The HOTO!
While the Head of the Charles may be the biggest and most prestigious regatta on the fall calendar, the HOTO is perhaps the most exciting race. It is the race where the team stacks itself up against (mostly) similar competition. The men race an assortment of club and smaller varsity teams similar in size, and the women race an assortment of club, smaller varsity teams, and large varsity teams. (For those of you unfamiliar, due to NCAA’s Title 9, there are an exceedingly large number of big varsity women rowing programs as compared to big varsity men rowing programs.)
The varsity men rowed an intense race, earning an impressive 4th (and 17th) place, demolishing rivals from Penn State and VCU. The Varsity 4+ also represented W&M Rowing well, placing 8th.
The varsity women had a tougher challenge ahead of them than the men, as they raced multiple boats of scholarship athletes from Navy, West Virginia, Georgetown, GW, Duke, and George Mason (among others). But the ladies still managed to row a very competitive piece, placing 21st (and 26th) and beating most every other club rowing team in the race. The Varsity 4+ later placed 29th.
Later in the day came the novice men’s turn, and they performed very, very admirably. Though they had a tough race in the Novice 4+, placing 13th, they later rowed to 3rd place (out of a field of 21 boats) in the Novice 8+ category. Well done gentlemen!
The novice women also did exceedingly well against their very difficult (often
scholarship funded) competition, earning a 9th (and 12th) place in the Novice 8+ race. Also very, very nicely done!