By Jordan Fairchild
Elm Staff Writer
On Saturday, March 27, the Washington College men’s and women’s rowing teams competed in their first home regatta of the season against Division I team, Loyola University of Maryland Greyhounds.
The Shoremen and Shorewomen combined to win all five races of the day.
In the women’s varsity eight, the Shorewomen crossed the finish line of their 2000m race in 8:00.32, while the Greyhounds finished in 8:25.61.
In the women’s second varsity eight, the Shorewomen earned another win with almost a whole minute margin of victory, finishing in 8:30.39, compared to 9:29.68 for the Greyhounds.
“The team’s greatest strength is that we have this precedent that has allowed us to go out there and do what we always do when it comes to racing,” junior women’s rower Skyler Hancock said. “As a team, we follow the line, ‘control the controllable.’”
In the women’s varsity four, the WC “A” boat finished first place in 8:38.78, followed by the Greyhounds in second place at 8:43.73.
The Shorewomen’s “B” boat finished third in 9:02.87, and the Loyola “Novice” boat finished in fourth in 9:24.63. The Loyola “B” boat finished fifth in 9:44.53.
“[What made us successful this weekend] was definitely the bond our boat had,” freshman women’s rower Natalie Wisnoski said. “Our boat got to the start line and everything fell into place. I can’t explain it but that feeling was amazing.”
“The sport of rowing allows us to be able to roll with whatever gets thrown at us, whether it be weather keeping us on land, rough waters, a lineup change in the boat, or rowing in masks,” Hancock said.
For the Shoremen, their varsity eight came out on top as well, finishing at 6:59.23, a 12 second margin of victory over the Greyhounds who finished at 7:11.77.
In the men’s second varsity eight, the Shoremen secured another victory, finishing in 7:00.66, compared to the Greyhounds in 7:31.77.
“So far, the greatest challenge has been our small [roster] size this semester,” senior and captain of the men’s rowing team Charlie Snyder said. “Most teams we race have double our roster, often requiring us to race multiple times a day, but we welcome the challenge as it makes our guys stronger and more equipped to take on even faster schools down the line.”
The Shoremen’s rowing team has 24 rowers compared to the 30 Greyhound rowers.
“We are always positive and always wanting to do better,” freshman men’s rower John DeSoto said. “We always drive each other during practices whether it is inside or out on the water.”
After both teams winning this regatta, the Shoremen have already begun thinking of their end goal of winning the Centennial Conference Championship for men’s rowing. The team also has their eyes on the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship as well.
“I want to make every race this season faster and better than the previous one, and go on to win our Conference championship.” Snyder said. “It has been a goal of ours to win the MARC [championship] for the entirety of my time on the team, and this year especially that goal is well within reach.”