The Middlebury crew team lost a tightly contested regatta this past weekend as they hosted UVM for the biannual Vermont Cup. The event was held at nearby Lake Dunmore.
The Panthers began the regatta strongly, with the men’s team taking a comfortable win in the varsity category to give Middlebury a 3–0 lead in points. That lead was soon diminished as UVM won a hard-fought race in the women’s novice category, pulling back a point for the Catamounts. UVM continued to take slim victories in the women’s junior varsity and varsity races, handing the Catamounts a 6–3 victory over Middlebury.
“The race itself was brutal, with random gusts of headwind,” said Sachin Patel ’24, co-captain of the men’s team alongside Chris O’Connell ’24. “Getting to beat UVM’s men’s team was great and I look forward to seeing them at the next couple of races we go to.”
Despite the unexpected loss, which ends Middlebury’s multi-year win streak at the regatta, the team remained rather upbeat. Patel was particularly full of praise for the younger members of the team.
“The novices are doing incredibly well,” he said. “I’m surprised they were able to get into racing shape so quickly.”
Women’s team captain Isabel Tseng ’23, who co-captains the team with Annie Holleman ’23, was of a similar disposition.
“Although we lost the cup, our team is in a better position than it has ever been,” Tseng commented. “On the water we have some of the strongest varsity rowers and most promising novice rowers; however, what is most exciting is our team dynamic off the water.”
The team’s attention now turns to the final three races of the season, with only the Head of the Snake, the Head of the Charles and the Head of the Fish remaining. All three races will be in the 5k discipline before the team transitions over to 2k races for the spring.
“Our main goal now is to make sure that we can learn to effectively pace ourselves over the course of these 5k races,” Patel said. “The second goal is to try our best to requalify for the Head of the Charles Regatta 2023.”
Middlebury crew will return to action this Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Head of the Snake Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
Charles Crounse '24 (he/him) is the senior sports editor for the Campus. He has previously worked as a writer and staff editor for the section. Charles is pursuing a major in environmental policy and a minor in French, and in his free time he enjoys biking, hiking, and exploring Vermont. He is also a member of the club soccer team on campus.
