By Sam Gross
Both a fall and a spring sport, the WC rowing teams start and end their year on the water. Last year saw some major events with the Women’s team overall winning at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) with the Varsity Eight coming in second in their heat and the Second Varsity Eight winning theirs for the third year in row, and the Men’s team winning both their heats at the same conference.
This year brings new faces for both the coaches and athletes. The women’s team is welcoming Allison Murphy as the new assistant coach, and the men’s team is welcoming Brendan Cunningham as theirs. On the rower side, there are numerous novices being welcomed onto the team. A senior rower, Jenna Moore, says, “There are so many of them!” She cites at least forty girls having joined.
Moore continues saying that “everyone is really pumped this season.”
Last year, the Women’s Varsity Eight missed going to the NCAA’s by about a second, making them determined to be their best this time around. This hard effort involves 6:00 am power hours, countless hours spent on the erg machine, and a team bond necessary to succeed. Moore says, “We continue pushing one another and supporting one another, and that is what is going to make us phenomenal.”
The men head to Philadelphia on Oct. 8 for the Navy Day Regatta, their first of the season, and both teams head to Lorton, Virginia on Oct. 16 for what should be an amazing start to both their season.