One of the last major head races on the East Coast in the fall season is upon us – the Head of the Hooch. While most of the East Coast gears up for daylight saving time and shifts its focus to winter indoors, the Hooch will comfortably proceed in the temperate warmth of Chattanooga, TN, along the Tennessee River. Much unlike its cousin from Boston, the Hooch is a port sider’s nightmare as the course sweeps down along one long turn, finishing under three bridges. This year’s Head of the Hooch boasts 2,225 entries from 194 different clubs; the women’s collegiate eight will see 26 of those entries.
Vanderbilt University
The winners of last year’s edition are back, and I expect them to be just as fierce as last year. The Hooch is close enough to home to make it Vanderbilt‘s stomping grounds. Vandy managed an eighth-place finish at this year’s Head of the Charles after finishing fourth in 2024. This is a driven squad that will want to remind their ACRA competitors that they did win the Hooch on the way to winning the ACRA Championships last season – repeating that feat is very much in the cards.
Washington University – St. Louis
Last year’s silver medalists are back after sending a coxed four to the Charles two weekends ago. The Washington University – St. Louis squad will be travelling in greater numbers to the Hooch. The Bears have produced good results in the eight in the last year: WashU finished a very strong fourth at last year’s ACRA Championship. They will also be looking to start the run into the spring campaign with a solid result at the Hooch. Starting bow number two, they’ll have the always fun opportunity to chase down their opponents at Vanderbilt over the 4500m course.
Clemson Rowing Association
Less than a second behind WashU in the Collegiate coxed four at the Charles was the Clemson Rowing Association. In a similar situation to WashU, CRA will have a larger squad at the Hooch and hopes to be one or even two better than they were here last year. This squad is separate from the varsity team but trains on the same stretch of Lake Hartwell, SC. Perhaps some intramural competition has prepared them for this year’s Hooch? Regardless, CRA is a growing programme that will hopefully expand further into club regattas, such as ACRAs. Performing well this weekend is undoubtedly in the cards for this squad and will set them up nicely going into the winter.
University of Florida
The Gators will be out in force at this year’s Hooch, including no less than three entries in the women’s collegiate eight. The University of Florida only made it to the C-final at ACRAs last year, and this will be their first test of speed since then. The depth on this team is enviable to be sure, and can only spell good things for the programme’s future. Finishing fourth at last year’s Hooch is a great result, but something tells me that with three entries in this event alone, the Gators smell blood in the water.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Finally, Georgia Tech is following up its solid performance at the Charles with a trip down the Tennessee. This is another established club programme that is working its way up the totem pole. They finished a ways off from Vanderbilt at the Charles, but will be looking to close the last of that gap by this weekend. This is another programme to keep an eye on, with excellent depth and a strong drive to reach the top of club rowing.
Prediction
It’s hard to bet against a crew like Vandy after posting a stellar result two weekends ago on the Charles River. They will have some stiff competition from their club compatriots, but I see Vanderbilt University taking the win. My sleeper pick, though, is the University of Florida. While I don’t think they’ll win, I see them as a likely candidate to move up the results list from last year and take other contenders for this year’s Hooch victory, like WashU and Clemson Rowing Association, by surprise.
