Alabama’s rowing team is coming off a strong fall season. It won medals in multiple events including the Head of the Hooch and the Head of the Charles.
Back in October, the team’s Club 4+ boat, led by five seniors, set the course record and won gold at the Head of the Charles with a time of 18:02.402, which was 20 seconds faster than the second-place finisher Penn.
“The Head of the Charles is one of the most prestigious regattas in the country and to say that you have won or medaled at the event is respected by almost everyone in the rowing community,” said senior Emily Navin, “We had no idea how we would stack up against the competition. For us to come in as the ‘underdog’ and set the course record and get the gold medal for the first time in school history is very important to us.”
Navin and the girls will lean on that ‘underdog’ mentality and what they learned in the Head of the Charles to help them well into their spring season where they will attempt to lead Alabama into the NCAA championships.
During last year’s Big 12 conference championships, Alabama finished 4th behind Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. This team is hoping to achieve even more this season.
“Our goal is to medal in the conference championships,” said senior Charlotte Adkins. “We want to be on top and on the podium at the end of the day.”
Facing tougher opponents in the regular season is something senior Nicole Lane believes can take Alabama to the next level.
“The teams we face to start the spring season are similar, and this is a good chance to build on how fast we are,” said Lane. “Going into April we will have a tough schedule and this will be a great opportunity to go against teams who are use to having that NCAA championship experience.”
This weekend’s regatta marks the first of three straight home regattas for the Crimson Tide. IT will face SMU on March 3 and participate in the Crimson Tide Invitational involving Jacksonville, Dayton, and Creighton on March 24.
Saturday’s regatta against Eastern Michigan is set to start at 9 a.m.
