The Grand Valley Rowing Team soared to the top at their first all-team regatta of the season today at the Head of the Eagle. Both Varsity and Novice traveled to Indianapolis, IN to race rowing powerhouses such as the University of Michigan, Purdue, and Notre Dame. Though faced with some tough competition, the Lakers came out on top in eight of fourteen events entered. Several other crews put up some impressive finish as well to help Grand Valley overall dominate the regatta.

Amongst the winners was the men’s varsity eight. This is the first time that a Grand Valley crew has beat Michigan and Purdue on the same day. Boat members included Freshman coxswain Justin Elwood, Senior Geoff Sadek, Junior Breck Davis, Junior Eddie Eisenhauer, Junior Ryan League, Junior Mark McClusky, Senior Blake Donovan, Senior Justin Ott, and Senior Adam Cecil. Then men’s second varsity 8+ took the fourth place spot. The third and fourth eights took fourth and sixth, respectively.

The women also soared into first place, claiming gold by nearly 20 seconds. In doing so, they beat Purdue University for the first time in the club’s history. From stern to bow, the lineup included Junior coxswain Katie Higgins, Senior Sarah Zelenka, Junior Sam Morgan, Senior Katelin Steigenga, Junior Kelsey Arnold, Junior Kendra Socks, Junior Katie Phelan, Senior Kelli O’Brien, and Sophomore Leslie Mayville. The women’s second varsity 8+ came in fourth in the event. The third boat came in third in the C event.

The novices also showed tremendous potential with both the men’s and women’s crews taking first place in their respective events. The men beat Michigan for the second time this season, and the women beat Dad Vail rivals Purdue. The women’s second eight took third and the men’s second eight took seventh. The men’s third eight took third in the C event.

Other winners included the Men’s Lightweight 4+. They dominated their race, coming in 30 seconds ahead of second. In the Men’s Varsity Pair, Sadek and Donovan took first with Ott and Cecil not far behind, finishing fourth.

The Women’s Varsity 4+’s claimed nearly all the medals in both the A/B and C/D events. The A boat took first overall, with the B boat coming in third in their race. In the C/D race, Grand Valley went 1-2-3, with the C boat earning the second-fastest time of all women’s fours.

In the Men’s Varsity 4+, the Lakers took a second place finish, coming in just four seconds behind U of M. The B four took fourth place, with the third four taking second in the C event.

After an impressive performance at their last major regatta of the season, the Laker Navy will now begin preparation for their championship spring season. They will get a taste of spring racing at the sprint-style Frostbite Regatta held on November 15 at the new Grand Rapids Rowing Association Boathouse on the Grand River.

Though a winding course, stiff winds, and rough waters made it a challenging day for the Lakers, both the men’s and women’s crews battled back to claim top ten finishes at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

The Men’s Varsity 8+ started their race in the fourth position, but quickly closed the gap on the crews ahead of them. By the time they reached Riverside Bridge, the first checkpoint of the race, the Lakers had the fastest split in the field by over two seconds (3:23.785). They maintained their lead with a time of 8:26.139 at the second checkpoint, the Weld Exhibition, about halfway through the race. The Lakers had a little trouble, though, coming around the nearly 180-degree turn in the last mile of the race, losing a few seconds and falling behind Williams College as they passed the Cambridge Boat Club 12:40.338 into their race. Unfortunately for the Lakers, this was ground they could not make up as they crossed the finish line fourth with a time of 15:15.112, four seconds behind winners Williams College (15:11.487). Trinity College and Brock University came in second and third, respectively.

The Women’s Varsity 8+ was the third boat to start in their race. Still within reach of the leaders, the Lakers were in fourth place at the Riverside Bridge (4:01.856), leaders and held a four second gap over the boats behind them. They held onto their fourth place spot through the midway point at Weld with a time of 9:51.424, still opening water on the other crews. But the women too had a problem with the 180-degree bend in the river, stopping completely to avoid a collision with the bridge and to complete the turn. Despite this, the Lakers fought back and managed to hold on to a tenth place finish with an overall time of 18:02.775. Williams College finished in first with a time of 17:11.649, followed by Bates College and then Trinity.

Outside of racing, the Lakers made a long weekend of the trip, leaving for Boston late Thursday night. After arriving Friday afternoon, the team had the opportunity to practice on the Charles River and row the course before race day. Afterwards, they spent the evening in Harvard Square for dinner and to see the sights of the city.

Saturday was a day for rest and relaxation as the Lakers prepared for their day of racing. And what better way to prepare for a race than with a great dinner: the team was invited to Outback Steakhouse where owner and Grand Valley Alumnus James Dunleavy provided a delicious meal to the rowers. Overall, the team had a great experience both on and off the racecourse.

The Lakers are now off until Saturday, November 1 when they will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Head of the Eagle regatta.

While Grand Valley’s first Men’s and Women’s 8+ fought against national rowing powers over in Boston, the remainder of the Grand Valley Rowing team awoke early Sunday morning for an hour’s drive to Lansing, bringing the Laker Navy into battle with three major Michigan schools at the Head of the Grand Regatta: the University of Michigan, Michigan Tech, and the hosting school, Michigan State University. In addition to elevating Grand Valley’s second Men’s and Women’s 8+ to first varsity if only for the weekend, the Head of the Grand provided the first bona fide away race experience for GVSU’s multitude of novice rowers.

Both Novice 8+ events were won with ample time by Grand Valley: the two Women’s Novice 8+ placed first and second, the lead boat finishing with a time of 13:07, while the first Men’s Novice 8+ finished at 11:31, ahead of University of Michigan at 11:55, with the second Grand Valley boat coming in close behind.

Grand Valley finished first again in the Women’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 12:27; Michigan State placed second at 13:17. GVSU’s second entry in the Women’s V8+ came in at third at 13:47.

The Men’s Varsity 8+ brought the afternoon to a climax with a victory over the University of Michigan, Grand Valley finishing at 10:57 to Michigan’s 11:09. A second Michigan boat and a Michigan State boat finished third and fourth, with the Grand Valley B boat coming in at fifth, after mid-race equipment breakage, with a time of 11:36.

In addition to the 8+ events Grand Valley also obtained both first and second in both the Men’s and Women’s Varsity 4+ events, as well as a victory in the Lightweight Men’s Varsity 4+. GVSU competed in several other events, such as the Novice 4+, as well.

Over in Boston Grand Valley’s two first varsity 8+ concluded their expedition to the 44th Head of the Charles Regatta, the Men’s Varsity 8+ placing fourth overall and the Women’s Varsity 8+ placing tenth overall.

Midway through the fall season, the Laker Navy is prepared to take on the challenge of the world’s largest regatta. Selected crews will travel to Boston, MA for the Head of the Charles Regatta this weekend, October 18 & 19.

Both the men’s and women’s eights placed fourth in their respective events last year, but both crews are hoping to make an even more impressive finish this year. The men are seeded 4th out of 38 boats, starting out behind Trinity, Wesleyan, and Hobart. The women will be starting 3rd out of 34 boats, looking to catch Trinity and Williams College.

The selected crews for the Head of the Charles include:

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