End of Season Update
End of Season Update
November 23, 2019
This fall season was full of hard work and racing. The Bearcats traveled to Pittsburgh, Columbus, Boston, and Chattanooga this fall season to compete in a multitude of races.
Before racing started, we went to East Fork State Park for a short camping trip. While there each squad performed a short skit, the full team went for a mile hike, and we cooked hot dogs, hobo meals, and s'mores over a fire. Ending the weekend with a board meeting on Sunday morning, the team left in high spirits for the racing season.
Our first fall regatta was Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh where the full team raced a tough field of competition. We had 2 entries in the Men's Open 4+ which placed 4th and 7th. The Novice Men's 8+ took 3rd and received our first medals of the day. Our Women's Open 4+ placed 8th, just 0.1 seconds from 7th. The Men's Open 2- earned a set of silver medals placing 2nd. We had 4 of the Varsity men enter in the single event, with Nate Calabrese taking 1st in the open event by a commanding 30 seconds. Troy Gilbride took 6th in the open event and Max Graman took 6th in the lightweight category. Briar Weissmann had an equipment malfunction shortly after the beginning of the race and did not finish. The Novice Men entered 2 boats in the 4+, one taking 3rd and the other taking 9th. The Novice Women's 4+ took 3rd and the Varsity men placed 4th in the Open 8+ race. We left Pittsburgh in high spirits with 5 sets of medals and looking forward to the coming races.
The Varsity Men sent one 4+ dubbed the 'Charles 4' by the rest of the team and Head Coach Peter Rosberg to the Head of the Charles in Boston. The boat consisted of (in seat order, stern to bow): Nate Calabrese, Matt Nieland, Andrew Smith, David Eder, and Kat Alvarez (cox). The men had one of their best rows yet in the boat and placed 31st, only 3 seconds behind Harvard's B boat.
In late October the Bearcats took a day trip to Columbus for the Jack Speakmon Memorial Regatta. We had many entries for the day, starting with the Women's Collegiate 2-. The women had an equipment malfunction and had to return to shore before racing, but they were in high spirits and ready to go for the rest of the day. The Men's Open 2x grabbed a pair of gold medals, winning the event by a solid 53 seconds. The Men's Novice 8+ fought hard to earn 2nd, beating Case Western by 2.7 seconds. The Women's Novice 4+ also took 2nd. Our 2 Varsity Men's 4s took 3rd and 7th, with our A 4+ only 1.5 seconds behind Dayton, who placed 2nd. The Varsity and Novice Women's teams combined to compete in the Open 8+, placing 5th. The Men's Varsity 2- placed 4th after a last minute lineup change due to the 4s being too close to the event. In the Women's Open 4+ event, both the Varsity and Novice women competed, the Varsity placing 3rd, Novice placing 7th. The Men's Novice 4s earned 2nd and 6th, and shortly after the Varsity Men placed 2nd in the 8+. Once again leaving in high spirits with 7 sets of medals this time.
To end the official races of the season, the team traveled to Chattanooga for the Head of the Hooch. Race day started with a fog delay, pushing everything back about an hour. Racing started with the Novice Men's 8+ getting 21st, quickly followed by the Men's Varsity 4s, one placing 11th, the other 29th. The Novice Women's 4+ earned our first top 10 finish of the day, placing 9th. The Varsity Men's 8+ placed 10th, hitting one of the big team goals on the season. The Men's Novice A 4+ earned the team's top finish of the day, placing 8th. The B 4+ placed 28th. The Varsity Women's 4+ placed 14th, and the Novice Women competed in the Open category as well, placing 33rd. While the rest of the team headed home, the Varsity Men's 2- stayed the night in Tennessee to race the next day. They faced a tough field, but ended up placing 9th. The team ended official racing on a high note, placing well in every event competed in.
After coming home, the team held the annual intersquad race, Captain's Cup. We held the short sprints on the water this year, with 3 captains selecting teams, boats, oars, and even coaches for the week leading up to the race. After missing water time all week, the teams competed in 4 short sprints, with alumni and past coaches coming to fill empty seats where necessary. While none of the teams had a full 8, the team had a great time racing. Nate Calabrese's team won all 4 races, earning themselves the Captain's Cup and bragging rights for the rest of the year.
Overall the Bearcats had a great season of racing and the team is looking forward to the hard work of winter training, but more than that, hitting the water in the spring ready to race again. Stay tuned for updates on the Ergathon and other fun events to come this Winter!