BOSTON -- Defending national champion Stanford women's rowing had a strong showing in its first race of the 2023-24 season, as its two boats earned second-place divisional finishes respectively in the Women's Championship Eights event at the 2023 Head of the Charles regatta.
The Cardinal sent two boats to the Head of the Charles to compete in the Women's Championship Eights event on the regatta's three-mile race course. Stanford's A boat was designated to the College-Championship division while the B boat was designated to the Junior Varsity division. Each boat earned a second-place finish in their respective divisions and top-14 finishes in the event overall.
"We love the way our team handles competition and adversity, and this weekend was no exception," noted Alben Family Associate Head Coach Molly Hamrick. "We're proud of them for flying cross-country after just three weeks of rowing to line up against some of the top crews in the country and the world, as the US, British, and Danish nationals teams were also in our event. The NCAA women's rowing field is deep and we have plenty of work to do this season, but we're encouraged by the way the athletes handled the conditions, traveling, and racing from the back of the pack. Plus, we are really proud of the way our two young coxswains navigated one of the most technical courses in the country. They did a fantastic job and deserve a lot of credit for leading those two boats to strong, second-place finishes in their respective divisions."
Stanford's A boat of (C) Carolyn Kennedy, (8) Luise Bachmann, (7) Belle Battistoni, (6) Fiona Mooney, (5) Iris Klok, (4) Annika Jeffery, (3) Lettie Cabot, (2) Heather Schmidt, (1) Julietta Camahort recorded a seventh-place overall finish in the field of 34 boats with a time of 16:28.069. The crew started racing with speed, recording the best split of the day at the first checkpoint at Riverside of 3:48.058.
Yale's A boat marked the best collegiate effort of the event, finishing in 16:25.277, while the US Rowing's National Team 'A' boat earned the top finish of the field with a time of 16:11.313.
The Cardinal's B boat of (C) Abbey Heinemann, (8) Lucy Burrell, (7) Sofia Simone, (6) Alice Baker, (5) Beckie Leigh, (4) Nora Goodwillie, (3) Taylor English, (2) Quincy Stone, (1) Julia Braz finished 14th overall with a time of 16:48.979, ahead of A boats from many strong rowing programs such as Princeton, Duke and Northeastern. It was the second-best finish by any B-designated collegiate boat throughout the event.
Stanford returns to the water Nov. 4 for its second fall competition of the season at the University of Southern California.