Farmer City, Illinois —  Drake Rowing won the regatta at the Illinois Collegiate Rowing Invitational. Today, the team got to take home a trophy.
 
"I'm just incredibly proud of how they keep stepping up to better competition every week and never backing down from anybody," Head Coach Charlie DiSilvestro said. "They are a group of scrappy athletes who don't let anybody intimidate them, and they rise to the occasion week after week."
 
In the morning, the novice four and the first varsity eight finished first in their heat races. The novice four finished at 9:05.18 and the first varsity eight at 7:17.43. The Bulldogs' duo boat, rowed by Jessica Seelinger and Alana Rater, finished in second place in a head-to-head race, with a time of 9:42.60.
 
In the afternoon, the novice four finished third in its race, but the two varsity eights won the finals. The second varsity eight — rowed by Sarah Chastain, Jazmynn Good, Alana Rater, Claire Martin, Claire Mulder, Lucy Grizzle, Lillian Bitker, Zoey Borkowski and Gracie Joblinske — notched a time of 7:30.36 to win the final. Then, the first varsity eight of Camille Gretter, Jessica Seelinger, Allyson Afrank, Caitlyn Figge, Maggie Poltrock, Camille Cole, Liliana Magnuson, Cayden Anderson and Skyler Duke notched a 7:20.12 time for first place in the finals.
 
"They trusted their training," DiSilvestro said. "They've been going to extra workouts. It's hard to see the benefit in October, but they're getting the payday now for all those extra miles they put in."
 
Results
Novice 4 - first place in the heat, 9:05.18
Coxswain: Izzy Silva
Hailey Castelar
Charis Waititu
Noelle Burke
Kaylee Counter
 
1V8 - first place in the heat, 7:17.43
Coxswain: Camille Gretter
Jessica Seelinger
Allyson Afrank
Caitlyn Figge
Maggie Poltrock
Camille Cole
Liliana Magnuson
Cayden Anderson
Skyler Duke
 
Duo - second place, 9:42.60
Alana Rater
Jessica Seelinger
 
Novice 4 - third place, 9:07.77
Coxswain: Izzy Silva
Hailey Castelar
Katherine Hanses
Noelle Burke
Kaylee Counter
 
2V8 - first place in the finals, 7:30.36
Coxswain: Sarah Chastain
Jazmynn Good
Alana Rater
Claire Martin
Claire Mulder
Lucy Grizzle
Lillian Bitker
Zoey Borkowski
Gracie Joblinske
 
1V8 - first place in the finals, 7:20.12
Coxswain: Camille Gretter
Jessica Seelinger
Allyson Afrank
Caitlyn Figge
Maggie Poltrock
Camille Cole
Liliana Magnuson
Cayden Anderson
Skyler Duke