The Red Hawks’ men’s and women’s crews were back in action on the Merrimack River in Lowell, Mass. for the Head of the Textile regatta. The team put forth its most competitive effort to date.
The novice women’s 8+ began the day by placing fourth in their 15 boat event. “This is a significant step for our women’s program here at Rensselaer. Although you always strive to be better, the only three crews that went faster today were Division I Varsity programs,” said Coach Todd Rutecki.
“UMass carries a full complement of athletic scholarships for their women. We’ll see them again in a few weeks.”
The novice men’s squad only traveled with one of its two eight-oared crews. Rowing a fantastic race, the crew placed a solid fifth in their event. The varsity men’s squad launched two 8+s for their event, placing seventh and 18th respectively. Rensselaer’s top crew was narrowly bested by WPI with a margin of nine seconds.
In the final event of the day for the Red Hawks, the varsity women’s crew had an excellent showing. Placing sixth of 28 boats, the proud women of RPI slipped by Wellesley College. Last year, Wellesley College went into the final week of the season ranked No. 1 in the Coaches Poll of NCAA D-III women’s 8+.
