Oct. 22, 2008

The Boston College women's rowing team began its 2008-09 season at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Boston's Charles River this past weekend.

The Eagles raced in three events - Club Fours, Club Eights, and Championship Eights.

"Each of the three boats went faster on race day than they did in practice and the three coxswains steered the course really well," assistant coach Wendy Wilbur said. "Given the windy conditions at the starting area on both Saturday and Sunday, we are very pleased with the effort of the team as a whole."

The Club Four entry finished 19th out of 39 entries with an official time of 20:29. Riverside Boat Club placed first with a winning time of 18:35 seconds.

The Club Eight entry - comprised of all freshmen - enjoyed the highest finish of the regatta for BC. The boat edged out Northeastern to place 16th out of 45 entries with a time of 18:14.

"The freshmen were very mature in their approach to the piece with realistic goals that resulted in achieving their best time by close to 20 seconds," Wilbur said. "We hope to continue to improve as we look to the Princeton Chase."

Boston College's varsity eight boat finished 28th out of 38 entries in the Championship Eight with a time of 17:39. The London Training Center placed first with a time of 16:02.

Boston College will next race in the Princeton Chase Regatta this Sunday, October 26 at Carnegie Lake in Princeton, N.J.