Watch a preview video about Head of the Charles weekend

BOSTON—This weekend marks the start of the 48th annual Head of the Charles regatta. Launched in 1965 by Northeastern's first rowing head coach, Ernie Arlett, the three-mile race winds through the numerous turns and bridges of the Charles River, with races running all day both Saturday and Sunday.

The world-famous regatta attracts approximately 300,000 spectators each year, with nearly 9,000 athletes rowing over the course of the weekend. Alumni, current varsity rowers, and future Northeastern student-athletes alike compete in the storied contest every autumn, sometimes and very often against the best rowers in the world.

"The Head of the Charles is more than the world's largest rowing competition, it is a celebration of the sport," said Northeastern women's rowing head coach Joe Wilhelm. "It provides a competitive experience for high school, collegiate, national teams and masters. I don't know if there is anywhere else in the world that attracts such a variety of competitors."

Speaking on the depth of the competition, men's rowing associate head coach Ted Benford noted: “The race presents a unique opportunity for our athletes to race against current and former Olympians, as well as our national opponents–a unique opportunity in college sports today.”

Last year, Northeastern boats posted a combined four top-10 finishes in their respective events. This year, the men's and women's teams have fielded an equally large number of boats. For the men's program, there are six entries, with two boats racing in the Championship Eight category, one in the Club Eight category, and two in the Alumni Eight category. On the women's side, there are a combined six entries as well, with one entry apiece in the Championship Eight, Championship Four, and Club Eight events, and an additional two Alumni Eights.

In the Alumni 8+, London Olympian Will Miller, along with Beijing Olympic medalist and current assistant coach Dan Walsh, have mixed in with veterans of the event from the past three years in the lead boat. Since the inception of the Alumni 8+ event in 2009, the Northeastern alumni boat has been the only crew to win the category. For the women's team, current national team oarswoman Jenifer Forbes teams up with recent graduates and fellow classmates to take on the women's Alumni Eight field. “We are very fortunate to have such a large number of supportive and physically talented alums who can come back year after year to compete in this event,” said Wilhelm, lauding the athleticism of all the returning alumni rowers.

After each posting seventh place finishes last year, both the men's and women's club entries return to improve on last year's results. With a podium position so close for each, there is ample motivation for the two crews to work through their competition on Saturday.

In the championship events on Sunday, the men's team looks to improve on a strong ninth-place finish last year, battling a boatful of London Olympic medalists—an aptly titled “Great Eight”—as well as historically strong entries from USRowing and the University of Washington, the defending IRA National Champions. The women face a similar threat with their own “Great Eight,” and a surely quick boat from the University of Virginia, last season's NCAA national champions.

Times for the weekend racing are as follows:

Saturday
Men's Alumni Eight—11:16 a.m.
Bow #1: R. Pojednic; 8 – C. Smallwood; 7 – Will Miller; 6 – Dan Walsh; 5 – G. Garcia; 4 – B. Mandaric; 3 – L. Harwood; 2 – P. Lovric; Bow – T. Owston

Bow #28: Coxswain – R. Dalton; 8 – J. Peterson; 7 – C. Silva; 6 – G. Earl; 5 – J. Brokars; 4 – Ian Coveny; 3 – J. Carroll; 2 – A. Gehant; Bow – G. Pronesti

Women's Alumnae Eight—11:38 a.m.
Bow #12: Coxswain – L. Todd; 8 – L. Carroll; 7 – K. Ward; 6 – J. Forbes; 5 – V. Townsend; 4 – K. McIntire; 3 – K. Conway; 2 – Olivia Blake; Bow – Clare Samuelson

Bow #28: Coxswain – R. Buff; 8 – A. Hill; 7 – M. Perrone; 6 – E. Gutierrez; 5 – K. Crawford; 4 – J. Kostiw; 3 – V. Lynch; 2 – N. Racki; Bow – A. Kost

Men's Club Eight—1:20 p.m.
Bow #7: Coxswain - Connor Wortley; 8 - Jack Stein, 7 – Alexander Greene; 6 – Colin Schaap; 5 – Kyle Erlandson; 4 – Olivier McNicoll; 3 – Matt Kuczmarski; 2 – Bill Tomlinson; B – Dale Jordan.

Women's Club Eight—1:35 p.m.
Bow #7: Coxswain: Erin McElroy; 8 – Birgitta Husebye; 7 – Jill Hoban; 6 – Laurence Mercier-Lafond; 5 – Kathryn Averwater; 4 – Taylor Craddock; 3 – Chelsea Brown; 2 – Harriet Dark; Bow – Chloe Laverack

Sunday
Women's Championship Four—2:40 p.m.
Bow #13: Coxswain – Tatum Hartwig; 4 – Victoria Babchak; 3 – Averyl Freimarck; 2 – Elena Shikaloff; Bow – Kaydence Kawa

Men's Championship Eight—2:55 p.m.
Bow #9: Coxswain – Zachary Williamson; 8 – Ryan Rosts; 7 – Trevor Weaser; 6 – Justin Jones; 5 – Francisco Mendes; 4 – Eric Winkert; 3 – Max Montpetit; 2 – Riordan Morrell; Bow – Steve Komadoski

Bow #23: Coxswain – Sarah Zomaya; 8 – Sean Crowley; 7 – Eric Jackson; 6 – Daniel Corso; 5 – Cameron Buchan; 4 – Greg Burke; 3 – Svetislav Pejcic; 2 – Tyler Underhill; Bow – Matej Herega

Women's Championship Eight—3:08 p.m.
Bow #24: Coxswain – Lauren Terris; 8 – MacKenzie Bartz; 7 – Nadine Pozzobon; 6 – Kelsey Flynn; 5 – Amanda Brem; 4 – Alaina Williams; 3 – Katie O'Connell; 2 – Evelyn Justine Lowe; Bow – Kelsey Mancini

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