14:43.2 4. GW 14:48.3
Women's Club Eight (out of 23 crews) 1. John Carroll 16:42.9 2. Capital Rowing Club 16:51.0 3. Pittsburgh 16:56.0 6. GW 17:06.4
The varsity crews will practice on the water for two more weeks and then begin what is the most intense part of training for the year-winter training. Lifting weights, running stairs, and using the rowing machines will become their daily routine. For the first week of January, they will head to Tampa, FL, for their winter trip, and they will return to the Potomac in February. For the men in the spring, they are looking for a successful return to the Avaya Rowing Championship, and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, while the women aim for the A-10 title and subsequent berth in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships.
Next up for the Colonial crews will the Belly of the Carnegie on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Princeton, NJ.
For complete results visit the row2k website at: http://row2k.com
