The Northeastern women’s rowing team is gearing up for the start of the spring season, and the Huskies are stronger and more motivated than ever as they approach their first race, the Doc Hosea Invitational, in Cherry Hill, N.J. March 30.
“You can definitely feel there’s a lot more of an upbeat energy going into this season,” said Camille Arnold-Mages, a junior coxswain. “We know that we’re [a] really fast program so far this year, and there’s been a lot of improvements throughout the winter.”
Over spring break, the team traveled to Florida to continue its training for the upcoming season.
“On that trip, I really saw how fast the team [has] gotten, which it’s been really nice to see,” said junior and captain Firinne Rolfe. “I think it’s really nice that our team doesn’t have drop-off. It’s not like we have one fast boat. For the whole program, there’s a high speed this year, which was super exciting to see.”
Arnold-Mages emphasized the positive and motivational culture the team has established. The training in Florida allowed the Huskies to grow a connection in and out of the water.
“I feel like there’s a very healthy, competitive inner team environment this year, where everybody’s trying to compete with each other, but more for the sake of pushing the speed of the team,” Arnold-Mages said.
This momentum for the season roots back to the Henley Royal Regatta last summer, the last competition of the 2023 season, where Northeastern made it to the quarterfinals. The team’s four competed in the Town Challenge Cup (4-) and the eight competed in Island Challenge Cup (8+).
“We got the top eight of the 44 crews from all over the world. These are collegiate crews from all over England, all over the U.S. and all over Europe,” said head coach Joe Wilhelm. “I think that has really sort of launched us into this year.”
The team also raced in the annual Head of the Charles Regatta this fall. The Huskies placed 12th overall in the Women’s Club Fours, with a time of 18:46.263; 19th overall in the Women’s Club Eights at 17:26.102; 18th overall in the Women’s Championship Fours division, at 19:43.060; and 24th overall in the Women’s Championship Eights with 17:28.383.
The Huskies are a nine-time-straight division champion, and they are working to continue this streak.
Last season, Northeastern dominated at the CAA Championship, winning with the third varsity eight, second varsity eight, first varsity eight and varsity four.
This sweep led them to the NCAA regatta. In first varsity eight, they placed 18th overall with a time of 6:45.538; second varsity eight placed 20th, with a time of 7:10.723; and varsity four placed 19th in 7:51.322.
“I’m excited to see where we think our speed is because other teams are also getting faster and having higher goals for themselves,” said senior and captain Tess Miller, who received CAA All-Conference Honors in 2022. “So I’m excited to see where we are within them.”
As this is Miller’s last season with the team and she serves as a captain, she is focusing on the team’s goals for the season rather than her individual achievements. In the 2021-22 season, Miller was a two-time CAA Boat of the Week winner, was in seat seven for a first-place win in the CAA Rowing Championships and placed second at the NCAA D Final in first varsity eight with a time of 6:46.209.
“My goal for the season is overall just make the team as fast as it can be,” Miller said. “It would be great to get the [CAA All-Conference Honors] award again, but at the same time, I just want to be a part of a fast team.”
Through the program’s nine-year reign of the division, the consistent support from Northeastern and rowing alumni has been crucial to the team’s success.
“[We] have great support to our academic services, our sports med[ic], our training investing staff, [and] our alumni are very supportive,” Wilhelm said. “Our alums help us do things. They pay for our Florida training camp every year … That’s money that our alums have been able to help us with and keep us in the best equipment possible.”
The team prepares for the Beanpot April 6, a Boston-based regatta against Boston University, Harvard-Radcliffe and Dartmouth College, followed by the Council Cup and CAA Championship.
“We can look forward to, as a whole, some really strong performances,” said Rolfe, “I think all [the] crews are looking really strong. And I’m excited to see all those people really succeed.”
