Women's Champ 8s: Leander Bests Collegiates

It was a small, historic British club that beat out the competition of favored college teams at the Sunday Women’s Championship Eights race. The Leander Club, the world’s oldest non-collegiate rowing club, eked out a victory at just over a second over the runner-up University of Pennsylvania boat.

Penn held the lead at the Weld and Cambridge Boat Club check points, with Leander pulling ahead over the last half mile. The winner’s final time was 15:14.22.

The Pennsylvania women, who won the special medal for college crews in the Champ Eights, could not have been happier.

“We’re ecstatic,” said senior captain Josie Konopka at the awards ceremony. “It’s always a great day to show up and put down what feels like a really, really good piece and know you did what you’ve been practicing for all fall and coming away with a win in a category is a really good way to finish everything off.”

The Penn crew ended with a time of 15:15.49. Konopka, who sits stroke seat, noted her team’s cohesion.

“It felt like we were really, really responsive to everything our coxswain [Sophia Poersch] called,” Konopka said. “We were able to hold stable around the turns which is really important on this course.”

Konopka said racing is just one part of the three-day Head of the Charles experience. Fans and members of other teams alike cheered for all the award-winning teams, showing a spirit of sportsmanship.

“The energy for the entire weekend is amazing,” Konopka said. “You have everyone on the bridges and alumni come and the whole rowing world tries to show out. Being a part of such a big event is just incredible.”

(Photo by Ben Crawley)