PORTLAND, Ore. — Lewis & Clark College rowing hosted its annual Charlie Brown Regatta on Saturday, welcoming Pacific University and the University of Portland to the Willamette River for a full day of head and sprint racing. The event honors former head coach and alumnus Charlie Brown, who guided the program to varsity status in the 1990s.
A light north wind of 1 to 3 mph provided a tailwind through the first 1,200 meters before the course turned into sheltered water. With cool temperatures and clear skies, conditions were ideal for racing.
THE BASICS
9:30 a.m.: Novice Eight 750m Sprint
9:40 a.m.: Men's Varsity Four
9:45 a.m.: Small Boats
11:30 a.m.: Varsity Eights
HOW IT HAPPENED
Racing opened with the novice eight sprint, a 750-meter side-by-side event. The Lewis & Clark men's novice eight finished second in 3:17.6. Coxswain
Gemma Hoyt led the boat, with
Edison Medlock stroking,
Emery Slothower in seven,
Uly Smucker in six,
Max Zuberbuhler in five,
Kevin Matisheck in four,
Donovan Taylor in three,
Frasier Shanker in two, and
Eugene Ahoudji in bow.
The 'W' squad novice eight placed third in 3:42.4. Coxswain Fay Seirafi guided the crew, with
Neta Ricker stroking,
DJ Fenton in seven,
Madeline Esquivel in six,
Tori Westgate in five,
Daniella Bulafu in four,
Camille Bluberg in three,
EJ Bock in two, and
Makenna McGlathery in bow.
The men's varsity four was an all-Pioneer race between two Lewis & Clark boats. The A boat won in 11:45.7, with coxswain
Sophie Homolka,
Lewis Grimes stroking,
Paul Kelly in three,
Eliot Woods in two, and
Devon Hall in bow. The B entry placed second in 13:26.9, featuring coxswain
Max Baker,
Sam Hall stroking,
Kieran Larrabee in three,
Tommy Rotelli in two, and
Keith Hipp in bow.
In the small-boats flight, 13 crews raced the 3,000-meter course, including five Lewis & Clark pairs. Mad Kat, with
Sydney Case in stroke and
Carson Cook in bow, was the top Pioneer finisher in sixth place at 15:05.4. Snark Attack followed in seventh (15:10.1) with
Sadie Meredith-Andrews in stroke and
Lyndsay Morris in bow. Hot Ones, featuring
Carmen Aaronson in stroke and
Meredith Lybbert in bow, finished ninth (15:31.5). Willamette 2–Millie placed 10th (15:36.4) with
Sadie Wallsmith in stroke and
Sunny Greenblum in bow, while Willamette 2–Owen took 11th (16:20.8) with
Zoe Mitchell in stroke and
Emma Wind in bow.
The varsity eight races featured both Pioneer programs and several Portland entries. The Lewis & Clark men's eight finished third overall in 12:06.4. Homolka led the crew with Grimes stroking, Kelly in seven, Woods in six, Rotelli in five, Larabee in four, Hall in three, Hipp in two, and
Daniel Macha in bow.
The 'W' squad top varsity eight placed fifth in 12:19.3, followed by the second varsity eight in 13:13.1. The top crew featured coxswain
Ella Radvany, with Meredith-Andrews stroking, Cook in seven, Kimmel in six, Morris in five, Wind in four, Lybbert in three, Greenblum in two, and Mitchell in bow. The second crew included coxswain Baker, Case stroking, Ricker in seven, Wallsmith in six,
McKinley Garrett in five, Aaronson in four,
Molly Petrowitz in three,
Ana Cabrera in two, and
Grace MacDonald in bow.
The regatta concluded with the annual pumpkin awards ceremony, where hand-painted trophies created by the team were presented to event winners.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 3,000 meters: Varsity head race course length
• 19: Novices making their collegiate debut
• 9: 'W' squad rowers who doubled up, including novice
Neta Ricker
• 8: Men's team members who raced twice between the eight and the four
• 2: Coxswains, Homolka and Baker, who helmed a boat in two races
UP NEXT
Lewis & Clark travels to Sacramento for the Head of the American Regatta on Saturday, one of the largest fall head races on the West Coast. Crews will compete in 5,000-meter events across all collegiate boat classes.
