The event on May 15–17 saw the Bowdoin College novice women’s eight being crowned national champion, bringing home Bowdoin’s first-ever gold medal at ACRA in a novice event.
The women’s second varsity eight also secured bronze. Overall, the women’s team placed third nationally, while the combined men’s and women’s teams finished seventh overall.
Head coach Doug Welling said he and assistant coach Jenny Sherman were “blown away” by the ability of the students to balance the pressure of final exams with travel and racing at the highest level. “The top-three finish in the women's overall points, as well as the overall team's seventh place finish, speaks volumes to the time these athletes commit to preparation.” The regatta—which this year was the biggest ACRA championship, with eighty-four programs represented—also recognizes achievement in the classroom, added Welling, and this year twenty Bowdoin athletes were named to the ACRA All-Academic teams, which honors students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Welling said this was the first time the women’s novice eight crew had won gold at the event. “It was quite emotional to see the hull named Charlotte cross the finish line first,” he commented. The boat was named in honor of Charlotte Billingsley ’24, a much-loved member of the rowing team who died in a car accident in 2022.
Crew Details:
Women's varsity eight: Seventh place
Coxswain: Piper Wilson, Stroke: Divya Bhargava, Emma Mazlish, Mila Bonometti, Cassidy Dean, Kyler Choi, Addison Moore, Ingrid Krishnan, Bow: Juliet McDermott
Women's second varsity eight: Third place
Coxswain: Mason Kahn, Stroke: Anneke Wittink, Xan Vella, Meadow Jennings, Cameron McDonald, Annika Hermans, Julia Finke, Preeti Pandey, Bow: Maddy Ohta
Women's novice/frosh eight: First place
Coxswain: Faith Lee, Stroke: Layla Kenkare, Mia Lewis, Britte Van Zadelhoff, Kaethe Rice, Sophie Thompson, River Wolaver, Ayanna Hopkins-Zelada, Bow: Nora Condit
Men's varsity four: Sixth place
Coxswain: Nate Kodama, Stroke: Clemens Summersgill, Henry Burke, Milo Goodell, Bow: Beckett LaPrade
Men's varsity lightweight four:
Coxswain: Maggie De La Peza, Stroke: Bao Bao Nguyen, Krishna Goenka, Juan Villa, Bow: Ari Townend
Men's varsity quad four: First place in the B Final
Stroke: Cormac Burke, Jamie Ingraham, Noah Kay, Bow: Oliver Brenner-Bates
