MIT competes in the 2026 Head of the Charles Regatta
MIT Crew shows strong performance in the largest regatta in the world
Photo courtesy of MIT Athletics
The 61st annual Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest three-day rowing regatta in the world, took place from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18. Every year, the regatta draws nearly 400,000 spectators and 12,000 rowers from more than 32 countries. The course starts at the Boston University DeWolfe Boathouse and runs three miles upstream, finishing near Christian Herter Park in Allston.
Between 6:20 a.m. practices, conditioning workouts, and running their home course, the MIT Crew teams prepared well, and the cold and windy weather did not deter the rowers from racing nor the spectators from watching. Family, friends, and alumni of MIT Crew cheered from the bridges as the shells went past, especially at the notorious 90-degree turn at Weeks Footbridge.
MIT Crew had seven entries on Saturday.
The A entry in the Women’s Club Fours placed 27th and the B entry placed 38th.
Men’s Lightweight 2V placed 10th in Men’s Club Eights. Men’s Varsity Lightweight Coach Will Oliver-Milchman was proud of coxswain Anna Kim ’30’s steering and their overall performance.
“They essentially matched our best performance in this event,” Oliver-Milchman said.
The A entry in the Women’s Club Eights placed 12th and the B entry placed 30th.
While Avery Reischer-Craft ’27 and Jiwoo Oh ’30 placed 10th overall in the Women’s Championship Doubles, they were first among the six collegiate entries and secured gold in this event for the first time in MIT history. Ava Thigpen ’29 and Elizabeth Paolella ’30 came in 4th among the collegiate entries.
The MIT Rowing Club sent two entries on Saturday. Their men’s eight placed 26th in the Men’s Club Eights. Their women’s eight placed 38th in the Women’s Club Eights.
The pleasant weather on Sunday drew even more spectators to the river, so the sponsor booths were brimming with visitors. The atmosphere was especially lively near the finish line, where ringing cowbells and cheers greeted the boats as they passed under Eliot Bridge.
MIT had six entries on Sunday.
The A entry placed 7th and the B entry placed 11th in the Women’s Lightweight Fours.
The Women’s Lightweight Eights placed 6th.
After being passed by Dartmouth in a thrilling struggle near Eliot Bridge, the Men’s Lightweight Eights placed 8th.
The 1V Men’s Heavyweight boat finished 5th in the Men’s Collegiate Eights. The 2V Men’s Heavyweight boat finished 18th, the highest of all the B boats, in the Men’s Collegiate Eights.
Coach Evan Thews-Wassell was extremely proud of these eights.
“We are on the right track to be competitive with the teams we will need to beat to earn a spot at the IRA national championship in the spring,” he said.