CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Men’s Rowing) – In a competitive 42-boat field, Florida Tech flew past its competition in the collegiate eights race at Head of the Charles, capturing first place and establishing a new course record for the event at a time of 14:43.373 on Sunday. By winning the event, the Panthers’ earned the honorary title “Head of the Charles.” 

Returning to Melbourne with a first-place medal are coxswain Casey Dalal, Jonas Karalius, Mindaugas Beliauskas, David Crooke, Spencer Freeman, Plamen Ivanov, Alec Bertossa, Wes Rabusseau and Frank Campione, moving from stroke to bow.

“It’s fantastic to start our fall season off on a great note,” Tech head coach Jim Granger said. “My goal for the guys was for them to earn a top-five finish, if not a top-two or three. They definitely exceeded my expectations. Casey set the boat up great and put the guys in a terrific position.

“Winning our race is a great accomplishment for the guys and the entire team. At Head of the Charles, you’re kind of on a world stage, so when you do well, it’s great for everybody. Heading up to the race, we were unsure of how well we were going to fare since we weren’t seeded, but that added to the experience.”

The Panthers’ impressive mark was 11 seconds faster than second-place Williams College (14:54.354). Trinity College, who previously set the event’s course record in 2007 at 14:58.705, finished third with a time of 14:57.165. The University of Virginia Rowing Association (15:06.644) took fourth and Notre Dame (15:12.789) rounded out the top five.

The 46th annual Head of the Charles marked Tech’s first event of the fall season. It was also the first time the Panthers’ varsity eight raced as a group in a brand new boat. Among the six returners in the eight were three newcomers – Beliauskas, Bertossa and Rabusseau – two of which are freshmen.

“When the race ended, we were unsure of the results,” Dalal said. “David and I actually found out that we had won before our teammates. It was exciting to win the event and it was neat to find out we set a course record. It was a little bit unexpected, but it was exciting.
 
“I think we fared well (in the race), especially considering how we fared in our previous fall races. This is an excellent group of rowers. I felt comfortable with all of them. In the race, I really had to rely on them. It was a challenging course with sharp turns and I couldn’t handle the rudder by myself. I had confidence in our rowers and wasn’t concerned heading into the race.”

Once the Panthers return home, they will prepare for the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association (FIRA) Fall Classic, scheduled for Nov. 13 at Canal 54 in Fellsmere, Fla.