ROCKFORD, IL - This past weekend, the team loaded the trailer and headed to Rockford, Illinois for the Head of the Rock regatta, one of the largest head races in the country. On Saturday, the crew arrived at Danny and Denise Wood's home, where they hosted the entire team for a delicious dinner. Once dinner was over, we loaded back into the buses and headed to the Rockford YMCA to spend the night before the big race. Both squads had their Big/Little reveal at the YMCA as well!
The next morning the team woke up at the crack of dawn, ready to race and rock the Rock. After the trailer was unloaded, the Novice Women's 4+ was the first event of the day. The Novice Women's 4+ A pulled a 21:16 and the Novice Women's 4+ B was not far behind with a 21:22. The Men's Novice 8+ was up next. The boy's 1F 8+ boat finished with a time of 17:17, and their 2F 8+ boat with a time of 18:18. Up next was the Men's Varsity 4+, whose A boat finished with a 15:32, placing 5th overall, and the B boat finishing with a time of 17:12. The Women's Open 4+ was packed with four different Marquette boats. The Women's Lightweight 4+ placed 6th overall, closely behind Division 1 programs Wisconsin and Drake, with a time of 17:22. The Lightweights finished as the top club boat in the open weight event. The Women's Open 4+ A posted a time of 18:25, the D boat with a 19:20, and the C boat finishing with a 19:30 time.
Afternoon racing kicked off with the Novice Women's 8+ event; the 1F boat finished 7th overall, and was the fastest club boat in the event with a time of 18:23. The Novice Women's 2F boat rowed a strong race, and finished with a time of 20:08. The Novice Men were up next in the Novice 4+ event; their A boat came in at 18:46 and their B boat at 21:45. The last two races of the day were the Varsity Men and Women's 8+. The men pulled their hardest and finished with a time of 15:01. There were two boats in the women's event, with stiff competition, the women pulled through with the 1V 8+ boat finishing with a 16:49 and the 2V 8+ boat with a 17:29.
All and all, everyone had a blast this weekend. It was also extremely humbling to have a huge crowd of Marquette parents and alumni cheering for everyone throughout the entire day; it made the difference. Up next, we have the biggest race of our Fall season: the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.