Guelph, ON - On Sunday (Sept. 27) the Gryphons Varsity Rowing team kicked off the Fall rowing season with the annual Guelph-McMaster Challenge regatta at Guelph Lake. This event was an occasion for both universities to test their teams in eights, and for novice athletes to experience racing for the first time.
 
The first four races were novice events; McMaster entered two women's eights and two men's eights while Guelph entered two in the women's class and one men's boat that raced twice. The Guelph novice women won both races while the men lost their first race and won the second.
 
The next events were the varsity races, starting with the men. With a small men's program this year, Guelph's men's boat was a combination of the Men's 4+ (coxswain Katherine de Klerk, Lukas Hilgendag, Alex Boland, Matthew Larter, Justin Salvucci), the Lwt Men's 2x (Gergory Hanta, Myles Cameron) and the JV Men's 2x (Aidan Hickie-Bentzen, Jacob DeVries). McMaster entered two eights, one heavyweight and one lightweight. The race remained close for the first 1500m with all three boats close to contact with each other. Around the 1500m mark the McMaster Hwt 8+ began to build their lead over Guelph, finishing in first place with open water. Next across the line was the Guelph 8+, beating the McMaster Lwt 8+ by one boat length.
 
The last race of the day was the Women's Varsity 8+, a combination of the Hwt 4+ (Erika Schwass, Megan Kamachi, Zyra Edwards, Kerin Hudson) and the Lwt 4+ (coxswain Rachel Keirstead, Sarah Kassenaar, Emily Walsh, Clair Benwood, Chantal Dzisiak). In another close race, both women's boats crossed into the last 500m with McMaster just over a boat length ahead of Guelph. Despite a strong finish, Guelph was kept in second with less than 10 seconds separating both boats.
 
Next week Gryphon Rowers will travel to Trent University for the Head of the Trent Regatta. The full varsity squad will compete in this regatta in the following boats:
 
Division 1:
W1x – Olivia Shotyk
 
Division 2:
M4+ – Katherine de Klerk, Lukas Hilgendag, Alex Boland, Matthew Larter, Justin Salvucci
M2x – Jacob DeVries, Aiden Hickie-Bentzen
LwtM2x – Gregory Hanta, Myles Cameron
Alumni 8+
 
Divison 5:
W4+ – Ainsleigh Hennig, Erika Schwass, Megan Kamachi, Zyra Edwards, Kerin Hudson
LwtW4+ – Rachel Keirstead, Sarah Kassenaar, Emily Walsh, Clair Benwood, Chantal Dzisiak
 
Division 6:
 
Novice M8+
W2x – Rachel Malcove, Ashley Hosker
LwtW2x – Kaitlyn Dennis, Sarah Vantfoort
Novice W8+ (2)