CAMBRIDGE - In the penultimate event of a day filled with classic head racing, the Tufts University Women's Crew negotiated the famed Head of the Charles course from well back in the pack late Sunday afternoon. The Jumbos traversed the Charles River from BU's DeWolfe Boathouse to the finish line in Brighton in a time of 18:11.05, 46 seconds off the winners from Williams College. Tufts finished eighth out of 22 NCAA Division III boats appearing in the 32-crew field.
Amidst decreasing winds as the sun arced downward, senior coxswain Kellie King maneuvered through the field, starting in 24th position, as the crew climbed to eighth position by the conclusion of the three-mile course. The finish assured the Jumbos of a guaranteed entry in the 2017 regatta, and was Tufts' best placement ever in the 12 years this event has been contested at the Head of the Charles, surpassing the 12th place finish of 2005.
The crew, made up of King, senior bow Kate Ainsworth, freshman 2 Maddie Orzeske, freshman 3 Libby Lichter, senior 4 Leah Fortson, senior 5 Rachel Siegler, sophomore 6 Emma Conroy, senior 7 Emma Wells and senior stroke Claire Sleigh segued back from last week's sculling successes at the Seven Sisters Regatta into the eight for its only appearance this fall. Fortson, Siegler, Conroy, and Sleigh all appeared in Tufts' NCAA sixth-place crew last spring. Coxswain King, Wells and Ainsworth rowed in the Jumbos' successful 2nd Varsity, while Orzeske and Lichter are part of the recruited freshman class this year.
Coach Brian Dawe said of the crew, "They are learning to work well with their efficiency, and visually it looks like the boat is moving on top instead of plowing through the water." Director of Rowing Gary Caldwell had this positive comment about Senior coxswain Kellie King: "I think she did a good job through Weeks Footbridge, and she absolutely nailed the turn at Cambridge Boat Club in the midst of heavy traffic. Those two turns were worth three to four seconds."
Full results from the Head of the Charles are available here: http://www.hocr.org/the-regatta/results/. Look also for other coverage @TuftsCrew on Twitter and pics at TuftsCrew on Instagram.
The Jumbos built on their strong showing at the Seven Sisters Regatta at UMass last week, and will return their attention to sculling in preparation for the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs on October 31.
Tufts' Women's Varsity 8 at 2015 Head of the Charles (l-r): Libby Lichter, Rachel Siegler, Kate Ainsworth, Emma Conroy, Emma Wells, Kellie King, Claire Sleigh, Maddie Orzeske, Leah Fortson.
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