By Max Nagel, News Correspondent
Women’s rowing head coach Joe Wilhelm – in his 14th season – picked up his 100th career win with the Huskies when his crew finished ahead of Boston College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the annual Rowing Beanpot on the Charles River Saturday.
Wilhelm led his boats to 101-65 in regular season races. The Huskies finished second overall in the points tally, falling just short of Radcliffe, but beating Boston University, BC and MIT.
“Winning 100 races at Northeastern is a reflection of the commitment the university has made to the rowing team which allows us to put competitive crews on the water every year,” Wilhelm said. “I am in my 14th year as head coach of the women’s team, and over that time we have consistently been one of the best teams in New England. Our focus now is to elevate the program to one of the best in the country.”
The women’s Varsity 8 boat was locked in a tight three-way battle for third this weekend. With Radcliffe College and Boston University holding a steady lead over the field, Northeastern and MIT were engaged in a close match. BU gained water in the middle 1,000 meters of the race, but Northeastern and MIT remained bow to bow with 500 meters remaining, Northeastern’s Varsity 8 pulled ahead by a few seats and was able to secure a third place finish, 0.6 seconds ahead of MIT.
“I think the current athletes understand that we need to continue working hard to improve, and we have shifted their focus from the Beanpot to our next race against Dartmouth and Columbia this weekend,” Wilhelm said.
Women’s crew will row against Dartmouth College and Columbia University March 31 at 8 on the Charles River. Men’s crew will next take on Boston University April 7 in the Arlett Cup on the Charles River.
The men’s crew opened its season with races against George Washington University on Friday and two more against the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University in Saturday’s Burk Cup on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., sweeping all three.
“We work very hard all year long to make sure our oarsmen and crews are prepared to handle a full 2,000 meter of racing in any conditions,” men’s head coach John Pojednic said. “Our crews remained poised and strong from start to finish and were all fortunate to win each race they entered by a significant margin.
Friday’s racing included dual heats between the Huskies and George Washington. The Varsity 8, lead by sophomore stroke seat Justin James, defeated GWU by 16.3 second with a finishing time of 6:14.7. The Second Varsity 8, the Freshman 8 and the Open 4 all enjoyed decisive victories over the Colonials.
On Saturday, the crew shared the same success as Northeastern took on the University of Pennsylvania in the Burk Cup. With a strong headwind blowing down the 2,000 meter course in the Varsity 8 and Open 4 races, the Huskies swept their opponents in each heat. The Varsity 8 was able to gain a slow but steady lead over UPenn, winning the race by nearly two lengths, 8.6 seconds. The Freshman 8 also had an impressive win with a 22.9 second margin, putting up a finishing time of 6:33.
“The freshmen have worked very hard and did a nice job of coming together to begin the season,” Pojednic said.
In their third two-kilometer race in 24 hours, the Huskies pulled away with four more wins. Each boat again swept the field and left Georgetown in its wake. Showing no signs of stopping or exhaustion, Northeastern was able to leave the Cooper with open-water victories.
The women’s crew was on home water Saturday taking on BC, BU, MIT and Radcliffe College in the annual Beanpot Regatta.
Northeastern had a strong showing at the race as the fourth Varsity 8 won their race defeating BC by 20.5 seconds with a time of 7:16.2. The Varsity 4 B, 2nd Varsity 8 and 3rd Varsity 8 all finished in second behind Radcliffe. The Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 A boats both finished in third in their respective races.
“This is a very young team,” Podjednic said. “The season is long and our league is relentless. It’s too early to know how far we will get this year. At this point, we are focused on trying to improve with each practice. What is certain is that I think very highly of all of our athletes and believe in their ability to succeed.”
