Set against the backdrop of postcard-worthy weather, Northeastern University men’s and women’s rowing competed in the renowned Head of the Charles Regatta Saturday and Sunday. The 53rd annual Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest event of its kind, drew crowds upwards of 300,000 who lined the Charles River with a mass of eager eyes as over 9,000 athletes competed in the prestigious event.

Across a litany of different events, current Northeastern rowers and alumni of the NU program competed under summer-like conditions. The crowd was drawn to the action on the water and created a buzzing atmosphere that captivated even battle-tested veterans.

“The excitement from all of the competitors and spectators is contagious, and it’s hard to not be sad that that the Head of the Charles weekend is over for another year,” fourth-year rower Madison Mailey wrote in an email to The News.

The thrill of the event carried over to the men’s team as well.

“The volume of athletes and spectators attending the two-day regatta create an atmosphere which is pretty special — having an almost carnival feel,” second-year Braeden Camp concurred. “As an athlete, having so many spectators supporting and cheering you on is pretty surreal, and until attending Northeastern I had never experienced this before.”

It was the men’s team that created the most eye-popping storyline for Northeastern, finishing fourth among collegiate competitors (fifth overall) at 13:41.30 in the championship eights and hanging close with powerhouse schools like Harvard University, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley. The first varsity, led by Camp in the stroke seat, kept pace with the Crimson and the Bulldogs through each split point.

Camp, however, was not surprised by his boat’s performance against the rowing heavyweights.

“As an athlete you never go into any regatta with any preconceived ideas about the competition,” Camp said. “As a crew we have been working hard in pre-season training, and we have a mixture of both talented freshman and experienced oarsman in the boat.  This along with the right attitude as well as discretionary effort on the day resulted in an awesome outcome.”

The men’s club eights and club fours also had strong showings for the Huskies, placing fifth overall at 14:52.632 and seventh overall at 17:08.979, respectively.

The women’s team had a more difficult time navigating through the stiff competition. Mailey led the first varsity in the championship eights to a 22nd overall finish at 15:51.35.

The final standings did not keep Mailey from enjoying the competitive nature of the regatta.

“This year was especially special because we had six seniors in the boat and we all emotionally and physically charged for this race,” said Mailey. “Prior to racing on Sunday, I was going through the entries for the championship eight event and was very excited to be racing against national teams and other extremely competitive colleges. Every year the competition is different and this year we did not only have the pleasure to race against the U.S. national team, but we actually got to meet a lot of the athletes in both eights.”

Meanwhile, the championship fours finished 13th in its field with a time of 18:29.115. Women’s head coach Joe Wilhelm acknowledged higher expectations for his championship squads, but was overall content with how his team performed given the level of competition.

“Our championship eight and four rowed the times we expected for the conditions but fell just shy of where we hoped to finish,” Wilhelm said. “This is a competitive field with the best collegiate crews in the country, and national teams from the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands and, of course, the Great Eight.”

It was the women’s club eights that stood out most to Wilhelm, as the inexperienced bunch managed a sixth place overall finish after jockeying for a top-five finish for much of the race.

“This is a really young crew made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores,” Wilhelm said. “We have some good young talent on the squad and we are really proud of how these athletes raced.”

For returning members of Northeastern rowing, the Head of the Charles gives them time to reflect on their collegiate experience before the competitive season starts in the spring.

“It really is crazy that I am almost done [with] my four years as a Husky,” Mailey said. “Every year at Northeastern I have learnt a lot about this sport and about myself. My leadership skills have been developed significantly during my time here.”

Despite entering just his second year at Northeastern, Camp echoed a similar sentiment.

“Every season spent rowing grows you individually as an athlete,” he said. “A successful eight is always dependent upon the oarsman in it doing their individual jobs and having the right competitive mindset and culture […] As a member of the varsity eight, whether racing, training or ergs, I give 110 percent, set my own personal goals and always try exceed my own personal boundaries.”

While both teams hit the water again on Nov. 12 for the Foot of the Charles, the women’s team has a quicker turnaround and will compete at Princeton University on Oct. 29. With Camp and Mailey as examples, it’s no wonder why the Huskies are optimistic for the coming year.

“We have an awesome team environment where everyone is competitive but still supportive, which I think will bring our team to great success this year,” said Mailey.