ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Drake University rowing team is set to open the fall season at the Head of the Rock Regatta Sunday, Oct. 9 in Rockford, Ill. Drake had its first fall race, the Head of the Des Moines, back on Sept. 24 cancelled due to high water levels on the Des Moines River.
 
"This is the longest time span at six weeks that we have trained without having a fall race," said head coach Charlie DiSilvestro. "It has been a challenging fall for us with the highest water level I have seen in my 24 years here. We have only been able to race large boats due to the water conditions, but our team has done a tremendous job of working through the challenges that are out of our control and having great practices."
 
The Head of the Rock is a centrally located regatta for many of the top collegiate and club teams in the Midwest. Drake will be challenged by several top collegiate teams in Illinois, Marquette, Purdue, UIC and Wisconsin.
 
Teams will compete on a 5,000-meter course (3.2 miles) on the Rock River using a staggered start with boats going every 15 seconds. The winner of each race is determined by the best time. Drake will have boats in the novice 4+, varsity 4+ and varsity 8+ races.
 
"The first race is always exciting," DiSilvestro said. "It will be the first races for our freshmen and novices and we will have many family and supporters there. We are going over a day early to have a practice session on the water and it will be nice to have the smaller boats get out. This a great fall race that is easy for teams to attend and it will be a strong test for us against some very good teams."
 
Following the Head of the Rock, Drake will compete at the Jayhawk Jamboree hosted by the University of Kansas on Oct. 23.
 
Head of the Rock Schedule
10:45 a.m. - Varsity 4+
1:20 p.m. - Novice 8+
4:10 p.m. - Varsity 8+