Varsity Eight Off to Head of the Charles
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State's varsity eight is headed to Cambridge, Mass. this weekend to participate in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River.
The Head of the Charles is the largest 2-day regatta in the world. More than 11.000 athletes are expected to compete, filling 1,900 boats in 61 events. From novice to masters, rowers aged 14 to 85 will compete in the three-mile head race that is expected to once again attract more than 300,000 spectators to the banks of the Charles River during Regatta weekend.
The Spartan eight races Sunday afternoon in the women's championship eights. MSU is the 24th start in the group, behind Iowa and in front of Syracuse. The varsity eight consists of sophomores Nicole Marek and Becca Ubele, juniors Brook Edgar, Brianna Higgins, Lillian Thompson and Taylor Hentgen, and seniors Joanna Beaton, Beth Schaepe, along with senior coxswain Julianne Calzonetti. This will be the first time competing in the Head of the Charles for each of the athletes.
A challenging course awaits the rowers on the Charles, and the course (three miles, 4,800m) is nearly two and a half times the length of a typical 2,000 meter race that the varsity eight contests in a collegiate dual. The entries in each boat class go off in 15-second intervals.
"The Head of the Charles is going to be an incredible experience for our athletes," said head coach Matt Weise. "We will be looking to go out and have a strong performance, but I also want this experience for them to be more than just results. The Head of the Charles is an incredible celebration of our sport. It's an opportunity being on the same course with so many incredible crews and world-class athletes. We're looking forward to training and competing in that atmosphere."
In addition to MSU's varsity eight, Weise's wife, Lisa, will be competing in the Senior Masters Singles (40+) at 12:15 on Saturday afternoon. Lisa Weise won the Master Singles (30+) class in both 2008 and 2011, and then captured the Seniors Masters Single title a year ago. As a result, she will be the first starter in that boat class on Saturday, the honor given to the reigning champion.
Program volunteer coach Diane DeLuca will be racing in the Grand Master's Single (50+) on Saturday morning, starting at 9:42. She starts 15th in that category.
Players Mentioned
