The championship fours events at the Head of the Charles present an interesting combination of factors. For some universities, this is the centre of their trip to the Charles, with their top four athletes racing in the crew, while for others, this is a lower-priority boat behind an eight or two racing in the championship events. Add to the mix some high-level club crews, and this is yet another compelling race on Sunday’s schedule.
Columbia University
Having prioritised the four in the last two editions of the Head of the Charles, Columbia University is the only Ivy League school putting its number one crew into this event. That focus has paid off, as the team finished as the top collegiate crew in the event for both 2023 and 2024, including an overall victory twelve months ago. As such, they will carry bow number one down the famous course this weekend with a crew from across last year’s roster. In their ‘A’ crew this weekend, there is only Hope Gelfand from the first varsity eight at the Ivy League Championships, with the others coming from the second eight and varsity four. Looking to new leaders this year, Emerson Curry hopes to retain their top position in this event.
University of Virginia
Coming into last year’s event, it was the dawn of a new era for the University of Virginia as Wesley Ng had his first race as Head Coach for the Cavaliers, racing in the eight and the four, notably finishing third overall in the latter. This year, the Cavaliers send a smaller contingent as this crew is the only representation of the varsity group in Charlottesville. This is perhaps reflective of the rebuilding year for Virginia as just three rowers return from last year’s varsity eight, with just four more from the second crew. However, with this returning talent concentrated in the smaller boat, this weekend could see an upgrade for their medal.
Brown University
Another decorated programme beginning its second season under a new head coach is Brown University, but unlike Virginia, there is a large contingent making the trip from Rhode Island for this weekend, with two eights and two fours representing the women’s squad. Since the pandemic, the Bears have entered similar squads into the Head of the Charles and have four successive top-five finishes in this event and are the most reliable in their finishes. As a programme, Brown has a reputation for excellence in the coxed four over time, and the appointment of an alumnus and former assistant, Tessa Gobbo-Zimmerman, should help continue this legacy.
Princeton University
Another programme with strong representation is Princeton University, as among the 92 student athletes travelling north from Lake Carnegie are four crews from the openweight women’s squad. With two championship eights and one club eight being supplemented by this entry in the championship coxed four, this is likely to be a development crew. This year, the Tigers will be looking to bounce back after finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships, having missed the A-final in both the varsity eight and four on home water. Success this weekend will not be overly consequential in that campaign, but Lori Dauphiny would not complain if they were to bring home their first medal in
Penn AC
Looking back at the roll of champions in this event, there has been a strong representation from non-academic crews as clubs and national teams have lifted the Hope Barnes Memorial Trophy on numerous occasions. Last year, it was Penn AC who came closest, finishing in second place – just over five seconds away from glory. This year, expect them to return a similar crew. With crew lists yet to be revealed, it appears that this crew will be the highest priority for those making the trip up from Philadelphia this weekend for the women’s squad. If they were to achieve victory on Sunday, it would be the first championship crown on the Charles for the high-performance centre since 1991 and the first ever for their women.
University of British Columbia
Returning after more than a decade away from this event, the University of British Columbia is likely the fastest of the three international entries in this event. And while crew lists are not yet available, this is their only openweight women’s entry of the weekend. This fall, the Thunderbirds excelled at the Western Canadian University Championships, winning every single openweight women’s event on offer to claim the overall titles. When travelling south, UBC is often able to remain competitive with top NCAA programmes, and given the relative importance of speed in the fall for Canadian racing, don’t be surprised to see them near the top of the timesheets on Sunday evening.
Predictions
While the mixture of more junior boats from powerhouses and higher-ranked crews from mid-majors can often lead to a complicated prediction, if Virginia is going to achieve their internal standards this season, they will have to win this event. As such, I’m picking the Cavaliers to take the victory on Sunday.
