October 19, 2009
MCGILL ROWERS WIN GOLD AT PRESTIGIOUS BOSTON REGATTA
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The McGill University men's crew stunned the rowing world with a stellar gold medal performance in the elite men's coxed four at the 45th annual Head of the Charles regatta, Saturday.
It marked McGill's first gold medal at that high-profile regatta since 1994, when the Redmen won their third gold in as many years at the Head of the Charles, which attracts a field of more than 8,500 rowers annually and is billed as the world's largest regatta.
McGill finished first of 55 boats entered in the Club Fours category, completing the three-mile course in 17 minutes, 19.146 seconds. Notre Dame was second (17:23.353), followed by the Riverside Boat Club in third (17.23.687).
"It is truly an incredible achievement as this is the most prestigious rowing regatta in North America, with thousands of participants from all over the world," said McGill head coach Philip Hedrei. "Such a result only occurs once in a generation."
McGill's winning crew was composed of Eric Baumann, an agricultural science junior from Delta, Ont., plus Adam Hart, a third-year medical student from Montreal, Travis O'Farrell, a chemical engineering senior from Unionville, Ont., and John Willcock, an economics sophomore from Vancouver. The coxswain was Jeremy VanSlyke, a third-year music student from Fredericton, N.B.
Up next for the McGill crew are the OUA championships in Welland, Ont., Oct. 23-24, followed by the Canadian university rowing championships at the Olympic rowing basin in Montreal, Oct. 30-31.
Source: McGill Redmen
It marked McGill's first gold medal at that high-profile regatta since 1994, when the Redmen won their third gold in as many years at the Head of the Charles, which attracts a field of more than 8,500 rowers annually and is billed as the world's largest regatta.
McGill finished first of 55 boats entered in the Club Fours category, completing the three-mile course in 17 minutes, 19.146 seconds. Notre Dame was second (17:23.353), followed by the Riverside Boat Club in third (17.23.687).
"It is truly an incredible achievement as this is the most prestigious rowing regatta in North America, with thousands of participants from all over the world," said McGill head coach Philip Hedrei. "Such a result only occurs once in a generation."
McGill's winning crew was composed of Eric Baumann, an agricultural science junior from Delta, Ont., plus Adam Hart, a third-year medical student from Montreal, Travis O'Farrell, a chemical engineering senior from Unionville, Ont., and John Willcock, an economics sophomore from Vancouver. The coxswain was Jeremy VanSlyke, a third-year music student from Fredericton, N.B.
Up next for the McGill crew are the OUA championships in Welland, Ont., Oct. 23-24, followed by the Canadian university rowing championships at the Olympic rowing basin in Montreal, Oct. 30-31.
Source: McGill Redmen
