In the Men's Varsity 8+ race, Hamilton lined up against Ithaca College. The Hamilton team consisted of Matt Baum (cox), Kevin Hall, Steve Larson, Adam Schayowitz, Pete Coxeter, Josh Huling, Tom Goolsby, Henry Chicaiza, and Chris Martin-McNaughton. In what was a close race until the last 500 meters, Ithaca went on to win at a time of 5:46 with Hamilton finishing just 15 seconds behind (6:01). In the Varsity 4+ race, Hamilton entered the freshman four of Lisa Schaaf (cox), John Adams, Colton Riley, Chris Abbott and Alex Kaufman against fours from Hobart and Ithaca. Hobart won with a time of 6:34 with Ithaca in second with 6:56 and Hamilton in third with a time of 7:10.

The Women's Varsity 8+ had two dual races, one against Pacific Lutheran University and the other against Ithaca College. Rowing in the first race for Hamilton were Chloe Hensold (cox), Liz Lamdin, Alexis Castrovinci, Shana Weinberg, Kate Wardwell, Liz McPhillips, Kristen Dillner, Kalin Jaffe, and Becky Kessler. Pacific Lutheran was able to take a quick lead off the start and managed to hold off the Hamilton boat to win with a time of 6:42. Hamilton pulled in with a time of 7:05. The second race saw the same boat, this time coxed by Julia Morgan, facing off against the home team, Ithaca. Ithaca won with a time of 6:52 over Hamilton's 7:11. In the Women's JV 8+, a Hamilton boat that was a mix of varsity and novice rowers went up against the Ithaca JV and the Ithaca Lightweight boats. The Hamilton boat of Meggie Ito (cox), Jessica Wolinsky, Dana Kirchoff, Katie D'Agostino Becky Benham, Megan Malone, Anne Kurtz, and Amber Gillis finished 3rd with a time of 7:45. The Ithaca JV finished in 7:12, with the Lightweights finishing in 7:16.

In the Men's Freshman 8+, Hamilton boated Dan Horowitz (cox), Chris Abbott, Kosta Popovic, Andreu Viader Valls, Dan Nelson, John Adams, Alex Kaufman, Axtell Arnold, and Jamie Grifo against Ithaca. Ithaca made a big move in the second 500 meters and went on to win at a time of 6:06. Hamilton crossed the line with a time of 6:22.

The Women's Freshman 8+ saw Meggie Ito (cox), Jessica Wolinsky, Dana Kirchoff, Katie Cameron, Lisi Krainer, Courtney McBride, Amanda Bennett, Anne Kurtz and Alice Peterson face off against Ithaca and William Smith. Ithaca won with a time of 6:49 followed by William Smith at 6:55 and Hamilton with 7:28.

Overall, the race was a very positive experience for the team. Racing the top competition is a necessary step for the team as it continues its ascent to the top of New York State rowing teams. With four weeks left before the New York State Collegiate Championships, the team members now know exactly how much speed they need to pick up to make it to the top.

The race scheduled for Sunday, April 6th against Colgate and Marist was cancelled, due to freezing temperatures and strong winds at Lake Onondaga at Syracuse. Instead, there will be a race scheduled against Colgate and Drexel for next Sunday (April 13) at a location to be determined.

The crew team has just finished a semester notable for its accomplishments both on and off the water. On the water, both the varsity men and women have had their share of success. Highlights of the fall season include the varsity men winning the Mayors Cup trophy at the Head of the Mohawk, the varsity women beating expectations and most of their competition at the Head of the Charles and, for the first time in Hamiltonhistory, the team as a whole won the Head of the Erie total points trophy. Off the water, the program has made steps in becoming a top-level Division III school. Head Coach Mike Gilbert and Assistant Coach Catherine Gilbert returned for their second year at Hamilton. As the team becomes more accustomed to Coach Gilbert's style and training methods, the team should see better race results.

Additionally, the athletic department has supplied enough funds to employ a third full-time coach so that each athlete receives more coaching. In an unexpected addition to the coaching staff, Jeremy Zamorski, a 1999 graduate from Hobart College offered his service towards the end of the fall as a volunteer. The team looks forward to benefiting from his rowing expertise this spring.

On the novice front, the women have discovered a love for rowing under the tutelage of Catherine Gilbert. The future looks promising for the varsity with a large squad of 18 novice women. The novice men are a small, tight-knit group of athletes who have picked up a love for the sport. Their enthusiasm will make them welcome members of the varsity in the future.

The team would like to thank the parents and friends of Hamilton Crew for their support this fall. We all appreciated your company at the regattas, as well as the food that many of you brought to share with the team. In particular, the team would like to thank the Larsons and the Wardwells.

dinner in their home and treating the rowers to a delicious home-cooked meal after racing at the Head of the Charles. The experience of staying in an actual home and eating home-cooked food is always a welcome change from college life for the rowers.

Having tasted success in the fall, the team is looking forward to the Spring with optimism. Goals are high, with both varsity teams aiming for an entry in the eights at the AVAYA championships.

A Novice Woman's Reflections Upon Her First Semester of Rowing

The fall season of novice crew has been one of the best times I've ever had. Not only have I gotten in great shape, but I've met some of the greatest people. Who could ask for anything more?
I had thought about doing crew in high school; but the only place to row was 45 minutes away, and cost money. So I came to Hamilton considering doing novice crew. I went on Adirondack Adventure, and it turned out that one of my leaders was on the crew team! She told me all about it, and the more I heard, the more I liked. I was a little apprehensive going into the orientation meeting, though. There were a lot of people; luckily, I knew a few! I decided to give it a try.

The first day was intense. I only knew a few of the girls, none of whom ended up in my group as we split off to workout. On that first afternoon we not only learned how to row, rowed on the erg machines, did body circuits, but we also ran - carrying oars. But I felt great when it was done. So I showed up for the next day. And the next. And the next. By Friday of the first week, we were out on the water for the first time.

The days passed into weeks, and soon we came to our first race. I was extremely nervous. But it went off without a hitch and Hamilton even won the meet! However, the rest of our races weren't quite as enjoyable. The next race, in Niskayuna, involved turning around an island halfway through the race. Needless to say, that was not the best example of our rowing. Our final race was in Saratoga Springs, on what could have possibly been the coldest and wettest day of the entire season. I will always remember standing on the dock with water up to my waist, literally.

Crew has been a great experience. Hard, but great. I have gotten a taste of college athletics, grown stronger (I can actually see the muscles I have developed), and made some really great friends. My best friends here, in fact! The meets have been fun, even in the rain, and team get-togethers were even more fun! As we reach the winter training portion of the year, I can only look forward to the spring season, especially the spring break trip to South Carolina.

I heard one of the varsity boys say at the Saratoga race, speaking about the weather, "If this doesn't get rid of all the novices, nothing will." Well, I'm still here! And it's awesome!

The last race of the fall was held in Saratoga on October 26th at the Head of the Fish Regatta. Despite the dismal, rainy weather, the rowers were determined to end the fall season strongly. After taking a break from the Head of the Fish last year to compete at the Head of the Schuykill in Philadelphia, Hamilton retuned this year to a regatta that has grown immensely in size. This year,the regatta saw a record size of 900 boats race, including boats from the Canadian National Team.

In the Open Womens Eight race, the varsity finished in 8th place. This result is very respectable considering that the first two places went to the Canadian National Team and that there were 42 entries. In the same race, the second varsity women finished 32nd. This boat was in danger of canceling its race due to the fact that only 7 rowers were available, but fortunately, Coach Catherine Gilbert offered to fill in the last seat. By all accounts, the race was one of their best efforts of the season. The lineup for this race was coxswain, Julie Morgan; Stroke, Caitlin Foley; 7-seat, Becky Benham; 6-seat, Amy Laundauer; 5-seat, Elizabeth Scagnelli; 4-seat, Wendy Garratt-Reed; 3-seat, Alexis Castrovinci; 2-seat, Stephanie Godleski and Coach Catherine Gilbert in the bow.

The Varsity Men fielded an eight and a four at the Fish. In the Open Mens Eight, Hamilton powered through the water to an 11th place finish out of a field of 27 boats. In the Mens Open Four, the Hamilton boat of Matt Baum, Kevin Hall, Steven Larson, Alex Kaufman and Colton Riley finished 21st out of 40 boats.

The Head of the Fish was a last chance for the novice crews to show how much they have improved since the beginning of the year. The women entered both an "A" and a "B" boat and saw the "A" boat finish 13th while the "B" boat came in 38th out of 43 boats. For freshman Elisabeth Krainer, "The Head of the Fish was a personal accomplishment. Although we hit a buoy and caught crabs, I felt like I knew what to expect going into the race and could therefore manage my strength well. Having had actual rowing experience made all the difference for me, mentally."

In the novice men's race, the Hamilton boat was victim of ill luck. Shortly after the race started, one of the wheels for the 3-seat came loose and fell off. Resultantly, for the majority of the race, the men were forced to row with only seven rowers. Despite this bad fortune, the men kept their wits about them and finished in a very respectable 11th place of 28 boats racing.

On Saturday, October 19th, the Hamilton Crew team traveled to Boston to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Head of the Charles is the largest regatta in the world and attracts some of the best crews worldwide. The event is also one of the largest sporting events in the country as it attracts upwards of 300,000 spectators to the banks of the Charles River, including many Hamilton Alumni. With such prestige and competition, this race was considered the pinnacle of the fall season.

The Hamilton Men's and Women's teams competed in the Collegiate eights events in the afternoon. The course can be very challenging for the coxswains to handle due to the number of crews on the river and the amount of bridges required to squeeze through on the windy course. The varsity women's eight coxswain, Chloe Hensold, was able to successfully steer the eight to a 12th place finish out of 34 boats. Their time of 18:07 was faster than many of Hamilton's traditional opponents, including Ithaca, Trinity and Weslyan. Additionally, the women's boat (coxswain-Chloe Hensold; stroke-Shana Weinberg; 7-Kate McMullen; 6-Liz Lamdin, 5-Kate Wardwell, 4-Hilary King, 3-Kristin Dillner, 2-Kalin Jaffee, and Bow-Liz McPhillips) placed within 5% of the winning time, which secured a guaranteed entry in next year's regatta. This race was a turning point in the season for the varsity women. It placed them among the elite in Division III rowing and gave them a sense of confidence that they could compete well against top schools in future races.

Racing for the men were Coxswain-Matt Baum, Stroke-Kevin Hall, 7-Steven Larson, 6-Adam Schayowitz, 5-Pete Coxeter, 4-Josh Huling, 3-Tom Goolsby, 2-Henry Chicaiza and bow-Colton Riley. The Men finished 28th in a time of 16:55 out of 41 crews. Unfortunately, a collision with the Duke boat caused one of the oars to become stuck in the water and slowed the boat down, preventing them from having results that matched their potential. For 6-seat Adam Schayowitz, "It was an awesome weekend of rowing. The Charles is the pinnacle of fall rowing. We were not as successful as we would have liked, and unfortunately did not execute our plan. Nonetheless it was great to be there and be part of such a race."