CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - After their historic gold medal finish at the Head of the Genesee in Rochester, New York two weeks ago, the Lakers capped off their historic fall season with a best-ever finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta this weekend. Mercyhurst finished in second place after starting in 14^th.

The Head of the Charles Regatta is a 4,800-meter race against the clock with each boat crossing the start line approximately 10 seconds apart from each other. With five turns and six bridges, the Charles River is one of the most challenging races in the world. The start order is determined by the finish order from the previous year, with Mercyhurst starting 14^th, behind number 13 Wesleyan University. By the time the Lakers passed the Riverside Boat Club, approximately half a mile into the race, the Mercyhurst women had already pushed their way into second place.

With a final time of 17:31, Mercyhurst rowed the course faster than 31 other crews, finishing just 5.9 seconds behind Williams College. "It's an amazing opportunity in itself to race at the Charles," said senior Kate Castonguay, "but we not only raced, we medaled. As a team we handled the environment and distractions well. We passed two boats during the race."

"I'm very proud of the way the women raced today," said head coach Adrian Spracklen. "Last year's 14^th place finish was the best result the women had been able to accomplish up until today. This is the first Charles medal for Mercyhurst and a testament to the amount of work the women have put in so far this year."

I have to give Marge ( Margaret Kneuer) props for steering us through all the turns and bridges and keeping us all focused," commented Castonguay. "As a senior, this was my last Head of the Charles as a Mercyhurst student, and although I know there is still more work to be done this year; I can't think of a better way to finish this regatta than with the race we had today."