Ready, Set, Row
As the women’s rowing season goes out with a bang, the men’s team looks forward to Nationals
Stroke seat Grace Wyatt’s alarm goes off in the Sacramento hotel room at 5:45 a.m. Without hesitation, Bronco rowers throughout the building are up and squeezing into their racing uniforms. Then, it’s downstairs for breakfast by 6:00 a.m., leaving for the race course 30 minutes later, prepping boats and launching on the water for warm up by 8:00 am. Oh, and it’s a Saturday.
For Santa Clara’s rowing teams, a 5:45 a.m. wake-up time is sleeping in.
“Few sports offer the combination of tranquility and grueling cardio,” said JT Winston, senior and captain of the men’s team. “Being out on the water is the best way I could imagine to start the day, and it makes the tough workouts that much easier to get through.”
During the weekend of May 13, the Broncos took on the University of Portland Pilots, University of San Diego Toreros and the Creighton Bluejays, among other highly ranked teams in the West Coast Conference championships (WCCs). With races beginning at 9:00 a.m. and running in multiple heats until 5:00 p.m., Santa Clara men’s and women’s rowing went up against the biggest names on the west coast and performed exceptionally well.
According to senior Sophie Wink, the women's rowing team worked to overcome barriers in order to have a strong finish to the season. Fighting team-wide injuries and sickness, the Bronco women’s rowing team pushed through WCC’s and ended the season on a high note.
“[Championships were] an exciting, cathartic, bittersweet moment in my rowing career,” Wink said. “Since my first day on this team, a big goal of ours has always been to beat St. Mary’s, so to be able to go out there in WCCs and beat them by open water was a really exciting moment. It was the last race of my college career and we were really able to go out with a bang in all boats.”
Head Coach Jay Farwell, along with Associate Head Coach Evan Bainbridge talked about how although they didn’t qualify for nationals, the perseverance of the women’s team was commendable and will set a precedent of commitment and work for years to come.
The rowing program is in the midst of restructuring under the new Director of Rowing, Jay Farwell. Some athletes feared that the transition would act as an obstacle to the success of the seasons. In reality, the opposite occurred. “We didn’t know for sure who our new head coach would be until August of 2021, which caused some nerves amongst our athletes,” said junior and team captain Ana Martinez. “But the news that the staff would be expanded to six coaches, including Jay Farwell, put us all at ease and helped us get excited for the season.”
The men’s and women’s teams were united under coaching staff for the first time, creating a cross-team level of support never before seen.
“Santa Clara has a really unique team [this year] in that there is no noticeable separation between classes,” Winston said. “Everyone hangs out together and supports one another, which makes for a true familial feel on the team.”
Winston received the 2021-22 Jim Shea Award, a prestigious honor which celebrates student athletes who demonstrate strong leadership abilities.
“The biggest thing that I’m taking away from this team is a lifelong sisterhood,” Wink said. “Rowing is a sport that requires the crew to be connected in a really unique way. Through this sport, I have built some of the strongest bonds in my life.”
Although the women’s season is over, the men’s rowing team heads to New Jersey on June 2 for the 119th International Rowing Association National Championships. Following this, they will travel to London, England and the UK for the world-famous Henley Royal Regatta.