Crew: Madison Women Keep Win Streak Alive

The Madison Women’s First and Second Varsity Eight boats continued their undefeated seasons with decisive wins Saturday over National Cathedral School (DC) and Walt Whitman High School (MD) respectively at the Walter Mess Regatta on the Occoquan.

Saturday’s regatta featured 26 boats representing schools as far away as Ohio, giving Madison its toughest competition yet.

Nevertheless,  Madison boats still finished strongly in all their races. In a tight Men’s First Varsity Eight race, the Madison Men were edged out of first place by just more than two seconds by regional power house St. Albans (DC) in a crowded field of sixteen boats.

The Women’s Third Varsity Eight boat also rowed to a second place finish in the final, just a few seconds behind Robinson, and the Men’s Third Varsity Eight placed second in their heat just behind Whitman. 

The Men’s Second Varsity Eight advanced to the final with a second place finish, and then placed fourth in the final behind Whitman.

Also placing in their heats were the Women’s Freshman 8, rowing to a third place finish just behind Whitman in the fastest of two heats, and the Men’s Freshman Eight, which placed third in their heat behind Jefferson.

In the last race of the day for Madison, the Men’s Novice Eight finished fourth  behind Woodson. 

Walter Mess, for whom the Regatta is named, is an especially important person in the Virginia rowing community. As Chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for 30 years, he spearheaded the effort to acquire the 5,000 acre Occoquan Reservoir shoreline, providing what is generally regarded as one of the best rowing venues in the nation. 

Madison boats race on the Occoquan again next week at the Darrell Winslow regatta.

Treeby Brown contributed reporting for this story.