The Hobart rowing team was on the water this weekend, May 8-9, competing at the Dad Vail Regatta in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
The Dad Vail Regatta is the largest intercollegiate rowing event in the United States and is contested on the 2,000-meter Cooper River course, Hobart faced a field that included more than 15 Division I teams, including No. 16 Temple, No. 17 Drexel, and No. 20 La Salle. This event serves as a qualifier for the Intercolliegate Rowing Association Championships in Gold River, California.
On Friday, the Hobart crews faced a cross-tailwind, which created rough waters, often forming whitecaps. Saturday morning, the men rowed through calmer waters with a slight shower.
Hobart opened Friday's racing with a strong performance in time trials, securing spots in the semifinals with hopes of progessing to the grand finals for all three boats. The Statesmen, however, were disqualified from semifinal competition following a rules violation related to incomplete coxswain weigh-in procedures. Hobart was permitted to compete in the third final for both the 1V and 2V boats and the Second final for the 3V.
VARSITY EIGHT
- The varsity eight was driven by Ellie Dial, Charles Watroba, Colin Mester, Kiré Richardson, Nicholas Short, James Feeley IV, Chase Sneddon, Tibor Teleki, and Owen O'Connor.
- The Statesmen started off their morning with a bang, rowing long and composed throughout their time trial. The men coninued to, maintain an aggressive base rate and strong rhythm throughout the body of the race.
- Battling teams such as Marist, La Salle, Drexel, Temple, Santa Clara and other high-ranking teams, the Statesmen stayed connected and continued to push as they approached the final stretch. With 500 meters remaining, the Statesmen launched into a dominant sprint to the finish. They posted the fifth fastest time, stopping the clock at 5:33.7
- The Statesmen began their final race with a compelling start and gained a length on the field within the opening 500 meters, and maintained their advantage through the middle portion of the race.
- Around the 1100-meter mark, the Hobart crew held off a forceful push from Stetson University and continued to remain in control as the field. With 500 meterts left, the Statesmen began their sprint.
- Hobart was able to stay composed throughout the race and responded effectively to the field while maintaining their advantage.
- The Statesmmen won the third level final with a time of 5:49.8. It was 13th overall.
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
- In the time trial, Hobart had a persistently lengthy rhythm, and began to settle into a powerful base and continued to stay connected through the early portion of the 2000-meter course.
- As the Hobart crew entered rough water around the 1200-meter mark, the strokes shortened slightly for a brief stretch as the boat worked to regain its previous strength within these newfound conditions. After quickly adapting, the boat reestablished its length and headed towards the final part of the race.
- With 600-meters remaining, the Statesmen launched into their sprint to the finish and ultimately crossed the finish buoys in fifth place with a time of 5:42.9.
- In the finals, the Statesmen returned to the water in a race with Jacksonville and FIT. The Dolphins and the Tigers put together a strong start with the Jacksonville crew holding a slight one-seat advantage through the opening 300-meters.
- Hobart responded well through the middle thousand, and continued to settle into a strong rhythm and steadily gained momentum as the race continued to develop. Around the 700-meter mark, the Statesmen moved through Jacksonville and took a full length lead, which allowed them to separate themselves from the field as a whole. With 500-meters remaining, Hobart launched into an energetic sprint to the finish, closing out a competitive race. The Hobart Statesmen finished first with a time of 5:59.9.
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
- The 3V8 was composed of Isabel Goldblatt-Hamilton, Jayden Dasher, Estel Justus, Braden Hendrickson, Fletcher Grantham, William Walker, Cameron Nixon, Panagiotis Giannakopoulos, and Cayden Hill.
- In the time trials, Hobart began its race with a deep and elongated stroke throughout the race. They maintained a steady base rate and continued to stay poised through the body of the course while continuing to push their pace and match the speed of the rest of the crews.
- With 600 meters remaining, Hobart established their sprint to the finish, increasing the intensity in an effort to carry its quick rate of speed through the closing stretch of the race.
- Hobart was third with a time of 5:47.3,
- Hobart opened their afternoon alongside Jacksonville in a two boat race. The Statesmen gained a length on the Dolphins in the first 250 meters and extended their lead to open water by 500 meters into the race. Throughout the middle thousand, Hobart continued to steadily row away from the Dolphins, eventually building nearly five boat lengths of open water while maintaining their strong and controlled rhythm down the course.
- The Statesmen finished with a time of 6:09.4.
