Events

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts –– Bowdoin Rowing’s first men’s varsity four earned 4th place medals at the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) this weekend. The first women’s varsity four finished 15th, securing an automatic bid for the Polar Bears at next year’s regatta.

The regatta is the largest competitive rowing event in the world and attracts over 11,000 athletes from DI through DIII colleges, hundreds of clubs, several national teams, and Olympic Training Centers. Along with our three guaranteed entries from last year’s results, the team scored 6 additional entries from the HOCR’s “luck-of-the-draw” lottery system, resulting in an unusual total of nine boats competing.

The men’s first varsity four finished in 4th place out of 40 in the Collegiate Men’s Four event––the top east coast crew and NESCAC program. Though the winning crew from UCLA had a strong 12 second victory over second place, the margin between 2nd and 6th was just over 3 seconds. Bowdoin’s 4th place was just 0.05 seconds faster than Oklahoma City and 0.2 seconds ahead of 6th place Notre Dame. The men’s second varsity four finished strongly in the second half of the field of 40 crews after an unfortunate tangling of blades under the Weeks Footbridge.

In the Women’s Collegiate Four, Bowdoin’s A and B boats raced well with the A boat finishing in 15th,  ahead of NESCAC rivals Trinity, Williams, and Middlebury. The performance also successfully secured an automatic bid for Bowdoin in next year’s HOCR.

The team had two entries in the Men’s Club Four and one in the Women’s Club Four. Both were racing against 57 other crews and although they all rowed well, our crews finished in the second half of the pack.

Bowdoin also entered a boat in the Women’s Championship Double event. Polar Bears Allie Gross and Ilana Olin finished 13 in this field of 17, racing against the highest echelon of 2x’s in the country, including some international crews of Olympic caliber. Gross and Olin finished second among collegiate crews in the event.

The Men’s Alumni Four put in a stellar performance racing as Polar Rowing Club. Will Brockett, Seth Chatterton, Greg Picarillo, Philip Maier, and Elizabeth Kolle raced to a competitive 37th in the Men’s Club Four field of 58 crews.

Coaches Doug Welling and Ry Hills were extremely pleased with the results. “It was incredible getting so many athletes experience on this course,” said Welling. “The team has truly pushed each other to a new level and it was very rewarding to watch the strong finishes in the collegiate events on Sunday.”

“We are very proud of what these athletes have accomplished here at the Charles,” added Hills. “This is a huge stage in the world of rowing. The fact that we can compete against, and often beat, very high level teams speaks volumes for our small program.”  

The coaches also thanked alumni and parents for joining the team at the annual Charles alumni dinner, bringing together nearly 100 members of the Bowdoin Rowing family. “We are always tremendously grateful for the support of our alums and families,” Welling said. “Their ongoing passion for this team is integral to our success. And it is, of course, really fun to see so many of them at this annual event.”

Bowdoin Rowing will compete against Colby College and Bates College at the annual CBBs regatta next weekend, Saturday, October 26th, in their final race of the fall season.

Let’s Go Black!

Article by Assistant Coach Ry Hills

LOWELL, Massachusetts –– Bowdoin Rowing earned six medal finishes among 13 entries at the Textile River Regatta on the Merrimack River this past Sunday.

Thirteen boats travelled to Lowell, Massachusetts, a record number of entries and a testament to the team’s large size, commitment, and great spirit. The Textile is the largest full-team regatta of the fall season and occurs before the novices will get some well-deserved down time over Fall Break.

The men’s novice eight was the first boat to the water, claiming second place behind WPI’s competitive performance in their first row in their new lineup.

Senior double duo, Ilana Olin and Allie Gross, took first place in the women’s collegiate doubles. In an exciting development for Bowdoin Rowing, Olin and Gross will be putting their sculling skills to the test as the club’s entry in the Women’s Championship Doubles event at the Head of the Charles later this month.

The men’s first varsity four took gold by only 3 seconds over WPI. WPI crews fierce competition and took 2nd through 4th place in the race, followed closely behind by Bowdoin’s second varsity four in 5th place. The remaining two Bowdoin boats, the men’s third and fourth varsity fours, came in 7 and 18 seconds behind the second men’s varsity four to place 7th and 9th.

The women’s first varsity four chased down UMass Lowell boat and to secure second place behind Boston’s CRI crew. Coming in just after Lowell, the second varsity four finished in a tight 4th place. The third varsity four put up a fight to earn 11th place and close out a strong performance among varsity crews. 

Both the men’s novice four and the women’s novice fours placed first with a commanding lead over their competitors. Novice crews came off of the water with smiles and significant improvements over their scrimmage race at the Cow Island Classic two weeks earlier.

To conclude the day of racing for the Polar Bears, two men’s varsity eights headed out to expand the team’s success in the fours races. Members of the men’s first and second varsity fours combined to row to a third place finish, coming in behind WPI and UMass Lowell. Bowdoin’s second varsity eight took 8th place.

Coaches Doug Welling and Ry Hills were thrilled with the depth and performance of the crews. “The group energy and effort throughout the day, rowing, cheering and supporting teammates was incredible,” said Welling. “We were lucky to have the support of many parents (and dogs!) at the riverside, and we look forward to seeing many more at parents’ weekend later this month.”

The Varsity crews will take advantage of the upcoming Fall Break to prepare for the Head of the Charles Regatta on October 19th and 20th. A record 8 boats have secured bids: 4 men’s fours, 3 women’s fours, and 1 women’s double.

Let’s Go Black!

Article by Assistant Coach Ry Hills

Bowdoin’s season culminated at Dad Vail regatta, the world’s largest collegiate regatta, allowing the team to compete at the national level. Bowdoin performed incredibly well, with 5 out of the 6 boats entered qualifying for the Grand Finals in the mix with Division 1 and Division 2 programs.

The Men’s Novice 4 and 1st Varsity boats placed 4th in the Grand Final while the Women’s Novice 4, Women’s 2nd Varsity 4 and Men’s 3rd Varsity 4 placed 5th.

Bowdoin began their championship season at Lake Quinsigamond to compete in the New England Rowing Championships.

Bowdoin had a phenomenal performance. Out of 7 boats entered, all 7 boats placed in the top three. Despite not racing in 8s, the top scoring boats of the regatta, Bowdoin finished 11th out of 39 teams overall.

1st Place: Men’s 1V, 2V, N1; Women’s 1V

2nd Place: Men’s 3V; Women’s N1

3rd Place: Women’s 2V

Full results can be found here.

In the 23rd annual Presidents Cup between the Maine rowing teams, Bowdoin raced against Colby, Bates and UMaine Orono at Bates’ boathouse.

While Bates swept the 8s on both the Men’s and the Women’s side, the Men’s 1v and 2v fours had thrilling wins over Bates, Colby and UMaine. The Men’s Novice 4 and Women’s 1V and 2V fours all came in second to Bates.