This past weekend the Colgate women’s crew team headed to Hamilton College’s boathouse in Rome, New York to race in the Bridge-to-Bridge head race against Hamilton College and St. Lawrence University. The team this year is small in numbers, but had a strong performance in its first race of the season.

The women’s eight was coxed by junior Jillian Anderson with senior Elspeth Monigle as stroke, followed by sophomore Kate Thomson, sophomore Natalie Bauman, first-year Macy Warren, senior Annabelle Glass, sophomore Larissa Pauli, sophomore Louisa Jelaco and senior Kalin Hennegan in bow. The women finished with a win in the first race.

Unlike the standard 5-kilometer head race, the Bridge to Bridge race was a long 6.6-kilometer course, making the race an intense fight to the finish.

Along with the eight boat, the women raced two coxed quads. One was coxed by sophomore Stephanie Hamilton with Glass, Pauli, Jelaco and junior Lauren Davis rowing, and the other was coxed by Anderson, with Monigle, Thomson, Warren, and Hennegan competing.

Although the women took third place overall, their first-place finish in the eight race should not be overlooked. During the race between the quads, the women faced men’s coxed quads and still managed to take third place in the race.

The men also raced for the first time this season. also at the Bridge to Bridge race, and had a very strong showing.

A varsity eight and four competed, along with a first-year four. Both varsity boats were coxed by first-year Danielle Scheer. Rowing in the varsity eight, which secured a first-place finish, was senior James Clinton, senior Matt Woodrow, senior Sam Walker, junior Rob Bickhart, sophomore Pierre Gross, first-year Steve Estep, first-year Parker Devoe and first-year Josh Chung. Clinton,

Woodrow, Walker, and Bickhart also rowed the Varsity four to a first-place finish.

The first-year four, coxed by Kathleen Landis with Devoe, Estep, Josh Gabler and Josh Chung rowing was also able to win its race.

Along with the Bridge to Bridge race, the men’s team sent a Varsity four to the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia. Junior Ben Jones, sophomore Steve Dickinson, junior Fred Petty and first-year Neal Barsch rowed to achieve a 17th place finish out of 25 entries.

Overall, both teams started off the fall strongly and look forward to solid campaigns throughout the rest of the season.