Clemson’s club rowing team closed out its fall season at the Head of the South Regatta in Augusta, Georgia, on the Savannah River on Nov. 12.
During the competition, a wide variety of boats had the opportunity to shine on a rather gloomy day in Augusta, with a combined 17 from both men’s and women’s varsity and novice teams.
The varsity men’s 4+s had a great start to the day for the Tigers, with the 1V 4+ placing first by a landslide, coming in at 17:17.7, and the second-place boat from Georgia Tech coming 23.3 seconds after Clemson.
The varsity men’s 2V and 3V placed in the middle of the pack at fifth and sixth, respectively, out of 10 boats, with a time of 18:07.5 for the 2V and 18:33.0 for the 3V. These performances rounded out a solid start for the men’s boats.
The Tigers’ lightweight 4+ raced in a heat of just two boats and managed to snag first with their time of 17:45.7, while the women’s team went lights out, with their 1V and 2V clinching first and second out of the 17 boats racing with impressive times of 18:39.3 and 19:60.
The women’s 3V and 4V also finished in the middle of the pack against some excellent teams at No. 9 and No. 11, posting times of 21:21.5 for the 3V and 21:41.1 in the 4V.
The men’s and women’s 1V and 2V 8s continued the Tigers’ success as both women’s boats placed first and second overall in a group of eight boats, posting times of 17:59.1 in the 1V and 18:18.3 in the 2V. The men’s 1V also added to the team’s long list of medal-placing boats that day, taking second and third overall and only 9.5 seconds behind a well-rounded Georgia Tech team that took first.
Rounding out a near-perfect day for the Tigers were the up-and-coming novice boats. In Saturday’s event, the novice men’s team entered two 8+s and a 4+. The 1N 8+ placed second behind Georgia Tech with a time of 17:49.8, and the 2N 8+ placed sixth out of seven boats with a time of 20:28.1. The men’s novice 4+ also placed second at less than one second behind Tennessee, earning two out of the three boats’ silver medals.
The women’s novice team sent one 8+ that placed second out of five boats, earning themselves a silver medal with a time of 20:41.9. The women’s novice 4+ also earned themselves a silver medal, taking the Tiger’s medal total for the weekend to 12.
Overall, it was an impressive outing from the Clemson Crew to round out its fall season. Results like these hint towards more exciting things when the team starts its 2,000-meter racing season in the spring.
