While most of the Villanova population was away over break, the women’s crew team was locking things up here at home. This past weekend the Varsity Eight took first at the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia with a time of 15:44.10, beating Big 5 rival Temple University for the top spot. The Varsity Four also notched a top-seeded finish, ending the race in fifth with a time of 17:50.10. This race was good practice for the Wildcats, since they return to Philly again in a few weeks for the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.

During the week, the women’s rowing team was here at school grinding out two-a-day practices, in the uncharacteristically cold weather. But don’t feel too bad for the girls, because they got some traveling in over break as well. The first weekend of break the crew team traveled to tropical Pittsburgh for the Head of the Ohio Regatta. The Varsity Eight garnered a second place finish in the race, falling only to Big East opponent West Virginia. Not to be outdone, the JV Eight snagged a first place finish for the race.

The team heads up to beautiful Boston this weekend to compete in one of the largest regattas in the world, the Head of the Charles. The girls will attempt to conquer the dirty water and the tight turns of Bean-town against the powerhouses of Northeast Rowing. In addition to being one of the largest rowing events of the year, the race will serve as a benchmark between where the team is and where it needs to be for the spring. From there, the team will know how many, if any, two-a-days they’ll be doing to get them ready for Head of the Schuylkill.