Novice, varsity blend well at first race

The Des Moines River served as host to the Head of the Des Moines Regatta on Saturday. Drake rowing raced in the Collegiate 8, the Collegiate Single, the Club Doubles and the Collegiate Doubles.

Head coach Charlie DiSilvestro said since it was the first race of the season it was a good chance for the newer athletes to get used to racing. He said this is a race that the team trains right through.

“We did two-a-days up until last night (Friday), so we’re not physically preparing them to have the best results today,” DiSilvestro said. “What we were looking for today is if they come off the water feeling like they gave a great effort.”

DiSilvestro said he thought the novice did well for their first race, and the more experienced crew members agreed.

“We had two varsity rowers and six novice in our boat,” said sophomore Taylor Armstrong, the coxswain of the Varisty 8. “We came in at 22 minutes, which is good, it’s a couple minutes off than what we’ve been doing in practice.”

The Varsity 8 finished ninth in the Collegiate 8 with an official time of 22:00.78, and the Novice 8 came in 10th with a time of 24:02.08.

Seniors Susan Goulette and Kat Moore finished near the top for the Bulldogs, placing second and third, respectively, in the Collegiate Single.

DiSilvestro said he thinks the novice are mixing well with the team and have a good attitude so far.

“Today went very well,” DiSilvestro said. “Every boat came off feeling like they had a good row, and that’s all I was looking for today.”