BOSTON — Scullers from the Y Quad Cities Rowing Club continue to serve notice there is serious racing happening in the heartland, with a youth team taking home gold at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta held on the Charles River in Boston over the weekend.
Rowers Caroline Sharis of Pleasant Valley High School and Annie Phillips of Assumption High School, took first place and gold in the youth double sculls event. The Head of the Charles regatta featured around 11,000 athletes, including 70 rowers who competed in the Rio Olympics.
Sharis and Phillips successfully defended the championship of last year’s participants, Caroline Sharis and Emily Delleman, who also took home gold for the home rowing club.
According to a media release from the club, conditions were choppy due to strong headwinds. Early on in the race, Sharis and Phillips were slightly behind a strong crew from the Cambridge Boat Club. By the second timing checkpoint, the Quad Cities crew took the lead, and maintained a narrow lead until the finish. Sharis and Phillips finished in 20:22.7, just 3.7 seconds ahead of the Cambridge crew. The third place boat was more than 20 seconds further back (Seattle, 20:49.7). The Sharis-Phillips victory is the fifth for the Y Quad Cities team in this event since 2010.
In the boys Youth double event, Pleasant Valley junior Justin English and North Scott senior Alan Romanick, finished 12th in a field of 36 (time 19:42).
These four rowers, along with the rest of the experienced Y Quad Cities Rowing team, will complete their fall season at the Head of the Hooch Regatta in Chattanooga, TN on November 5 and 6.
