MCGILL ENDS LOSING STREAK AGAINST QUEEN'S IN ROWING CHALLENGE CUP
May 4, 2009
KINGSTON, Ont. - A last-second victory from the women's novice four proved to be the difference as McGill captured the 14th annual Lorne Gales Challenge Cup regatta on the Cataraqui River in Kingston, Ont., Saturday.
The victory snapped McGill's five-year losing streak to Queen's, which leads the all-time Gales Challenge Cup series 7-6 since the head-to-head competition between the long-time foes was first introduced in 1997. This rivalry is considered to be Canadian equivalent of England's annual Oxford-Cambridge and the annual Harvard-Yale race in the U.S.
Earlier in the day, McGill had swept a pair of women's heavyweight eight races but lost both men's heavyweight events, leaving it up to the novice fours to decide the winning school. The Gaels took two of three sprints in the novice men's side but McGill rallied to win all three women's competitions for a 6-4 margin over the 10 races on the day.
McGill also claimed the Women's Challenge trophy, winning all five races, including the 500 and 6000-metre heavyweight eight competitions in addition to all three 500m sprints by the novice boat.
On the men's side, the Gaels claimed the Challenge Blade trophy winning three of five races.
Windy conditions forced organizers to revamp the novice competition, resulting in three sprints instead of the planned 500m sprint and 6000m race.
"It was very windy out there and felt like we were rowing in the sea," said Sara McGrath, a 22-year old arts junior from Dubai who sits in the stroke seat of the novice four, which won the final sprint by 1.5 boat lengths. "It was very exciting and we knew that it was going to come down to the last few strokes but the men's novice boat was racing at the same time so we didn't know for sure who had won the competition until they announced it at the awards ceremony."
The McGill women's heavyweight eight easily won both of their races, posting a margin of victory of one minute, 36-seconds in the six-kilometre event.
The boat was composed of senior Jennifer Allan (bow seat) of Montreal, sophomore Emma Sheehan (St. Catharines, Ont.), junior Mara Edelman (Boston, Mass.), junior Marina Freytsis (Swampscott, Mass.), senior Melanie Gabanna (Montreal, Que.), junior Andrea Wilson (St. Lambert, Que.) and sophomore Marie-Christine Razaire (Montclair, Vt.) in the stroke seat. The coxswain was Emily Kinsler, a sophomore from Concord, N.H.
The novice four included freshman Heather Anderson (bow seat) of Saskatoon, Sask., freshman Iris Karry (Montreal, Que.), freshman Kelly Murphy (Brockton, Mass.), junior Sara Magrath (stroke seat) and coxie Stephanie Peruzzi, a freshman from Weymouth, Mass.
LORNE GALES CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS
2009 - McGill
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill
1997 - McGill
MEN'S CHALLENGE BLADE WINNERS
2009 - Queen's
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - McGill
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill
WOMEN'S CHALLENGE TROPHY WINNERS
2009 - McGill
2008 - McGill
2007 - Queen's
2006 - McGill
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - Queen's
2002 - Queen's
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 - McGill
Source: McGill Redmen
The victory snapped McGill's five-year losing streak to Queen's, which leads the all-time Gales Challenge Cup series 7-6 since the head-to-head competition between the long-time foes was first introduced in 1997. This rivalry is considered to be Canadian equivalent of England's annual Oxford-Cambridge and the annual Harvard-Yale race in the U.S.
Earlier in the day, McGill had swept a pair of women's heavyweight eight races but lost both men's heavyweight events, leaving it up to the novice fours to decide the winning school. The Gaels took two of three sprints in the novice men's side but McGill rallied to win all three women's competitions for a 6-4 margin over the 10 races on the day.
McGill also claimed the Women's Challenge trophy, winning all five races, including the 500 and 6000-metre heavyweight eight competitions in addition to all three 500m sprints by the novice boat.
On the men's side, the Gaels claimed the Challenge Blade trophy winning three of five races.
Windy conditions forced organizers to revamp the novice competition, resulting in three sprints instead of the planned 500m sprint and 6000m race.
"It was very windy out there and felt like we were rowing in the sea," said Sara McGrath, a 22-year old arts junior from Dubai who sits in the stroke seat of the novice four, which won the final sprint by 1.5 boat lengths. "It was very exciting and we knew that it was going to come down to the last few strokes but the men's novice boat was racing at the same time so we didn't know for sure who had won the competition until they announced it at the awards ceremony."
The McGill women's heavyweight eight easily won both of their races, posting a margin of victory of one minute, 36-seconds in the six-kilometre event.
The boat was composed of senior Jennifer Allan (bow seat) of Montreal, sophomore Emma Sheehan (St. Catharines, Ont.), junior Mara Edelman (Boston, Mass.), junior Marina Freytsis (Swampscott, Mass.), senior Melanie Gabanna (Montreal, Que.), junior Andrea Wilson (St. Lambert, Que.) and sophomore Marie-Christine Razaire (Montclair, Vt.) in the stroke seat. The coxswain was Emily Kinsler, a sophomore from Concord, N.H.
The novice four included freshman Heather Anderson (bow seat) of Saskatoon, Sask., freshman Iris Karry (Montreal, Que.), freshman Kelly Murphy (Brockton, Mass.), junior Sara Magrath (stroke seat) and coxie Stephanie Peruzzi, a freshman from Weymouth, Mass.
LORNE GALES CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS
2009 - McGill
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill
1997 - McGill
MEN'S CHALLENGE BLADE WINNERS
2009 - Queen's
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - McGill
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill
WOMEN'S CHALLENGE TROPHY WINNERS
2009 - McGill
2008 - McGill
2007 - Queen's
2006 - McGill
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - Queen's
2002 - Queen's
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 - McGill
Source: McGill Redmen